We are on countdown in our house — only 9 more school days left for us!
Yep, only 9 days, 4 finals, 3 school activities and 1 graduation event — then we can enjoy sleeping in, long days without schedules, fun day trips and some relaxing time to connect.
I do love summer!
Yes, some days are longer than others and the kids do get bored by mid-July — but we wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Last Day of School Traditions
Every year, we have a few traditions on the last day of school. It’s our way to wrap up the school year and start summer off on the right foot.
First, when the kids walk in the door, we all yell really loud “WE’RE ON VA–CA–TION”!!
We started this simple celebration 12 years ago when my oldest finished Kindergarten and it just stuck.
Sometimes it’s the simple things that make a big impression. Or maybe it’s the fact that the kids get to yell in the house 😉
Since our last day of school is always a half day, we have lunch together – OUTSIDE!
Usually it’s PB&J cut into triangles or something simple. Sometimes we’ll eat on a blanket in the yard and other times we’ll sit on the patio. But always outside.
And it seems we always break out the bubbles for a while 🙂
Next, we unpack the backpacks — recycle all the old papers (the kids LOVE doing this) and pack away the school supplies that we can use in the fall.
You can see our tips for upcycling school supplies to save time & money when you do your back-to-school shopping.
The kids share their yearbooks or any projects that I haven’t yet seen and we hang up all the artwork.
Then it’s Hammock Time!
Some years, I’ve started our first read aloud with the kids. Or we’ll each grab a book or magazine and enjoy some quiet reading time together.
We like to include books that remind us of summertime on our reading list.
And last, we work on our Summer Bucket List — talking about the things we’re looking forward to doing together or adding some fun things to the list. Here’s what was on our list from previous years:
Our bucket list is more of a way to remember all the activities the kids mention they can’t wait to do during the frenzied finish of school. And I usually sneak in a few life skill ideas or fun things to learn during the summer.
I’m hoping we can fit in all our traditions this year as we’ll be heading out on vacation the day after school wraps up. So we can add ‘packing for the trip’ to our end-of-school celebration (yea!)
MORE SUMMER FUN ACTIVITIES:
15 Amazing Vintage Summer Books
Summer Geography: Map Your Summer Reading
Ultimate Guide to Summer Fun with Kids
So how do you celebrate the end of the school year?
Be sure to share your ideas in this week’s Discover & Explore Linky!
Visit our Co-hosts for more end-of-the-year fun too!
Fantastic Fun & Learning ** Buddy & Buddy
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