What do you do with your class at the end of the year? How can you make the last day of school fun? GAMES! These end of school year games are easy classroom activities that work especially well for elementary students during the final days of school. Each game creates a memorable last few days of school for elementary students (and helps you keep your sanity!). Read on to learn how.
End of the Year Games for the Classroom (Quick Ideas)
Jump to a Game
- Silent Ball
- Guess the Picture – Summer
- 4 Corners
- Sit or Stand – Summer
- Around the World
- Would You Rather
- Rock Paper Scissors Tournament
- Who Said That
- Bingo
- Card Games
#1 – Silent Ball (A Classic End of the Year Game)
REQUIRES: a small (preferably soft) ball
This game is SO fun for students and teachers alike. You’ll want to designate a specific playing area; all students usually sit in a circle. The gist is that students pass the ball around silently until there’s one player left.
Start a countdown so students know it’s time to be silent, “3, 2, 1, silent.” Choose one student to start. They will throw the ball to another student. (For my younger students, I’d have them say the classmate’s name they intend to throw to first so nobody is caught off-guard.)
Students are ‘out’ if…
- they drop the ball upon receiving it
- anyone talks or makes noise
- NOTE: For bad passes (that are truly bad passes), I allow a “do-over,” but you can choose to have this person also eliminated.
Once you declare a winner, all students will return to play a new round. This student will now get to go first.
Another option is to allow students to sit on top of their desks for gameplay (if they can handle it, of course).
#2 – Guess the Picture – Summer
REQUIRES: pictures for students to guess; digital device to project
Students will guess the summer-themed picture in this game. All you have to do is project the slides!
Students will see four clues, one at a time, with progressively more of the summer-themed picture revealed. Once they know the answer, they’ll use the provided sentence starter to state their answer.
It’s vital to stress the importance of not blurting in this game because students can guess the image on any of the four clues. Set the ground rule that students should raise their hands to guess.
Another option is to have students play in teams against each other.
#3 – 4 Corners
REQUIRES: options for students to choose; number or letter posters to label each corner
There are many ways to play this game, but it is designed to be a whole-class activity. The gist is that you pose questions for students, and they go to a designated corner to “vote.”
Display a slide with a question and four options to answer, each divided into four corners of the slide. Number the answer options. Assign a number to each of the four corners of the room.
I read the options aloud to students. Then, they walk to the corner that represents their answer. From there, they can share with fellow classmates who picked that choice.
Four Corners is one of those end of the year games that you can really use with any skill. Since it’s the end of the year, I like to pose a mix of reflection questions and plans for the summer.
#4 – Sit or Stand – Summer
REQUIRES: options for students to choose; digital device to project
Sit or Stand is your typical ‘This or That’ choice activity – but with added movement! Students will declare their choice by sitting or standing, depending on the directions for the given option.
I like to incorporate the This or That Summer version because it’s low-pressure and gets students excited about the summer.
#5 – Around the World
REQUIRES: flashcards or prompts
Another versatile end of the year game, you can play Around the World with any skill. All you need is a set of flashcards or prompts to ask students.
All students should be seated. Choose one student to start, and have them stand beside or behind their classmate.
Show both students a flash card or say the prompt aloud. The student who answers correctly first will move on to compete with the next student.
The goal here is for one student to make it around the classroom and back in their seat, thereby traveling “around the world.”
#6 – Would You Rather
REQUIRES: options for students to choose; a digital device to project
Who doesn’t love a good game of ‘Would You Rather’?! It’s one of those classic end of the year games (or really any time of year).
Show students two options and have them decide which they’d rather do or choose.
Playing Would You Rather in the classroom makes for a fun, easygoing, and low-pressure experience — perfect for the end of the year!
#7 – Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
Our rock, paper, scissors tournament is one of my favorite end of the year games!
This tournament follows the traditional rock, paper, scissors game but with added competition. To begin with, choose two students. The winner of the first two students advances to the next round, and so forth.
Play continues until there is one winner at the end. I like to make a bracket so students are aware of their opponent (and to keep me organized🤪).
#8 – Who Said That? (One of My Favorite End of the Year Games!)
Choose one student to be the “guesser.” This student will stand at the front of the class facing the whiteboard. They can cover their eyes or not, but they must keep them closed so as not to see any students behind them.
The teacher selects one student from the class to say a predetermined message (make it easy). The messages could be “Happy Wednesday,” “Where are you from?” or “I love going outside.”
The “guesser” will then guess the student who said it by voicing their name aloud. If they’re correct, they can either go again or not.
#9 – Bingo
Ah, there are so many ways to use Bingo as an end of the year game. You know how it goes!
#10 – Card Games
There are a plethora of card games you could use. I recommend having a center for each game and allowing students to choose where they’ll play the entire time.
These are great end of the year games because students get to just play. Although it can get competitive, students can give their brains a break and relax!
Some examples of card games include:
- Go Fish!
- Uno
- Old Maid
- Memory Match
- War
- Slap Jack
I like to get a few sets of kid’s card games from Five Below.
Why End of the Year Classroom Games Work
End of year classroom games give students a chance to relax, connect with classmates, and celebrate the school year together!
Many teachers use these activities during the final week of school, on field day, or on the last day of school when lessons are finished.
End of the Year Games You Need
By now, you should have a pretty good idea of which end of the year games will work for your elementary students. To recap, here are my top 10 suggestions:
- Silent Ball
- Guess the Picture – Summer edition
- 4 Corners
- Sit or Stand – Summer edition
- Around the World
- Would You Rather
- Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament
- Who Said That?
- Bingo
- Card Games
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No time for games or prepping? Try these 10 no-prep end of the year activities!
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