It’s the end of the school year and time for end of the year activities for 5th graders! Give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve survived a year’s worth of parent conferences, report cards, grading, IEP writing, PLC meetings, faculty meetings, lesson plans, student drama, and observations. You’ve been a teacher, nurse, counselor, friend, disciplinarian, entertainer, and leader. Through it all, you’ve been a champion!
As the school year winds down and summer break approaches, excitement fills the air—and let’s be honest, keeping 5th graders focused can be a bit of a challenge! That’s why it’s the perfect time to mix in some creative and meaningful activities to celebrate all they’ve accomplished.
Whether you’re a teacher looking to wrap up the year on a high note or a parent planning something special, these end of year activities for upper elementary students are designed to help your students reflect, connect, and make lasting memories. Let the countdown begin!
But the question still remains….how will you make it through the end of the year? That’s where these 27 end of the year activities for 5th graders come into play! Choose one of these fun activities and give it a try!
1. CANDY BAR AWARDS
Students love candy AND they love being recognized! When you put those two things together for printable Candy Bar Awards, it’s a huge win! With over 60 awards to choose from, you can celebrate something positive about each child. Make the awards even more fun by having a Red Carpet Event. Create a red “carpet” with a roll of bulletin board paper. Have each student take their turn walking down the red carpet to receive their candy bar award. There’s even a digital option so you can share your awards show virtually!
2. “5TH GRADE’S GOT TALENT” SHOWCASE
Host a fun talent show where students can perform anything they’re proud of—singing, dancing, magic tricks, sports skills, or even a weird talent (like stacking pencils on one finger). It’s a confidence booster and a great way to celebrate individuality.
3. KICK OFF A SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
Download and print one of these FREE Summer Reading Challenge sheets for each student and motivate them to read over the summer. Students who return a completed sheet at the start of the next school year earn a free book or some other reading-related prize. Parents LOVE having these challenges on hand to keep their kids reading throughout the summer months!
4. CHARACTER ROCKS
I love this last day of school idea, because it is such a nice way to let each student know that you see something wonderful in his or her character! Tana at We Heart Teaching was the first teacher I followed to learn how to create these beautiful rocks. While she gives them as gifts to her students, I can see older students having a blast creating their own! This is a favorite in end of the year activities. I also did a quick search for “rock painting” on YouTube, and there were loads of creative tutorials there, too, including this helpful Rock Painting 101 page!
5. DREAM BOARD DAY
Provide magazines, markers, and paper, and let students create vision boards for their future—goals for middle school, dream careers, places they want to travel, or things they hope to learn. It’s inspiring, creative, and gives them space to dream big!
6. THEME PARK READING ESCAPE CHALLENGE
It’s no surprise that kids love theme parks. Roller coasters, theme park treats, the carousel ride, and water slides all bring a feeling of excitement and fun! They make the perfect theme for end of the year activities.
Why not set up a Theme Park Reading Escape Challenge, all centered around an amusement park adventure? NO LOCKS REQUIRED! In fact, it’s about as easy to set up as possible. This is the top of the list for favorite end of the year activities for fifth graders!
7. TIME CAPSULE LETTERS
Have each student write a letter to their future self, sharing their favorite memories, goals, current interests, and predictions for middle school. Collect and seal them in individual envelopes to be mailed or opened at a set future date (like the end of 8th grade). It’s reflective, personal, and gives them something to look forward to!
8. END OF YEAR MEMORY BOOK
I really do love a great end of year memory book project. It is truly a nice keepsake if it’s not rushed. I suggest printing out pages and stapling or binding about 2 weeks before the end of the school year. Whenever there is free time (and you know there will be random times like that during those crazy last weeks of school!), allow students to work on a page of their choice. It’s fun, creative, great writing practice, AND meaningful for the whole class!
9. MEMORY LANE MURAL
Give students a big roll of butcher paper and have them create a collaborative mural of their favorite moments from the school year. Include doodles, quotes, inside jokes, and drawings. Hang it up for everyone to enjoy during the final days!
10. TEN DAY BALLOON COUNTDOWN
This is such a genius idea! First, blow up 10 colorful balloons. Inside each balloon, place a slip of paper with a fun prize written on it. All students will receive that day’s prize the next day! Ideas include ice cream party, switching desks for the day, extra recess, slippers day, class game, etc. Attach the balloons to a bulletin board. At the end of each day (during the last 10 days of school), pop one balloon as a class to learn of the prize to look forward to on the next day! So much fun and the perfect way to look forward to summer vacation!
11. SUMMER PACKETS
That summer slide is an awful thing. Invariably, I’d have parents email or call me, asking for some work their child could do over the summer months so that they didn’t lose the things they had learned (or possibly so they didn’t drive their parents crazy when they became bored).
That’s why I created a Summer Packet for each grade in grades 3, 4, and 5. (Read more about how to use these packets in this How to Stop the Summer Slide blog post.) Just print the booklet, place it into a folder or bind it into a booklet, and send the summer practice folder home with the child. It includes a summer journal and summer reading challenge. I suggest offering a small prize to each student who brings back the journal or reading challenge completed at the beginning of the next school year!
Click each image below to see the summer packet for 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.
12. CLASS RECIPE BOOK OF SUCCESS
Ask each student to contribute a “recipe” for success in 5th grade—mixing in ingredients like “a scoop of kindness,” “two cups of hard work,” or “a sprinkle of silliness.” Compile all their creative recipes into a fun class book to print or share digitally. It’s a unique way to reflect on what made the year great and pass wisdom on to future students.
13. OUTDOOR LEARNING OLYMPICS
Take learning outside with an end-of-year academic “Olympics”! Set up stations with 5th grade ELA competitions, math relays, spelling challenges, science trivia tosses, and teamwork games. Let students compete in teams and earn medals or certificates—it’s energetic, educational, and a great time for your upper elementary students!
14. CLASSROOM CAMP-IN
Check out this Yellowstone Camping Adventure Reading Escape Challenge! This is a fun reading comprehension review activity that will have your students engaged and LOVING every minute of reading practice and review! First, transform your classroom into a cozy camp with flashlights, sleeping bags (or beach towels), s’mores snacks, and campfire stories (real or read-alouds). Mix in some reflection activities like “campfire compliments,” where students write kind notes to each other. What a fun activity for the last week of school!
15. FIFTH GRADE FILM FESTIVAL
Let students create short videos recapping their favorite school moments, giving advice to next year’s class, or making skits about what they’ve learned. Host a “red carpet” day to watch the videos and celebrate with popcorn and awards.
16. AUTOGRAPH SHIRTS
Have each student bring a plain white T-shirt and let classmates sign them with fabric markers. Add a class design or motto on the back. It’s a wearable keepsake they’ll actually treasure—and wear in the future weeks to come!
17. “THEN AND NOW” PHOTO BOOTH
Set up a simple photo booth and let students take pictures holding baby or kindergarten photos of themselves. Display the side-by-side “then and now” shots in a hallway or slideshow to show how far they’ve come—it’s adorable and reflective.
18. 5TH GRADE MEMORY SCAVENGER HUNT
Create a scavenger hunt around the school with clues related to events or locations from the year (like “Find the place where we had our first science experiment” or “Go to where we line up after recess”). It’s an easy way to get them moving!
19. DESIGN A THEME PARK
Let students work in small groups to imagine and design their dream theme park—complete with creative rides, fun games, and tasty treats. This ready-made Design a Theme Park Project will have them asking for more units just like it! Students will have the opportunity to plan and design their very own amusement park, create park map, make an advertisement brochure, and so much more! What better way to have students use real-life math and writing skills than with this fun project based learning activity?
20. STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES OR REFLECTIONS
Let students take the lead and reflect on their growth by presenting their favorite projects, goals, and what they’re most proud of to parents, classmates, or even just you. It builds confidence and ownership of their learning journey.
21. LAST DAY LAUGHS
Host a day of jokes, where students share their favorite one-liners, riddles, or jokes. It’s silly, spontaneous, and a great way to end the year with a ton of laughter. Bonus: it’s also great for communication and creativity!
22. CLASS PLAYLIST PARTY
Have each student choose a school-appropriate song that represents their year or a memory. Create a shared class playlist and have a mini dance party or chill listening session. Bonus: Print out a playlist cover as a keepsake!
23. KINDNESS BINGO
Make a bingo board filled with acts of kindness like “compliment a classmate,” “thank a teacher,” or “help clean up without being asked.” Throughout the week, let students check off completed squares—it’s a feel-good way to end the year on a high note.
24. GRATITUDE CHAIN
Give each student a few strips of colored paper and have them write things they’re grateful for from the school year—friends, teachers, learning moments, even funny memories. Link them together to form a giant paper chain to display on the last day. The gratitude chain is definitely one of the more meaningful activities on this list!
25. “IF I WERE THE TEACHER” DAY
Give students a chance to “be the teacher” for a short activity—whether it’s leading a game, teaching a fun fact, or doing a quick craft. It builds leadership skills and gives them a taste of classroom control (in a fun way!).
26. PLAN A ROAD TRIP
This real world writing and math Plan a Road Trip Project is the perfect end of the year resource will have your upper elementary students so engaged, they won’t want the activity to end! In this unit, students the have opportunity to plan a trip and persuade others to visit their chosen destination. I used these no prep activities in my own classroom, and I mean it when I say kids love it! Now this writing and math project includes a bonus vacation journal and road trip activities!
27. LETTERS TO THE FUTURE 5TH GRADERS
Have your students write encouraging, funny, or thoughtful letters to next year’s incoming 5th grade class. They can include tips, favorite memories from the past year, classroom “secrets,” or advice on how to have an awesome year. On the first day of school next year, place the letters on each desk—it’s a heartwarming way to build connection across classes and help new students feel welcome from day one.
The end of 5th grade is a special time filled with reflection, celebration, and a touch of excitement for what’s ahead. These activities are more than just fun—they help students honor their growth, strengthen bonds with classmates, and create lasting memories before moving on to middle school.
Whether you try one or all twenty, the most important thing is to celebrate your students and the amazing journey they’ve taken this year. Here’s to a joyful and unforgettable finish to the school year!
I hope you loved these end of the year activities for 5th graders! How do you end your school year? I’d love to hear your ideas, tips, and suggestions! I hope it is a wonderful ending to a wonderful school year!
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Hi, I’m Shelly! Thank you for being here. I love helping third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers with fun and engaging activities that require no to little prep! Let me help you by taking some of the stress and work off your plate.
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