The end of the school year has really snuck up on my family this year. It feels like we were just discussing plans for the winter break, and here we are facing down summer. Students and teachers alike are ready for summer vacation, especially this year. Make sure to check out these end of the year books to help wrap up the school year and start summer vacation off right!
* Each book title links to Amazon just to make it easy – you can read reviews, a summary, and order should you choose! (This post contains affiliate links.)
End of the Year Book for Students #1: The Night Before Summer Vacation by Natasha Wing
Swimming suits, sleeping bags, marshmallows for s’mores, backpacks, tents, fun activities for the kids, and bug spray are all necessary items when getting ready for summer vacation. In this story, a little girl and her family are writing their lists and checking them twice to make sure they’re ready to head out on their family vacation. They think they’ve got everything packed and are ready to go, but they forgot something important. Check out this story to see how they deal with their forgetfulness in a funny story your kids will love.
End of the Year Book for Students #2: Last Day Blues by Julie Danneburg
One of the books in The Jitters Series, this book delves into some of the thoughts many young learners have on the last day of school. What do teachers do on summer break, anyway? Will the teachers miss the students? Worry about their teacher prompts the students in Mrs. Hartwell’s classroom to make sure that she and her fellow teachers aren’t too sad over the summer. Mrs. Hartwell has other plans for her students, though, and somehow I don’t think she will be too sad about summer break.
End of the Year Book for Students #3: Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten by Ashley Wolff
After a fun-filled first year of school as kindergarteners, Miss Bindergarten’s class remembers all the fun things they’ve done in school this year. Each student has a different idea of how to commemorate the last day of school from cleaning out cubbies and desks to bringing gifts for their classmates and teacher. However you celebrate the end of the school year, Miss Bindergarten and her class help you and your learners prepare to say goodbye and get ready for next year.
End of the Year Book #4: Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen
During the last days of the school year, we tend to forget all the craziness and the not-so-great days and remember that our class will never be together like this again. Students and teachers do create a family during the school year and this nostalgic book takes a peek into the relationships they share in having a safe place for students to be themselves, share their lives, make mistakes, and learn from them. Family isn’t always the one you’re born into, sometimes it is the friends and relationships we build, and I can think of no better example than a classroom of students and their teacher.
However you celebrate the end of the school year and prepare for summer break, take a few minutes to share some of these books with a child you love. Whether you are reading to your learner at home or you’re a teacher reading to a whole class, everyone will love getting to celebrate the school year and remember it in their own way through these great books about the end of the school year and summer break. Go grab some for yourself! Also, don’t forget to check out my last day of school activities blog post.
End-of-the-Year Activities for Your Classroom
Are you still looking for more ideas? Check out the FREE Reading Graphic Organizer today! This tool can help students identify the main idea, story elements, and the beginning, middle, and end of stories. It can be used with any story you want to introduce in your classroom, and best of all, it’s FREE!
