As the school year winds down and summer is right around the corner, this last stretch is filled with events, testing, year-end units, and so much more. It’s an action-packed last couple of weeks, but there’s one important item we should squeeze in as teachers: recognizing the achievements of our students. Celebrating our students and how far they have grown, improved, and changed is truly memorable and impactful. We shouldn’t let the school year end without celebrating our students’ accomplishments. We have five creative ways to celebrate student growth at the end of the school year.
#1 Awards & Gifts
An inexpensive yet personal way to celebrate students is through printable awards and gifts. Creating and printing your own classroom awards is an awesome way to celebrate student achievements. Utilize Canva to make your awards easily. I love the idea of the candy bar awards that pair a fun candy bar with a neat recognition. Choosing a theme to center the awards around makes it a fun experience, such as turning the classroom into a red carpet with movie-title themed awards. Hand out popcorn, candy, and even soda as a fun matching gift. Another interesting idea is to create awards based on various book characters you’ve read with your class, such as the “Wonder” award or the “Brave like Malala” certificate.
After switching from elementary to middle school, I knew I wanted to create awards that were interesting, fun, and personable. Inspired by the Kids’ Choice Awards, we created our Editable End-of-Year Awards. With over 80 diverse designs, teachers can create awards with a student’s appearance in mind. Pair each award with a gift of a small packet of slime, and it’s almost like the real Nickelodeon Awards! I love that this resource also comes with a matching student gift. Teachers can take the same student design and pair adjectives with it, showing students what character traits stood out to the teacher the most that year.
Interested in this resource?
#2 Refrigerator Shout-Out
Something simple and easy that does not require much prep is the Refrigerator Shout-Out Wall or Bulletin Board. Simply find a blank space in your classroom and give students a sheet of copy paper. Explain to your students that this is the classroom refrigerator, and just like at home, we put something we’re proud of on the “fridge,” so we will do the same with this activity. Students draw and write about a subject or an area in which they improved or grew. This activity is perfect for kindergartners who are proud of learning addition, to middle schoolers who are proud that they learned how to write a proper essay, or that they tackled that long novel. Students essentially are giving themselves their own “shout-out,” and it celebrates the class’s accomplishments for all to see.
#3 Pineapple Writing Activity Presentation Celebration
If you want a way for students to reflect a growth mindset in an activity that combines writing and crafts, you’ll love our Pineapple Writing Activity. Reflecting on the school year and thinking about a growth mindset is a great end-of-year activity. How can your students be a pineapple? By writing lots of examples of how they “stood tall and wore a crown.” Students write about how they demonstrated perseverance, improved in a subject, or learned something new in our Growth Mindset craft. Your students will love this adorable hands-on writing activity to reflect on their school year. Students can also present their Pineapple Crafts to the class as a way to celebrate their growth.
#4 Glow Celebration
A unique way for students to pause, reflect, and share their achievements is through a Glow Celebration. Task students with writing down on brightly colored post-its an accomplishment they are particularly proud of from the year, or an area they “glowed” in. Next, gather your students together and pass out glow sticks or glow-in-the-dark necklaces. Turn off the lights, and students share their “glows” from the year. Another twist is to use black lights and have students write “glowing” compliments to their peers on large neon paper.
Glow celebrations are a fun, interesting, and memorable way to recognize your class’s achievements.
#5 Growth Garden Bulletin Board Display
Just like flowers need sunshine, water, and fresh air to grow, students need time and support to grow as well. A clever way for students to reflect on their achievements or areas they improved in is for them to create a cute flower with their accomplishments written on the stem or petals of the craft. To encourage truly unique flowers, lay out lots of colored construction paper, cute cupcake liners, scissors, and glue. Students present their flowers to the class, and you can display them in the classroom for all to see. Pair a cute title with it, such as Petals of Progress or Garden of Goal Getters.
Conclusion
As we wrap up another school year, taking time to recognize how much our students have grown can leave a lasting impression on them and us. Whether it’s through creative awards, reflective writing, glowing celebrations, or hands-on crafts, these end-of-year traditions not only celebrate success but also encourage students to take pride in their progress. No matter which idea you choose, what matters most is showing students that their growth matters and that every step forward is worth honoring. Let’s end the year with joy, reflection, and a celebration of just how far they’ve come!
