Finishing Strong Part Two: 9 Ways to CELEBRATE the End of the School Year (And Why You Should!)
The end of the school year is near! So near you can feel it in your weary bones! Hang on, Momma! Here are a few ways to help you and your kids celebrate before books and lessons are exchanged for swimsuits and fishing poles!
Charlotte Mason Style? Yes, please!
As you may know, I am a Charlotte Mason homeschooler. Here is a specially curated list of CM-friendly ways to help you and your kids endure to the end, and to do so with joy! This powerful quote below has shaped the way we homeschool ever since the day I first heard it. I think it fits perfectly with the idea of bringing joy into the last few days/weeks of school.
“That which is learned without joy is never really learned at all.”
Bill St. Cyr
But why, you ask?
Well, the reason is simple. April and May are hard months for homeschoolers. They are hard for public schoolers, for that matter. Celebrating can help you maintain or regain some of the joy you had at the beginning of the school year. It can help your children feel positive and inspired when the warm breeze is calling them to go play outside. It creates a sense of satisfaction that might be missing as the sun grows warmer and the days grow longer. Those reasons are good enough for me!
Now, on to the list:
- Extra special tea time. This can either be daily in those last few days, or possibly scheduled weekly in the last 4-5 weeks. This is simple and oh, so fun!
- Have a private “Book-giving Ceremony” where you intentionally gift your child’s favorite book from the school year to them to add to their personal bookshelf. This is my favorite!
- Afternoon visits to the park. This sounds too simple, but if it’s not something you do often, you could easily add it in as motivation for your kids (and maybe for Mom, too!).
- Host a family night for your kiddos to share the joy of their accomplishments with your closest relatives. Not like a “show-and-tell” sort of thing. More of a family dinner party as a way to commemorate the moment. You can do as much or as little as you want with this. The planning and anticipation might be just enough motivation for you and your kids to finish the school year strong!
Looking for a more traditional way to count down to the end of the school year?
I’ve got you covered! Here’s the best of the best that will be just what you need to make it over the hump all the way to the finish-line.
- Balloon Pop Countdown (This one looks like lots of fun!)
- Summer Sun Chain Countdown (Easy and basically free. Just What I need!)
- Last Day of School Countdown (Super simple. Would be great for older kids.)
- Simple Free Countdown to Summer (I opt for simple at the end of the year. Can ya tell?)
I hope this list helps you! We will be using a few of these ideas ourselves in the coming days. I recently gave myself a pep talk about finishing the school year strong. That little rallying cry turned into a blog post that you can find here. I hope it encourages you the same way it did me. Comment below with some of your favorite ways to commemorate the last days of the school year. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Blessings,
Christina