As the school year draws to a close, why not have some fun by planning unique last day of school traditions? Get ideas and tips that your kids will appreciate!
After a long and sometimes stressful school year, the last day of school can be an occasion to celebrate! If your family doesn’t currently do anything to make the day feel a little special, consider starting a new tradition to make it a little more of an event. There are lots of fun and easy traditions you can carry on throughout the years to make the last day of school a special and memorable occasion.
If you’re gearing up for the last day of school, try to incorporate at least one or two of these traditions into your end-of-the-year routine:
Make a last day of school memory book.
Why not create a special memory book that they can treasure for years to come? Encourage them to collect photos, artwork, and mementos from the past academic year to include in their scrapbook. From field trips to special projects and beyond, there will be plenty of memories to look back on and celebrate. You’ll both get to see how much they’ve accomplished over the past school year. And it’ll also be a fun and creative activity to do together.
Surprise them with a gift.
If your little learner has worked hard and brought home great grades throughout the school year, the last day of school may be the perfect time for a reward. Splurge on a toy or game they’ve wanted, or really reward them by announcing you’re sending them to summer camp or taking the family on a long-awaited vacation.
Share a celebratory ice cream after school.
For a much more low-key celebration, stop by your family’s favorite ice cream parlor after you pick the kids up for a much-deserved treat. Let them go wild and load their sundae or milkshake up with as many toppings as they want – just this once – and dig in as they tell you about their day and all the plans they have in store for the summer months.
Bake something sweet.
There’s nothing quite like celebrating the last day of school by whipping up something sweet in the kitchen! Try out a new viral cookie, cupcake, or cake recipe that you’ve possibly seen on social media or from a dessert cookbook. Do it together and make it a sweet treat tradition that your kids will look forward to yearly.
Let the kids choose dinner.
Leave dinner to your little ones and let them decide where you’ll eat or what you’ll cook – within reason, of course. Whether they’d love to wrap up the school year with a big plate of BBQ, cheesy pizza, or a visit to their favorite hibachi restaurant, see what they want to do and make it happen.
Write it down!
Give your kids the recognition they deserve by writing some congratulatory messages on your car windows with glass-friendly markers. Alternately, use sidewalk chalk to decorate your driveway with “You Did It!”s and “Welcome To Summer!”s.
Host a party.
If you don’t mind having people over, consider throwing an end-of-school party for your child and their friends. Let everyone play outdoors as you grill up some hot dogs and hamburgers or order a few pizzas and get to know the parents of some of their classmates a little bit better. It’s a great opportunity to make connections to plan summer play dates and trips to the park.
Take a last-day-of-school photo.
Many families kick off each school year with a photo of their child all dressed up and ready to go, but few follow up with an annual photo to commemorate the school year’s end. If you try to take a more traditional, serious photo to start the year, don’t be afraid to get silly and have fun with this one. Your kids might not appreciate this one so much when they’re young, but they’ll value these photos once they’re grown.
In Conclusion
For most kids, the last day of school is a huge celebration on its own, but you can incorporate some of these fun traditions to make the day even more meaningful and memorable. Why not make the day even more special?
Ask your little ones which traditions sound best to them and see how you can make time for one or more in the day. Make sure to document it all with photos and mementos that can be placed in a memory book – your kids will surely be excited to relive these memories when they grow up!
