As the end of the school year approaches, students might become restless during your lessons and group sessions. For counselors, this can be a challenging time to keep students engaged and motivated during lessons. With the right activities, however, you can end the year on a high note while reinforcing all of the college and career readiness, social and emotional skills, and everything else we do. In this post, we’ll explore some of the best end-of-year school counseling activities to help you plan a successful and rewarding end of the year for your students.
1. Create a Memory Book
One fun activity for students of all ages is creating a memory book of the school year. Students can gather pictures, quotes, and other mementos from the year and use them to create a scrapbook-style book. This activity not only helps students reflect on their experiences but also reinforces important skills such as creativity, organization, and attention to detail.
2. Set Goals for the Summer
Another activity to help students stay motivated is to have them set goals for the summer. Students can create a list of goals they want to achieve over the summer and discuss with their peers and counselor. This activity helps students develop goal-setting skills, as well as encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning and growth.
3. Host a “Career Day”
Students are always curious about their potential careers, and what jobs they are capable of having. Hosting a “Career Day” lesson or activity towards the end of the year is a great way to expose students to different professions and encourage them to plan for their future. Instead of planning a school-wide event with visitors (which you probably already know is a HUGE task), try letting kids explore various careers in a classroom lesson. This Trade Careers Escape Room is a GREAT way to do that!
If you need more than one lesson, check out the full unit on trade careers where you’ll get no prep, ready to use, ASCA aligned classroom lessons! The unit includes the escape room and much more!
4. Create a Time Capsule
Creating a time capsule can be a meaningful activity for students. The idea is for students to collect and place items representative of themselves, their school, or the world in a sealed container intended to be opened at a future date. This activity encourages them to imagine life and world events in the future. This is a great activity for students transitioning from elementary to middle school, or from middle to high school.
It’s so important to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of students. Activities such as memory books, setting goals for the summer, career days, and time capsules can help students reflect on the year and strengthen their relationships with their school counselors. Keep these ideas in mind as you plan your end-of-year counseling activities, and you’re sure to create memorable experience for your students.