End of year math activities are important to keep your students engaged until the last day of school. They allow you to review and reinforce key math skills from the year. We all know that teachers are exhausted at this point of the school year and students are extra energetic. So it’s important to plan fun end of year math activities your last week of school or so.
Check out my list of end of year math activities that keep my 2nd grade students engaged until the last day of school.
I thought it would be helpful to share my list of favorite end of year math activities I use in my 2nd grade classroom. All of these review addition and subtraction, so these end of school activities work great for 1st grade as well.
End of Year Math Activities
With the math curriculum our district uses, it seems like we always finish it with about a week left of school. I’m completely drained from the school year, so I don’t like planning and thinking up new math lessons.
But I know we still need something to fill in that math block time. If I don’t have enough planned, or keep some sort of structure then we run into behavior problems.
So, I came up with a simple structure to keep students engaged in math until the very last day of school. And it doesn’t involve a lot of planning or prep time. It’s very manageable.
For the last week of school, I have my students complete cute end of year math crafts. These get students practicing the addition and subtraction skills that they have learned over the school year. They also get students working with their hands. So it’s very engaging! They love these math crafts.
When students finish, I have them do fun math worksheets. These are gamified. To keep students motivated and working hard, I tell students that when they complete 5 of the worksheets, I will give them a little treat. They try to finish as many as they can that last week!
I also spend one day during that last week where I introduce new math fact games and have students play them in rotations. This keeps students completely engaged during that day’s math block. Then you can continue to have students play these as fast finisher activities for the rest of the week. Read about my full list of fast finisher activities in this blog post here.
So let’s break down each of these fun end of year math activities so you can know exactly what to plan for math that last week of school.
Fun End of Year Math Activities
Tulip Math Craft
It’s still springtime at the end of the school year, so I have students celebrate spring by having them make a cute Tulip Math Craft. They solve math problems on the tulips, cut them out, and make a cute tulip wreath. Then they glue on a sign that says, “My Math Skills Are Blooming!” 2nd grade students love a good pun.
Make life easy the last week of school with these end of term math activities. Students love making this Tulip Math Craft!
When I have students make a math craft, I like to set a timer for 5 or so minutes. Students have to work quietly on the math during that time. After the timer goes off, then students can chat with those next to them. This helps students focus enough to finish the craft in a timely manner.
I like to also have students focus on one step of the craft at a time. They first complete the math on the tulips. Then they raise their hand and I do a quick check of their work. Then I give them the clear to cut those out and to cut out the ring for the wreath. They raise their hand and I put glue on the ring. Liquid glue works best for these wreaths! Then students can get a sign, color the words, and glue that on.
Students love to take these math crafts home to decorate their house for spring! Find this Tulip Math Craft as part of my End of Year Math Activities Bundle here.
Students will finish the craft at different times. So here is where I set out those fun math worksheets for students to choose to do. Remember, when they complete 5 of these, they get a treat! Let’s chat a little more about these later on.
Sun Math Craft
We do another cute math craft the next day. This time the craft is a sun. Students solve the math equations on the rays of the sun. Then they glue it on the center of the sun. The center has a cute pun of “My Math Skills Shine!”
Have students make math crafts as end year activities. They keep students engaged and they get to practice important math skills.
Again, I set a timer so that students can focus on completing the math. Then students focus on one step of the craft at a time. I check their work and then they are ready to cut and glue. Find this Sun Math Craft as part of my End of Year Math Activities Bundle here.
Flower Math Craft
The next day students complete another math craft. This time it is a flower where students solve math equations on the petals of the flower and then glue those around the center. For the center of the flower, students glue on a little sign that says, “My Math Skills Have Bloomed!” It is the perfect math craft to end the school year with.
End of year math doesn’t have to mean endless planning for teachers. Bring fun into your last week of school with this Flower Math Craft.
Like the days before, I set a timer to have students work quietly on the math. Then they raise their hands for me to check their work. After that they are ready to cut, glue, and put their flower together. Find this flower math craft here.
Then students do fun math worksheets as a fast finisher. Let’s chat more about these worksheets that are perfect as end of year math activities.
Math Fact Riddles
We do complete a few of these throughout the school year, but I like to print out quite a few of these for the last week of school.
These worksheets have students solve math facts to discover a fun fact. The page has a cute clipart picture of what the fun fact will be about. So it really gets students curious! Find these Math Fact Riddles here.
When students complete one of these, I give them a punch on their punch card. When they finish 5 worksheets, they get a treat!
I-Spy Math Fact Worksheets
These worksheets have cute clipart all over the page. There are also hidden math facts. Students have to search through the clipart to find certain kinds of facts, like facts that make 10. When they find the fact they circle it. If they find facts that don’t equal 10, they turn their page over and write the equation with the answer. This gives them lots of good math fact practice!
Engage your students until the end with these fun end of year math activities.
I also use these worksheets throughout the school year. Each month has a different themed clipart. So for the end of the school year I have students complete worksheets with summer themed clipart. They also enjoy the clipart themes of animals and food.
Find these I-Spy Math Fact Worksheets here.
Color By Number Worksheets
To go with the sun themed math craft and the flower themed math crafts, I have color by number worksheets that match those themes.
The first one has watering cans. Students solve the equations on the watering cans. Then they use the key to know what to color each watering can.
The other color by number I have students do has ice cream cones. Students solve the equations on the ice cream cones. Then they use the key to know what to color each ice cream scoop.
These worksheets and crafts I have mentioned have multiple versions. There are versions with addition & subtraction facts 1-10, 1-20, and even 2-digit addition and subtraction. Choose what you want students to work on and print those out. Find these materials in my End of Year Math Activities Bundle here.
Remember, I like to introduce new math fact games and have students play these in rotations during the last week of school? Let’s chat more about those end of year math games.
End of Year Math Games
Math Facts Memory Match
This is like regular memory match, but instead of matching pictures, students match the equation and its answer. Or I have a version where students match the equation with a ten frame showing the answer and a version with equal equations.
Use end of year math games to end your school year with a bang!
Even though this is a simple game, students love it! It’s a fun way to practice fact fluency as they challenge their memory to find the matches. Students get competitive and it’s all good fun! Find this game here.
Math Fact Board Games
Think of this game like Candyland, but instead of picking up a card with a color, they pick up a card with a math fact equation. They move their playing piece to the next space with the answer of that equation.
Students love to race and see who makes it to the end first. Find this game here.
Math Facts Bingo
For this math fact game, students have their own bingo sheet. These feature the answers to the math facts. Then students take turns pulling a card out of the bag. The cards have math fact equations on them. Students say the answer to the fact and then all students playing put a marker on the answer. Students can play for 5 in a row or until blackout. They love this game! Find it here.
It is possible to engage students in math until the very end of the school year. You don’t have to create elaborate lessons with a teacher-tired brain. Just plan for fun end of school activities. These include math crafts, engaging math worksheets, and math fact games. Find all the activities I’ve shared in this blog post in a money-saving bundle here.
Want to get a jump start on fun back to school math activities? Check out this blog post here.
