Isn’t this such a bittersweet time? The end of the school year can bring so many emotions. Excitement for the summer, anticipation for the much-needed break, sadness for the students you will miss, and pride in how far they have come this year.
With another year in the books, it’s important to bring closure to the accumulated 180 days you’ve spent together and prepare students for the next year of learning and unique experiences.
You can absolutely do this in a fun way by making a sweet memento with an end-of-the-year lapbook! This is a super fun activity that simultaneously teaches reflection and goal setting. I’ve linked these lapbooks for 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade in the pictures below. You can also find them here!
So, what should be in a lapbook like this?
Well, the goal is to reflect on the year and summarize the good moments in one place, so the kiddos never forget their special memories. Parents also LOVE to look back and see the fun things their kids enjoyed, like their favorite books or first cursive signature.
Sidenote: I actually have a homemade flipbook of my entire Kindergarten year tucked away in a momento’s tote, myself! Sentimental pieces like these are what bring back the sweet memories of childhood, and I am forever grateful my teacher took the time to make something special like this for us.
A few things that should definitely be recorded are:
- When they felt like a star this year
- Their favorite books this year
- How they have changed
- New learning from each subject
- Their current favorites
- Adjectives that describe them
- Draw a self-portrait or paste a current photo
- A new word they know how to spell
- Goals for next year
- Their current signature
- Their favorite subject this year
- Teacher’s autograph
- Autographs from friends
A huge bonus is this lapbook already has all of these for you!
What you need to make this lapbook:
Thankfully, all of my resources are always ready-to-print and ready-to-go! The only other materials you’ll need are:
- Scissors
- A picture of the student, IF you plan to add a photograph instead of instructing students to draw their portrait.
- A file folder OR a large 11×17 piece of construction paper
- Writing and drawing materials
- Glue
Simple as that! The work is done for you, so all you have to do is print and have the students do the rest!
Extra Ideas:
- I LOVE bulletin boards! Showing off all that hard work just makes sense. This particular project would be perfect to display on your bulletin board! You can take a class photo to include on the back of the student’s lapbooks and make one extra photo for the bulletin board. Put a paper border around it that resembles a mirror, then attach it to the board. Title the bulletin board “Our Class Reflection” and post your student’s lapbooks for display. Beautiful!
- When it’s time to send their lapbooks home at the end of the year, you can add them to a student folder with other items you’ve saved throughout the year. If you kept artwork, notes, or other bulletin board pieces specific to them, then add all of these to the folder. To make it extra special, include an envelope with a handwritten note from you inside. Memory folders like this are a sweet surprise to your students and their parents.
- IF you are a *bit* extra and tend to do the most for your students, this one is for you! (Let me just say, don’t worry, I’m extra too.) If you like to make little goodies for your class as an end-of-the-year present, you can continue the “packing up” theme and grab a little bag from the dollar store for each student to go with their lapbook. Include things like candy, a summer item (beach ball, sand toys, etc.), coloring pages, stickers, or a fun workbook.
BONUS: You can grab these canvas bags and let your students use markers to decorate and sign each other’s bags.
These lapbooks are the perfect activity for this time of year. Grab this resource and go make memories with your littles!
Find more resources like this at my shop here!
