As the school year draws to a close, it’s a wonderful opportunity to engage in a countdown to summer filled with memorable activities. Many teachers have embraced the idea of an ABC countdown to Summer, and I’ve crafted a list that seamlessly incorporates my end-of-the-year theme days. Here’s an alphabet countdown featuring both simple and detailed ideas that you can use to wrap up your school year in style. Let’s make lasting memories together as we celebrate the journey we’ve shared!
It’s adoption day and time to take care of your own pet. On this fun day studentscome to school with their own stuffed animal pet. Students will learn all about different pets with the included nonfiction reader. They can create a mystery pet with clues to help their classmates guess. End the unit with the cute dog and cat craft.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter A.
- Amphibian Day-learn all about this animal group.
- Apple Day-read, learn, and eat apple treats.
- Art Day-paint, craft and create all day.
Bubble Day is a great way to learn about bubbles and bubble gum while having fun too! Go outside and enjoy the fresh air with a bubble experiment, have a bubble gum race, learn how to make bubbles, read about bubbles and work on review skills.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter B:
- Book Day-read and share literature together.
- Beach Day– I use beach day for the letter H and call it Hawaiian Beach Day.
- Ball Day-go outside and play different games with balls or do Baseball Day which I use for J “Jersey Baseball Day”.
- Bird Day-learn about the bird group, make Bird Nest in a Cup, or read one of my favorite bird stories, Mel Fell by Tabor.
This is by far one of our favorites! We build campfires, eat s’mores and spend the day doing fun learning camp adventures. Your students might also like making S’mores in a Cup.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter C:
- Cookie Day- Have students taste test different cookies, do a cookie exchange, and read cookie books such as “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Numeroff.
- Crazy hair or outfit day- I’m personally not a fan of anything crazy.
- Compare and Contrast Day- Work on this standard by comparing and contrasting two different things. I have a fun activity set up for comparing Sharks and Dolphins. It would make for a great day of fun.
Dinosaur Day is filled with exploring and learning all about these prehistoric animals. This resource includes a nonfiction dinosaur book with real photos as well as a matching printable book with clip art. You can use this book to work on informational text standards. Some other fun activities included are decoding dinosaur names, researching dinosaurs, adopting a pet dinosaur, and creating a dinosaur museum.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter D.
- Donut day-bring in donuts, Read “If you Give a Dog a Donut” by Numeroffand other Donut themed literature.
- Dance day-Dance your way through the day. You could use Go Noodle and other educational songs and dances online to make this movement day a blast.
- Dragon day-Read Dragon themed books such as “Dragons Love Tacos” by Rubin or “Do Not Bring your Dragon on the Last Day of School” by Gassman.
Earth day should be every day. Use this day to learn all about how to help and protect our Earth. Review & learn about the three R’s, play math games, complete word work and grammar skills and make any of the three crafts provided.Here are some other suggestions for the letter E.
- Exercise Day-get outside and do some exercise activities, do Movement Break Games throughout the day. I have two review Animal Adventure End of the Year learning breaks. End of the Year Bank It Games are also equally fun and get students up and out of their seats.
- Escape Room Day-complete my Google Form digital End of the Year Escape Rooms. I’m sure there are loads of other Escape Room activities out there that aren’t digital too!
This is a perfect way to celebrate the end of the year. Students can make a special friendship snack, discuss qualities of a good friend, interview friends, make friendship bracelets, create friendship flowers, and design a class deck of cards to play games.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter F.
- Field Day- many schools have these already scheduled.
- Frog Day– wear green and spend the day learning about frogs, their lifecycle and more. “I Don’t want to be a Frog” by Dev Petty is a great spring book to read to go along with this day.
- Fish Day-learn about this animal group and what makes a fish a fish.
With all the new Troll movies out, my students were HUGE fans of this day. We designed our own troll hair, made trolls, played games, adopted a little troll, worked on a troll poem and even watched some of the troll movie.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter G.
- Glow Day-I used this for N “Neon Glow Day”.
- Gnome Day-I have a gnome day because I just love gnomes. I used this more in the winter but there is no reason it couldn’t be used at the end of the year.
- Game Day-have students bring in board games. They can play games with each other. I always did this, and they loved it. This is a little less structured and it did result in a little bit of arguing and problem solving.
- Gum Day- chew bubble gum all day. There are several gum activities in my Bubble Day that could be used on this day too.
Pack your beach towels and enjoy a day filled with fun activities. Have your students wear their best beachy clothes (no bathing suits) and get ready for loads of fun. Make bookmarks, paper sandcastles, summer bucket lists, and review loads of skills.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter H.
- Hat Day-wear a fun or silly hat to school.
- Hedgehog Day-learn about these adorable fun animals all day long.
- Hippo Day-learn about these famous zoo animals all day long.
Ice Cream Day is simply delicious. After a day filled with learning and making paper ice cream cones with our favorite activities from the year, we end with ice cream sundaes. It is always a blast!
Here are some other suggestions for the letter I.
- Insect day-learn all about insects during this day and become Entomologist experts!
- Invention day-have the students work in groups to make an invention.
J: Jersey Baseball & Softball Day
Put on your favorite jersey and get reading to learn all about this sport. They will also learn about the similarities and differences between baseball and softball with a compare and contrast mini book. You could even head outside for a quick game.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter J.
- Joke day-make joke books and share them with one another.
- Jungle day-read and learn about rainforest jungle animals.
- Jory John day-read all the fun food group books.
- Job Day-give each student a job to do around the classroom to help end your year better. Some examples are cleaning the book bins, desks, lockers, shelves, etc.
Send your students to the next grade with a sprinkle of kindness. This nonfiction unit was created to teach your students all about kindness and how we can spread kindness on a daily basis. Students will learn about different ways to show kindness at school, home and in the community.
Here is another suggestion for the letter K.
- Kite day-make paper kites and read kite books.
Who doesn’t love a nice cold glass of lemonade in the summer? This fun end of the year theme day will bring so much joy and sweetness to your students. Learn about the lemon lifecycle, make homemade lemonade, taste test some lemon treats, and review all those skills you worked on during the year.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter L.
- Lion Day-learn about these roaring animals all day long.
- Leo Lionni Day-read amazing books with great messages all day by this author.
- Letter Day- Read “A Letter From my Teacher on the Last Day of School” by Shannon Olson. Have your students write letters to their teacher and to the future students that will be coming in the next year.
Enjoy eating popcorn, complete a popcorn taste test, do a popcorn experiment, and complete loads of other activities while watching a movie with your students.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter M.
- Mammal Day-learn all about mammals and what makes a mammal a mammal.
- Monster Day-read all kinds of monster books, make monsters, and have a fun filled monster themed day.
- Muffin Day-read “If you Give a Moose a Muffin”, taste test muffins and invent your own muffins.
It’s time to shine and learn about animals that glow. Read the original poem about glowing fireflies and complete a ton of activities to go with it. Then, make glowing headbands, craft glowsticks, and adopt a glow pet. This bundle is jam packed with glow day goodies.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter N.
- Narwhal day-learn about these unique sea creatures
- Nonfiction day-bring in your favorite nonfiction animal books and use this Free Report Template to write about the animal they chose. Share the reports.
Create some space aliens, research a planet, and explore the outer space with the included nonfiction reader as well as the matching student printable book. Students will love creating the astronaut headbands, floating astronaut craft, and the spaceship craft.
Here in another suggestion for the letter O.
- Ocean Day– Use the fish activities for F (fish day), and save the ocean themed books and activities for ocean day. Students can research different ocean animals such as jellyfish, seahorses, sharks, whales, and octopus.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter P.
- Panda Day-wear your black and white and learn about these adorable animals.
- Popcorn Day-see M Movie & Popcorn Day
- Pirate Day-see X for X Marks the Spot Pirate Day
- Pet Day –see A for Animal Pet Day
- Pig the Pug Day– Enjoy a day filled with Aaron Blabey Pig the Pug stories.
Q: Question Day Solve the Mystery Who? When? & Where?
Use this day to solve 2 End of the Year Mysteries. Spend your morning reviewing ELA with the Case of the Missing Popsicles and enjoy a yummy popsicle treat when the case is solved. Then, spend the next half of the day reviewing Math and solve the Mystery of the Missing End of the Year Awards. Once that mystery is solved, you can pass out the Awards to your students. This set comes in Kindergarten, First Grade, & Second Grade.
If you have never completed a Solve the Mystery, you can read more about it here. It was their favorite day in my room when we did them for every holiday.
Here in another suggestion for the letter Q.
- Quiet Day-spend the day whispering and working quietly on daily tasks.
Spend the day reflecting on all the things that you did throughout the year. Use the reflection book to guide the discussion and create an amazing keepsake to take home.
Here are some other suggestions for the letter R.
- Rainbow Day-Learn about rainbows with this FREE RESOURCE. Complete the rainbow activities, and make a rainbow craft.
- Rainforest Day –explore several rain forest books and activities, learn about different rain forest animals, and make rain forest crafts.
- Rollercoaster Day-go on a virtual rollercoaster ride, try to build a rollercoaster with S.T.E.M materials, and read The Pigeon Will Ride the Rollercoaster by Mo Willems.
During strawberry day students will learn all about strawberries and their lifecycle with a nonfiction original book included. They will enjoy activities to go along with The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear. End the day with a fun strawberry treat. This theme day is packed with goodies.
Here are some other suggestions for S.
- Shark Day -This would also be an amazing S day. Read all about sharks, make shark crafts, go outside and measure how long sharks are using students. My students love learning about sharks!
- Sloths Day-This would also be so fun. Who doesn’t love a sweet sloth. This would be a great nonfiction day.
- Summer Day-Read all about the season, complete some fun informational text activities, and make a cute popsicle craft.
- Stuffed Animal Day: Have your students bring in a stuffed animal for the day.
- Summer Safety Day-Read all about ways to stay safe in the summer with this nonfiction unit. There are loads of activities to fill a day.
Have you ever eaten a walking taco? This theme day will teach your students how to make a walking taco through a poem. The best part would be enjoying this delicious snack on this day. During taco day, students can make an end of the year memory taco book called “Taco ‘Bout a Great Year”. They will also love completing activities for “Dragons Love Tacos”. This unit is full of learning to last all day long.
Here are some other suggestions for T.
- Toads-use this nonfiction unit to learn all about toads and complete a toad report.
- Teacher Day-celebrate the day by having the students come to school and teach each other something special they know how to do. Sit back and enjoy the learning.
This day is simply magical. One of my students told me that it was her favorite day of the year! Turn your students into unicorns with the headbands. Create your own unicorn, read unicorn stories, make a unicorn snack and fill your day with learning activities.
Here are some other suggestions for U.
- Under the Sea-learn about ocean and sea creatures.
- USA-wear your red, white, and blue and celebrate America
Have a silly day with your students celebrating and learning all about the circus! Different circus acts are explained in the mini book provided. Have fun learning different elephant commands and trying circus peanuts. This unit is filled with math activities, writing, word work, reading connections, a stem challenge, snack ideas, a silly clown craft, and so much more.
Here are some other suggestions for V.
- Video game day-allow students to bring in the handheld devices or set up a Wii and play just dance.
During Watermelon Day students will learn all about watermelon and the lifecycle. Eat delicious watermelon for a snack and complete reading comprehension activities for The Watermelon Seed. End the day making the sweet watermelon craft. This day is very comprehensive and has plenty of activities to fill a day.
Here is another suggestion for W.
- Worm Day-learn all about these slimy summer creatures with this nonfiction unit. You could also make Dirt in a Cup snack and read Diary of a Worm on this fun day.
X: X Marks the Spot Pirate Treasure Day
Aaarggghhh Matey! Who’s ready for a little fun? Your students will LOVE Pirate Day. Begin the day by giving them pirate names with the name tags included. Then, make some pirate headbands and turn them into pirates. Student’s can make a map to a buried treasure or write about something they would put in a treasure box with fun little clues. End the day by making a pet parrot. There are phonics activities, math games and activities, writing extensions and comprehension strategies for Pirates go to School and Pirates Love Underpants.
Here is another suggestion for X.
- X-tra X-tra Read All About It Memory Books-Make End of the Year Memory Books so your students have a treasure to keep from the year.
Read your choice of yeti books while working on comprehension strategies. Enjoy loads of center activities, and original poem and make a cute little yeti craft.
Here are some other suggestions for Y.
- Year End Party-have your families come and celebrate the year with a party.
- Yellow Day-wear yellow, eat yellow snacks, make a sun craft, go outside and read and enjoy some sunshine.
- Yes Day-before this day, have your students write 5 things they would love to do before the year ends. Go through them and choose one from each student. Read the story “Yes Day!” by Amy Rosenthal. Then spend your day saying yes to their requests.
Turn your classroom into a zoo full of zookeepers for some extra end of the year fun. Have your students bring in a stuffed animal or two for the zoo, work on sorting them into animal groups, become zookeepers, and play 8 different games with the special deck of zoo themed cards. Your students will love writing about a mystery zoo animal, researching a zoo animal and creating a zookeeper craft.
Here is another suggestion for Z.
- Zebra Day-Wear black and white, learn about these striped mammals, and eat Zebra Stripes for your snack.
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From simple to elaborate ideas, this ABC Countdown to Summer promises to make the final days of school unforgettable. Let’s cherish these moments and create lasting memories together as we bid farewell to another school year!
You can read about some of my end of the year theme days right here on my blog:
