reading

Hey teacher friend,
Can you believe it? The end of the year is peeking around the corner like a kid trying to catch the surprise in a birthday bag. You’ve taught hard, loved big, and made memories—and now it’s time to send your students off with a little magic they’ll carry all summer long. So grab your sunglasses, your camera, and that stash of stickers you’ve been hoarding, because I’ve got some A+ ideas to make the last few weeks full of smiles, reflection, and fun.

1. Picnic + Read-Aloud = Perfection

Take the learning outside! Throw a beach towel over your shoulder and head outside with a basket of your class’s favorite read-alouds. Let kids bring a stuffed animal or pillow from home and turn your playground into the coziest outdoor reading nook ever. Bonus: Let them “read” to their stuffies for extra giggles.

2. Autograph Books with Heart

Print out simple autograph books for students to sign for each other, but here’s the twist: Encourage them to write compliments or favorite memories with each classmate. It turns into a keepsake they’ll actually read again—and it fosters kindness right up to the final bell.

3. Theme Days That Bring the Party

Go out with a bang by turning the last week into a celebration!

Monday: Hat Day 🧢
Tuesday: Game Day 🎲
Wednesday: Wacky Socks + Dance Party 🧦🕺
Thursday: Art Explosion 🎨
Friday: Pajamas & Popcorn Movie Day 🎬🍿

Each day = simple. The fun = major.

4. Letters to the Future

Have students write letters to their “next grade selves.” They can write what they’re excited for, what they want to remember, or even what they hope their next teacher knows about them. Seal them up and send them home with a sticker that says, “Open the night before school starts!”—trust me, parents will thank you!

Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com

5. Mini Graduation Ceremony

Kinders, firsties, and second graders LOVE feeling official. Print “diplomas,” play the graduation song, and hand out rolled-up certificates with their names written in big, bold print. Take lots of pics. Be warned: tears (from you) are very possible.

6. End-of-Year Memory Posters

Pass out big sheets of paper and markers and let your students create memory posters with drawings, classmate names, and favorite things they learned this year. Hang them in the hallway like your own class museum!

7. Pack with Purpose

Turn cleaning into a classroom job! Assign students to “teams” to help pack up supplies, sort books, or clean centers. Throw on some fun music and make it a competition (with a dance break halfway through, of course). Give awards like “Best Bin Organizer” or “Most Spirited Sweeper.”

✨ Don’t Forget: YOU Made Magic Happen

Before you turn off the classroom lights and head out for some well-deserved rest, take a second. Look around. Remember the hugs, the lightbulb moments, the giggles during read-alouds, and even the glitter spills. You’ve changed lives this year. That’s not just worth celebrating—it’s worth shouting from the rooftops.

You’ve got this, teacher friend. Let’s finish strong—then rest even stronger. 💛 -Adam

Spring has officially sprung—and if your students are anything like mine were, they’re itching to break free from the four walls of the classroom and breathe in that fresh spring air. And honestly? I don’t blame them one bit!

The good news is, learning doesn’t have to stop when the doors swing open. In fact, some of the best lessons come to life when we step outside. Here are some simple, low-prep ways to bring your PreK–2nd grade learners outdoors for some sunshine-fueled fun (and yes, you can count it as instructional time 😉).

Nature Walk & Write

What You’ll Need: Clipboards, paper, pencils or crayons
Take a walk around the school yard or nearby park and turn it into a writing adventure!

PreK–K: Have students draw something they see outside (a flower, a tree, a bird) and label it.
1st–2nd: Turn it into a “Spring Senses” writing prompt. What do they see, hear, smell, and feel?

Bonus Tip: Add magnifying glasses for a little scientist flair! 🔍

Sidewalk Chalk Spelling & Math

What You’ll Need: Chalk. That’s it. Boom.
Let kids practice spelling words, math facts, or even writing sentences with chalk on the sidewalk or blacktop.

Write word family “houses” and have students fill in rhyming words.
Hopscotch their way through number bonds or math facts.
Create a life-sized number line or alphabet trail to jump through!

Messy hands = happy minds.

Outdoor Story Time

What You’ll Need: A book and a blanket (or just the grass!)
Take your read-alouds outside and let nature be your cozy classroom. Add a fun twist:

Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and then go hunt for bugs!
Read If You Find a Rock and let students collect their own rocks and write stories about them.

Because let’s be honest—books + birds chirping = teacher bliss.

Science in Bloom

What You’ll Need: Curiosity and a few simple tools
Spring is science gold.

Plant seeds in clear cups and observe root growth daily.
Use clear jars to create mini greenhouses.
Bring out the bubbles to explore wind, force, and direction.
Set up a “weather station” with student-made tools to track changes.

Your classroom meteorologists will be all in.

Art in the Wild

What You’ll Need: Paint, paper, nature
Take art class outdoors and paint with Q-tips, leaves, pinecones—you name it.

Try “Nature Collages” using twigs, grass, petals, and more.
Let kids lie down and sketch what they see above them.

Creative + calming = teacher win.

Scavenger Hunt with a Purpose

What You’ll Need: Printed checklists or picture boards
Make a simple scavenger hunt focused on shapes, colors, numbers, or letters.

“Find something shaped like a triangle.”
“Find 3 things that start with ‘S.’”
“Find 5 different colors.”

This is sneak-attack learning at its finest.

💡 Final Thought

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel—or even roll the cart outside. Sometimes all it takes is a good book, some fresh air, and a little imagination to turn a spring day into a teachable moment.

So go ahead—open those doors, let in the sunshine, and take learning outside. Your students (and your sanity) will thank you. 🌞

Let’s make learning bloom,
Adam

Tag: reading

🎉 Wrapping Up With Wonder: End-of-Year Activities Your Students Will Never Forget!