End of the year teacher tasks don’t have to be something you dread. If you’re anything like me, May rolls around and you’re counting down the days until summer. End of the year tasks are the last thing on your mind. This time of year is busy enough with field trips, assessments, and classroom clean up. Oh and trying to keep students engaged until the very last day. The last thing we feel like doing is thinking about the next school year.
However, taking just a little time now to prepare a few things for August can make a HUGE difference later. They’ll save you hours of stress during back-to-school week, when everything is already a whole different level of overwhelming. The good news though? These aren’t big projects. They’re simple things you can walk in next year feeling organized, prepared, and ready for the first week of school!
Here are 7 easy things teachers can do at the end of the year to make next school year easier.
1. Make Copies for the First Week of School
One of the easiest end of the year tasks you can do is make copies for the first week of school.
Back-to-school week is busy enough without waiting in line at the copy machine. Even worse, realizing you forgot to print something important!
Print a few essentials now that you know you’ll use such as:
• morning work
• simple math review pages
• writing prompts
• no prep activities
• first week assessments
Place everything in a folder or bin labeled “First Week Copies.”
When August arrives, you’ll already have the materials you need ready to go.
2. Create a First Week of School Box
One of the best things I ever did for my future teacher self was create a First Week of School Box.
This is simply a box where you keep all of your first week of school activities and materials in one place so you’re not scrambling to find things when students arrive.
Inside my box I keep things like:
• name tags
• community-building activities
• first day activities
• read-aloud lesson plans
• class lists
• important student forms
• the copies I made earlier
Having everything organized in one place makes the first week of school feel so much more manageable.
When August comes, I can simply grab the box, and I’m ready to go. An end of the year task I do not skip out on!
Free Back-to-School Teaching Timeline for the First 6 Weeks of School
If you’re starting to think about next year, it can be helpful to have a simple plan for the first few weeks of school.
One thing that helped me so much was mapping out what I wanted to focus on during the first six weeks of school, from building classroom community to teaching routines and expectations.
So I created a Back-to-School Teaching Timeline that walks you through what to focus on during those first weeks so the beginning of the school year feels much more manageable.
It’s a simple guide that helps you start the year feeling organized instead of overwhelmed.
Grab the free Back-to-School Teaching Timeline below!
3. Prep Meet the Teacher Night Materials
Another easy end of the year task you can do now is prepare materials for Meet the Teacher Night.
This event always sneaks up quickly at the start of the school year and it’s helpful to have everything ready ahead of time. This saves you so you’re not scrambling the week before school starts.
Consider preparing things like:
• a welcome letter for families
• student information forms
• transportation forms
• supply lists
• classroom procedure handouts
You can print everything now and place it in a bin labeled “Meet the Teacher Night” so it’s ready when you need it.
If you want to make the event even easier to manage, setting up simple stations for families to rotate through can help keep things organized while you greet students and parents.
(I actually share how I set this up in my Meet the Teacher Station Kit, which walks families through everything they need to complete while visiting the classroom.)
4. Organize Your Small Group Materials
Small group time becomes much easier when materials are already organized.
Before leaving for summer, take a little time to sort and prep things like:
• decodable readers
• phonics activities
• math manipulatives
• intervention materials
• literacy center supplies
You might consider creating small group bins or labeling materials by skill or unit.
When everything is organized ahead of time, it becomes much easier to quickly grab what you need during the school year.
5. Write Down Notes for Next Year
The end of the school year is the perfect time to reflect on what worked well in your classroom and what you might want to change next year.
While everything is still fresh in your mind, take a few minutes to jot down notes such as:
• routines that worked really well
• procedures you want to change
• activities students loved
• lessons that didn’t go as planned
• classroom management strategies that helped
These quick notes can be incredibly helpful when you’re planning for next school year. I also like to snap pictures of everything I loved from the year, including bulletin boards, specific areas, and student displays.
6. Create a “Future Me” List
We often think of great ideas during the school year, maybe start a list or 20, but forget them by the time planning begins again.
Creating a simple “Future Me” list can help you remember those ideas later.
Some things you might include:
• bulletin board ideas
• classroom layout changes
• supplies you need to purchase
• activities you want to improve
• classroom routines you want to try
You can keep this list in a notebook, planner, or digital document so it’s easy to find when you start preparing for the new school year.
7. Leave Your Classroom Organized
Before locking your classroom door for the summer, try to leave your space as organized as possible.
Even small steps can make a big difference when you return.
Some helpful things to do might include:
• label storage bins
• sort classroom supplies
• throw away broken materials
• store seasonal items together
• organize your teacher desk
This end of the year task will have you walking into an organized classroom in August feeling calm and prepared instead of overwhelmed.
Want Your First Week of School Already Planned?
One of the biggest reasons teachers feel overwhelmed in August is because the first week of school requires so much planning.
You’re trying to build classroom community, teach routines, learn student names, and keep students engaged all at the same time.
That’s exactly why I created my First Week of School Activities and Lesson Plans Kit.
Inside the kit you’ll find engaging activities, ready-to-use lesson plans, paired read alouds, and slides that make the ENTIRE first week simple to teach. It’ll save yourself hours planning every detail. Many teachers like to place these activities right inside their First Week of School Box so everything is ready to go when students walk in the door. It’s a literal game changer for making this time of the school year a breeze! Your future teacher self in August will definitely thank you.
Check Out More End of the Year Fun Below!
End of the Year Writing Crafts Teachers Swear By
End of the Year Extravaganza: Celebrating with Student Awards
Engaging End of the Year Activities
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