How to fill the last few days...

[Beenbadwolf]

Apart from the usual playing, stories, games etc. what can I do with my KS1 class to fill the last 4 days?

They've been a lovely but challenging class. I'd like to make their last few days special.

Not what you were asking exactly but I am teaching as usual in the mornings. I have a very tricky class with quite a bit of SEN, behaviour and kids who basically after a whole year of my bed efforts still hate each other, hate having anyone look at them etc. If their routine is the same then it should help. In the afternoon they can wash and sort all the resources and have some choosing time. For a treat, they can go to Reception to 'help'.

I think the more 'special' you try to make things, the more out of kilter they get. Keep their routine as much as possible, let them have lovely long play times. Go outside if it's nice.

Alternatively, Amazon has the Trolls DVD for 4.99!

I keep my normal routine. It's clear for the kids and keeps behaviour calm. But I'm secondary so have no idea for ks1. Logic says the same should work.

You are kidding right?? Just teach!

How on earth can we tell parents they must keep their kids in school to the bitter end if we then faff around for a WEEK?

The trickier the class the more essential it is that you just keep going. Are you an NQT?

I just teach up until the last day.. They misbehave otherwise.

I don't know about other schools, but teaching definitely goes out of the window in the last week in mine.

• the big pack-up and move needs to be done
• jotters and work is passed on to the next teacher or filed in the green filing cabinet
• glue and pencils are a distant memory

And the kids have lost the plot!

Your kids probably lose the plot because you don't teach.

Moving classrooms during school hours sounds like a really bad idea too.

It's driven me mad this week, my 9yo has been made to sit on the floor in the gym for 2 hours at a time doing some vanity project play.

Just teach them, even if it's 'fun stuff,' make some slime or something.

My DD is in Y2. They've done DT in the afternoons last week, making a healthy sandwich and evaluating the process. Art is nice and settled and easy too. Maybe have a board game session. Bit of yoga in the hall.
They are tired, we are tired. Just keep things calm and close to routine.

I'm doing maths as normal (but with a maths games thing on Friday), English pretty much as normal, but with a focus on not generating any marking!
Then the afternoons we are sorting trays, reviewing the goals they wrote at the beginning of the year, some art, meeting the new teacher, class party, movie, leaving assemblies. I am anal about keeping my classroom organised/not hoarding, so I don't have too much to do myself apart from taking down displays.

My class are lovely-but-challenging too, and I'd have a horrible last week with them if we lost all the structure. I think I've got a good balance so we can also have fun and get all the end of term things done!

OP you sound lovely, don't let the cynics put you off!

You didn't ask "should I chuck the routine out if the window completely?" you asked "what can I do to make it special?"

Sheesh. Some people.

Actually another nice thing, which we did last week (although it's not a whole lesson, I just did it on a whim) was that I made them look carefully at the first piece of work they did this year, and think about what they had improved. They were all very engaged for it, and could all see what had got better. It was actually quite a nice moment for them, and me.

We've done lots of work on Ronald Dahl thus last half term, so next week I've got little ads of Ronald Dahl resources from Twinkl which we'epre going to use in between sports day, mass, leaver's assembly, PTA picnic etc etc etc!

Little ads?? That should have been 'loads'!

I really hope you've been teaching that it's Roald Dahl. Not Ronald.

Agree with other posters, teach. Am also secondary but have no idea how you can justify attendance if they are spending the whole of the last week having fun. Friday afternoon can be fun time. Keeps the behaviour better too, normal expectations.

I teach secondary and am intending to teach 'proper' lessons right up until Thursday, when we're allowed to show films just for the final two lessons of the day. I prefer that. In my old school it was normal to pretty much abandon lessons in the final week and I found 'babysitting' much more exhausting than 'teaching'.

My son is KS1, just finishing Year 1 this week, in a 'nice but challenging class'... Just in case you're his teacher, please, nothing too exciting! He's exhausted and he's much less challenging when he knows exactly what to expect. In terms of 'special', I think he'd really like to produce something he can remember Year 1 with - maybe a collage of photos, or a scrap book of all of his best work?

(I know you're not his teacher BTW, just trying to see it from a different angle!)

A talent show , class quiz , creative play , if you can have time in the playgrond class rounders kickball if they cant use a bat and ball

I'm thinking of team games outside, maths games and STEM. They love drawing and writing so I will give them a variety of mark making materials they don't usually get to use. Plus art!

I am loosely keeping to the routine with phonics, maths meeting etc. But I want to enjoy their company too and have fun after cramming so much into the week for the last yr.

@roamingespadrille Yes, when I'm not autocorrected by know it all iPad, I do call him Roald Dahl!

I'm teaching right up to the bitter end too. It will keep mine on track with behaviour and stop fall outs.

I have fun-but-meaningful activities planned each morning (we've made magazines in English, are testing paper airplanes against various criteria and measuring how far off away from them they are using the tape measures) in science and have braved a fidget spinner themed morning too.

Afternoons are a little more end of term like as I do involve the children in sorting out their trays/table boxes, getting their work ready to take home/pass up to the next year group.

With a few circle time games thrown in for the 'empty' moments that might occur around special assemblies and finishing off etc.

It's going to be a busy week.

Ooops - brackets fail!