These last day of school activities are perfect for your end of year celebrations. Kick-start your summer vacation 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.
My kids look forward to that final bus trip all year!
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 Opps:
Every September I take a pair of photos of my girls for the First Day of School and then again at the end of the year on the Last Day of School that has them jumping in the air.
Our favorite pose feels even MORE appropriate for the Last Day. Their crazy enthusiasm is downright palpable in the photos!
4. "Class of" T-Shirts:
This was a new tradition we started when my girls were in preschool and perhaps one of the most clever milestone photo ideas I've stumbled across.
I take pictures of my girls in t-shirts with their future high school graduation years every year between Kindergarten and their senior year. Won't this make an adorable photo collage in 12th grade??
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 to write a happy message on their chalkboard and prep a special meal. This is such a sweet way to kickstart our extra summer time together.
Try surprising your kids with these fun breakfast ideas:
And if you need even more summer vacation inspiration, check out these fantastic ideas for the best summer ever:
- How to set up summer chore reward cards
- 29 essential games for kids to play outside
- 16 Summer Reading Books for Kids
Erica Layne
These are such sweet ideas! I love the idea of getting ALL the parents involved at the bus stop. In that way, it kind of becomes a community tradition. Pinning!