Are you looking for amazing last day of school ideas for your kids? Girl, let's chat about the best ideas to help you celebrate with your kids that they will remember forever.
You finally made it to the end of the school year and if you are anything like me, you are looking for ways to celebrate it with your kids.
As a mom of 4, I have been helping my kids celebrate with these last day of school ideas for 7 years now. I am even going to share with you what I have planned for this year.
You are going to learn all about these exciting last day of school ideas like how to decorate for it, last day of school pictures, special food traditions, creating a summer bucket list, and so much more.
After hearing about all of these amazing last day of school ideas, you are going to be all set to help your kids celebrate all their hard work over this last school year.
Let's jump into the best last day of school ideas for your kids.
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Best Last Day of School Ideas
Congrats, MAMA!!! You did it, you made it through this school year.
Whew, it is such a great feeling, isn’t it?
Celebrate with your kiddo by making this day as special as possible.
I hope you have some fantastic plans with your kids for the summer. You only have so many with them so make them count.
Last Day of School Ideas
Teacher Presents
Teach your kids to show appreciation for their teacher’s hard work with them by getting them a little gift.
We love to shower all of the teachers that worked with our kids at the end of school.
I have my kids write their teacher a note to thank them for all their hard work. With my younger kids, I have them write what they like best about their teacher.
We also include a small gift.
Last year we picked gift cards to Caribou Coffee but there are so many other amazing places we could have picked like Target and Amazon.
The year before that, they each got delicious chocolate truffles.
What do you like to get for the teachers?
Last Day of School Ideas
Gifts
For all the hard work your kids put in this last year - academically, growing as a person, and emotionally (you know there were lots of emotions) - treat your kiddo to a little gift.
Books
Kids should be reading every day. So, giving books will help encourage just that.
Last year I gave these books.
Not sure I mentioned before but my oldest is a girl and then 3 boys follow her. They are all about 2 years apart.
The Mr. Lemoncello series is fun to read at night with my kids, even my youngest wants to know what is going to happen.
The Snowmen at Night series and the Narwhal and Jelly books are so amazing as well.
Games
Help keep your kiddo from getting bored with a new game.
Since I have a daughter and 3 boys, we have all sorts of games.
Mall Madness is my 12-year-old daughter's favorite game right now and they all love playing Trouble.
LCD Writing Tablet
Have you seen these writing tablets?
We have 4 of them and they are used.
They are electronic paper and they are magnetic so they will stick to your fridge.
My kids use them for everything from homework scratch paper to making artwork to taking them in the car.
We love them.
Light-Up Tracing Pad
This tracing pad will give your kiddo something to do this summer whether it be at your house or on your road trips.
My daughter has this but her brothers use it all the time too.
I love getting my hands on it from time to time also.
Lessons
You can help your kiddo learn something new or advance their skills in something they are interested in with lessons.
This year we are giving our daughter horseback riding lessons.
All of our kids are getting swimming lessons.
And my youngest son is interested in piano lessons.
Other lessons and classes that you could look into include, but are not limited to: sports lessons, art class, dance lessons, exploring the outdoors, and more.
Last Day of School Ideas
Decorations
Driveway Message
If the weather looks like it is going to be good, decorate your driveway with sidewalk chalk.
In the past I have made the messages “Hello Summer”, “Welcome Summer”, and “It’s Party Time”.
I love this sidewalk chalk since it is vibrant but will also wash off your hands and clothes well.
Be bold about it and make it as big as possible. If your kiddo is like mine, they will be amazed by this.
Streamers
You can add streamers anywhere inside or outside your house.
On the last day of school, I have been putting up streamers outside my kids’ bedroom doors for them to walk through when they wake up.
They think it is pretty fun so I plan to do it again this year.
Balloons
I add balloons to their bedroom door as well as to the chairs for breakfast.
Balloons are easy and cheap but add so much.
Banner
If you want to go all out, check out this banner.
I have used this one over and over and it has held up well.
It is really big, so make sure you have a big space to hang it.
Last day of school ideas
Last Day of School Countdown
Create a countdown with regular printer paper and put it where everyone can see it – the fridge of course. Your kids will have fun taking the days off every evening.
We like to do a 10-day countdown.
I don’t think my kids have an attention span for longer than that. The excitement wears off.
Have a Special Breakfast
It is a big and special day. Start it off with a special breakfast,
My kids love cinnamon rolls but you could do donuts, breakfast pastries, or even take them out somewhere if you have enough time in the morning.
With 4 kids, that would never work. We would be late for school for sure.
Last Day of School Pictures
Don’t forget to bust your camera out and take a ton of pictures.
We like to use this 1st day/last day of school sign. You can fill in all the info with chalk.
It is fun to see how different your kids look from the start of one school year to the end.
We always take pictures in the same place as we did at the start of school.
A good smile for 1 and then let's get silly for a few. Those smiles always turn out the best and break any nerves about the last day.
Create a Summer Bucket List
Maybe your kiddo is old enough to understand the concept of a summer bucket list, if so make one with her.
I always ask these questions.
- What 3 things do you want to do this summer?
- Name 2 things you want to learn this summer?
- Is there anything new you want to try this summer?
These questions usually create a good list of answers and you might be surprised and find out something new about your kiddo.
Hang their list up somewhere and see if you can cross everything off of it.
Measure Height
On the last day of school or right around there, measure how tall your kiddo is. Then at the end of summer measure him again.
If you have a scale, you can get his weight too. But we don't have one so we skip this.
You will be amazed at how much he grows in such a short amount of time.
I do in-home daycare and we did this as part of our kick-off to summer. The kids had a blast getting this all figured out.
Last Day of School Interview
Help your kiddo remember this last school year with a last day of school interview.
I like asking these questions, and you can certainly come up with more.
- Who was your teacher?
- What did you like best about your teacher?
- Who were your friends this year?
- Did you have a favorite subject, what made you like it so much?
- Is there a subject you liked the least and why?
- What will you remember most about this school year?
- Do you have any plans you want to accomplish this summer?
- What do you think your next grade will be like?
Confetti Poppers
I am not sure who started this, but my family loves confetti poppers. Now they are at every occasion including birthdays, weddings, and the last day of school.
They are fun, but they make a mess. Just be prepared to have to clean them up.
I like these confetti poppers the best because if we do them outside and can't find all the confetti it is ok. They are biodegradable so they are earth-friendly.
We save these for when the kids get home from school.
Go Out to Eat
Take your kiddo out to eat at your favorite restaurant or try a new one.
Since it costs so much for all 6 of us to go out to eat, we save it for special occasions. And the last day of school is certainly a special occasion.
Go to a Movie
If you know there is a movie your kiddo would be interested in, plan a day at the theater.
When you go to the theater, do you buy food there or “sneak in your own treats”? Let me know in the comments below.
I must admit, we mostly bring in our own.
This year, there happens to be a movie my kids want to see. We are going to a matinee on the first Saturday after school is over.
Last Day of School Party Ideas
Help your kids celebrate by letting them have a few friends over for a party.
It doesn’t have to be anything major. Your kiddo just wants to have fun outside of school with his friends for a while.
I have done this for years now and my kids and their friends have a blast.
With 4 kids, they each get to pick up to 3 friends. Otherwise, could you imagine what craziness that would be if they could invite everyone they wanted to?
This post will walk you through how to set up and make this party a blast for your kids and their friends.
Go Camping
Do your kids like to go camping as much as mine do? Even if it is in your backyard, set that tent up and make a big production of it.
Since there are so many of us, and our kids are going to only get bigger, we sprung for this giant tent that we can stand up in no matter where we are in it. And I love it!
We go camping both in our backyard and at campgrounds and my kids have a blast at both places.
Go to the Beach
If it turns outs to be warm enough, plan to go to the beach after school is done.
It is a great way to relax and burn off all the built-up energy of the day.
Don’t forget the sunscreen!
It is hit or miss if this works out for us, but most of the time it is still too chilly to swim at our beach.
Outdoor Movie
I know you have seen, or at least heard of those outdoor movie projectors. It just so happens that I am in the market for one.
Do you have one you can recommend to me?
Grab some chairs, blankets, and of course snacks and head outside. Let your kiddo pick the movie.
Let me know in the comments below what you like to sit/lay on to watch outdoor movies.
This post was all about the best last day of school ideas.
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Let me know in the comments below what you plan to do to celebrate the last day of school with your kids.
What do you plan to do with your kids this summer to make it the best one yet?
I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for stopping by.