Digital end of the year activities

The academic year comes to a close. Are you looking for ways students can have fun in the last lesson and reflect on their year? Here are some easy to implement ideas that involve the use of technology.

1. Create a poster or video explaining why this year was great

Use Canva to create posters. Canva is probably the best free poster design software. First, create a Canva account and then choose from hundreds of beautiful layouts to create your own poster designs. Here are free templates of yearbooks. Here is the template for the school review posters you can see below.

To make videos use Flipgrid (read more in this article).

2. Give these year photos a voice

Ask students to create collages with photos of memorable events of this year. Then they can add voice messages to their photos. Use ChatterPix Kids app for that purpose. They should simply draw a line to make a mouth on the photo and record their voices.

3. Create animated GIFs of something you have learned

Here is Julie Smith’s list of tool for Creating Animated GIFs. Students can easily use as they don’t require a login. Students will definitely have fun creating GIFs. 

4. Represent the school year in newspaper format 

Ask students to write a year review and then use an attractive layout tool, Newspaper Club: ARTHR, to make a professional-looking newspaper. Learners can practise writing and digital skills in a creative way and teachers can print or publish their work and put it on display.

5. Create a Bitmoji class photo

Help your students create their own Bitmoji and email it to you. Then organize all avatars in one picture labelling names, awards, funny facts etc.

6. Organize a digital class party

Choose the theme, create PowerPoint presentations with tasks, riddles, games and host a class party on Zoom /Google hangout /Skype etc. Let your students wear costumes according to the theme. That is not the same as an offline party, however, it’s better than nothing.

7. Create a slideshow video with photos from your lessons this academic year

Share with students a folder of pictures that you have taken throughout the year. Have them use a slideshow creator like PowerPoint, Google Slides, Buncee, Adobe Spark, etc. to tell a story about their year in the form of a slideshow. Then have students practice their public speaking skills by presenting to the class or small groups.

8. Create a digital memory book

Explore boards «school memory book» on Pinterest. Then you can transfer these ideas into the digital world using Google Docs, PowerPoint presentations, Canva, Miro, free memory book maker apps, etc. Here is the template I used with my 12-year-old students last year.

9. Create a reflection poster / writing / speaking

Give out reflection prompts and ask your students to write / record / share in pairs answers to them.

• What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
• What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?
• What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?
• What was the most challenging part of this year for you?
• If you could change one thing that happened this year, what would it be?
• What are three things you did this year to help your classmates?
• When you consider the rest of your life, what percentage of what you learned this year do you think will be useful to you?
• What is something that was hard for you at the start of the year but is easy now?
• In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements?
• What is your favourite part of the day in our class? Why?
• What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?
• Of the books you read this year, which was your favourite? Why?
• What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?
• What are the three most important things you learned this year?
• What is something the teacher could have done to make this year better?
• Knowing what you know now, if you could write a letter to yourself that would travel back in time so that you would receive it at the start of the school year, what advice would you give your younger self?
• What are the six adjectives that best describe this school year?
• What person at our school has made the biggest impact on your life this year? Why?
• What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

10. Give out the end of the year awards

Allow students to design their own awards or give each student their award digitally by email. That can be such awards as Grammar Hero, Best Speaker, Efficiency Master, etc. It definitely will make your students feel special and happy as they wrap up the school year with you.

11. Play room escape games online

The player must find the clues and solve several difficult puzzles. That will allow you to leave different tricky places. Here is a Free end of the year Digital Escape Room game.

Don’t forget to have students complete traditional end of the year activities like letters to future teachers and students, creative writing, memoirs, Thank You cards etc. Make your students feel some sense of a normal school environment.