Has end of the year behavior become an issue in your elementary classroom? If you feel like there's a full moon the entire month of May, you're not alone. As the school year is drawing to a close, classroom behaviors can sometimes go wild. If you're suddenly wondering what happened to your well-behaved students check out these strategies for end of the year behavior management.
1. Stay Consistent With Expectations
It may be tempting to start a countdown as soon as the calendar turns to May. ABC countdowns are popular and can be fun. But sometimes they can lead to trouble. Many kids are dreading the end of the year because school is their safe space. Other students will think the rules no longer apply and end of the year behaviors become a problem. Either way, when you begin a countdown too early it can lead to attitudes and poor behaviors that just make everyone miserable. Your best bet is to keep your same routines for as long as possible. Remind students of your expectations, rules, and consequences, and save the countdown for the last week or two.
2. Take Students Outside To Learn
The weather is getting warmer and it can get pretty miserable in the classroom. We had no air conditioning at my school and by the afternoon my class was falling asleep from the heat! Even if your classroom is nice and cool, everyone wants to enjoy the sunshine during those warm spring days. Take your class outside and sit under a tree to do your math lesson. Grab some dry erase boards and expo markers and have your students practice math facts or spelling words. Another idea is to let students choose some books and read outside. It's a great way to get in extra practice and your students will love being outdoors.
3. Plan Theme Days
Plan some fun theme days that lend themselves to being outdoors. A great end-of-the-year theme is an insect unit. Young students love exploring nature and now that the weather is getting nicer it's the perfect time to search for bugs. You can have students become entomologists as they make observations, do research, and even write reports.
Another great theme to keep kids engaged at the end of the year is learning about dinosaurs. Every child is fascinated by these prehistoric creatures and it's a great way to keep kids on task at the end of the year. When you do a dinosaur theme unit students can search for dinosaur bones in the grass, build a huge dinosaur on the playground, weigh and measure dinosaur eggs and write about these interesting animals!
4. Enlist Student Help With Cleaning
As the weeks start winding down, you'll want to clean out your classroom. How do you do that with a room full of kids and avoid any behavior management problems? Put them to work! Let your students wipe down shelves, take down bulletin boards, and clean your centers. Have your students take all the books out of your library, wipe out the book boxes and reorganize books. Kindergarten and first grade students love being helpers and it will save you tons of time.
5. Let Your Students Be The Teacher
You've been teaching all year and now it's your students' turn to teach you! Let your students pick a topic of their choice, have them complete a simple lesson plan, and assign a student (or two) to be the “teacher for the day”. Your class will absolutely love learning from each other and you can put your feet up and just listen! Head over here to get some different ideas for teacher of the day.
6. Have A Water Play Day
If end of the year behavior problems begin to arise, get your students outdoors with a water play day. Plan some fun outdoor activities with bubbles, water sprinklers and blow-up pools. Let the kids put on their swimsuits and play in the water while you relax in a chair getting your summer tan started (in a T-shirt and shorts of course!)
7. Have An End Of The Year Talent Show
Another great way to avoid end of the year behavior problems is by having a talent show. Students can perform solo or group acts like dancing, singing, telling jokes, or gymnastics. You can have a simple talent show just for your class or have a bigger production for the whole school. Head over here to see our first grade talent show and get some ideas for your own classroom.
8. Chalk On The Walk
Plan a chalk-on-the-walk contest. Give each student a square on the sidewalk and let them draw a masterpiece. This can keep students engaged for a long time and you won't have the dreaded end of the year behavior problems when kids are occupied and having fun.
9. Paint Outside
Another idea is to get some long pieces of white butcher paper. Give each child a black permanent marker and let them draw anything they want. Then take them outside to paint their drawings with watercolors. Your students will love sitting in the sunshine on a warm spring day and you can relax too. When the paintings are complete you'll have some beautiful murals to line the halls on the last day of school.
10. Run Relay Races
Are your students feeling antsy with too much energy to spare? Take them to your football field or playground and run some relay races. You can play old-fashioned games like Mother May I, Red Light Green Light, and Red Rover. You can even have kids each bring in an old pillowcase for sack races. These are the memories kids will remember forever.
11. Give Your Students Treats
When all else fails, it's okay to resort to bribery in those final days of school. Take kids outside for a popsicle treat after they have finished their math lesson. Pass out skittles to kids who are working quietly (you'll be amazed at how quiet your room becomes when skittles are in the picture!) Make a lollipop tree and let kids visit once their work is complete. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
12. Embrace The Chaos
This is the last time you'll spend with your class so try to enjoy it. Remember what it felt like to be seven years old and summer was just around the corner. Tell your students some of your funny stories from your own childhood. Relive those memories of building forts, doing wheelies on your bike, swimming at the local pool, and running after the ice cream truck. Then let your students tell you everything they're looking forward to!
If you need some activities that will keep your students engaged, learning, and having fun these last few days of school, click below to take a look at some of my favorites:
