The end of the school year can feel overwhelming. After a long year and a Spring Break that never seems long enough, it’s totally normal to feel exhausted and low on energy for lesson planning. To make things a little easier—and help you wrap up the year on a high note—I’ve put together a collection of summer-themed, end-of-year resources.

Don’t wait until the last minute—start preparing your students for graduation earlier in the school year! This simple story includes visuals and language specifically designed to help you talk with students about this important and emotional milestone: graduation. Graduating is a major event that brings about big changes, and the uncertainty surrounding what happens during or after graduation can often lead to anxiety and challenging behaviors.

You can help ease your students’ worries and prepare them for what’s ahead with direct social skills instruction that’s especially helpful for students with special needs. This book can be used ahead of time or read regularly as graduation approaches, giving your students the support they need for the big day.

 

Reward your students for all their hard work by hosting a movie day! If you think watching a movie in school isn’t educational, think again. [CLICK HERE] to read a blog post on how to make movie-watching a meaningful and functional experience for your students. Then, use this visual symbol-supported worksheet to help students reflect on and review the movie.

Whether you’re taking a community outing (CBI) to the theater, having a fun Friday movie in class, or sending this activity home as an assignment, this resource makes movie time both enjoyable and educational.

Summer is just around the corner—make math, reading & discussions extra fun with these summer-themed lessons!

End of Year Life Skills & Vocational Awards for Special Education Classroom. 24 awards focused in life skills, social, and vocational areas and 1 blank award. Comes in 4 different designs! This visual end-of-year activity lets students drag and drop a circle over images, with an option to type in extra information. It’s a great way for students to share and reflect on their experiences! Perfect for the last week or day of school, this activity works well for both groups and individual students.

MONEY SAVING BUNDLE of life skills activities that are end of year & summer -themed but also functional to everyday life.  Think to yourself – graduation prep, reflecting on the year, celebrating this year’s successes, summer safety, planning for a trip and more.  Here are math, reading, art and other functional activities you can use this April, May and June!

Ideas for ESY lessons & activities

Thanks for reading!