The end of the school year is near. Since the end of the year countdown is on, I want to share some of my favorite easy and inexpensive end-of-the-year gifts to use in your classrooms. Raise your hand if you are guilty of throwing together last-minute gifts. Here are a few ideas that will make end of year student gifts an easier (and cheap) task for you this year.
These gift tags with fun and catchy phrases are easy to print and attach to some gifts that will sure to be a hit with your students.
- “This year was one for the books!”: I love reading so it’s a perfect way to give my students a gift that is personal to me but I can also give each student a different book to make it personal for them.
- “I hope your summer is just “write”!: Looking for a fun writing-themed gift idea? Grab some cute pens or pencils for your students. These are some of my all time favorite pencils
- “Let’s chalk it up to a great year!”: My students love writing with chalk during recess so I know this will be a hit! Use ribbon to tie around and give your students each a bundle. Here’s the pack I get so I can give quite a few pieces to kids.
- “Dough-n’t” you think it was a fabulous year?”: Playdough is a childhood favorite so I am sure your students will love this cute idea!
- “You really blew me away this year!” or “You really blew us away this year”: Bubbles are a sign summer is on its way! I have given my students each a bubble wand or you can do this with deliciously flavored bubblegum.
- Legos/Building Blocks – This year was built on memories.
- Pop-its – It was a popping year
- Sunglasses – You shined this year
- Glow Sticks – I loved watching you “glow” this year.
At the end of each year, I love using this printable or digital memory book to help my students celebrate and remember their year in first grade! This is a great way for my students to reflect on the past school year and think about some of their favorite things. I bind these for my students to bring home to share with their parents, it’s a great keepsake. You can also do this as a digital memory book to share with your families as well. It has definitely been a tough year with parents not being able to get into the classrooms so this will be an extra special way for them to take a look into their child’s school year.
Another way I love celebrating the end of the year with my students is by putting together a slideshow that I also send to the parents and they appreciate it so much. I am so excited to share it with the families this year especially since they haven’t been able to help out in the classrooms or even attend an in-person open house. This is super easy to edit by simply adding in your pictures and sharing them with your families. If you are having an end-of-the-year celebration this is great to include!
The end of the school year comes with packing up classrooms, report cards, and testing all while teaching our students who let’s be honest are ready for summer. But, I know for me it’s really important to give my students a little something that lets them know how much I have enjoyed our year together. I hope these ideas have provided you with a way to end the year on a positive note. Gift-giving doesn’t have to be inexpensive or time-consuming! I can’t wait to hear about some of your favorite student gift ideas in the comments below.
