Kickstart an awesome summer: last day of school celebration

These last day of school activities are perfect for your end of year celebrations. Kick-start your summer with a bang!

That yellow school bus pulls up, your giddy and excited kid steps off for the last time this year. Are you READY??

Oh my goodness, I am SO ready. Bring on summer vacation with it’s pool trips and popsicles and bubble blowing. I can’t wait to spend some lazy days with my kids. To set the tone for the weeks to come, we have our very favorite ways for celebrating this classic childhood moment:

5 must-do ideas for a last day of school celebration:

1. Shower them with silly string!:

This is my neighbor Barb’s idea. She stocks up on cans of silly string at the dollar store and hands them out to every single parent at the bus stop. The moment that door opens, those kids get hosed down by an army of enthusiastic adults!! Yelling, cheering, squeals of laughter from all sides: this is the best way ever to get your kids smiling. I’ll be forever grateful to Barb for this tradition.

2. Ice cream for dinner:

Yep. That’s right. You have the rest of the summer for farmer’s market veggies and healthy snacks. This is the time to throw caution to the wind. You can read all about our annual dinner feast here. (Hint: It involves the Best Ever Turtle Sundae!)

3. Milestone photo opp:

Every September I take a pair of photos of my girls for the First Day of School that has them jumping in the air. That pose feels even MORE appropriate for the Last Day. The enthusiasm is downright palpable.

4. “Class of” t-shirts:

This was a new tradition we started last year and perhaps one of the most clever I’ve stumbled across. I’m taking pictures of my girls in their future high school graduation years every year between now and their senior year. Won’t this make an adorable photo collage?? You can check out exactly how I did it here.

5. Welcome to Summer breakfast:

Once my kids crash for the night, I prep the sweetest way to start their first day of summer vacation. It only takes a couple minutes and is the best way to kick start our time together.

Try surprising them with these fun breakfast ideas:

And if you need even more summer inspiration, check out these fantastic ideas for the bestest summer ever: