Here are a few end of the year art activities I like to do in the last few weeks of school to keep students engaged and responsible for their learning.  

Art Games 

Games are an easy filler. They are perfect for a short class period or or make a great end of the year art activity. My personal favorite is the Pictionary game. I split the class into teams, and we use the whiteboard for a class game. Students can also play in small groups with smaller whiteboards too. I use a deck of Pictionary cards or make list of words for students to choose from. 

I have also made a variety of BINGO games over the years. Creating a class set takes some effort and time, but it can be done. I have made shape BINGO for my younger students, art vocabulary for older students and a Bob Ross BINGO, with key phrases heard during most Bob Ross episodes. 

For more information and ideas of art games, check out my blog post, How to Use Art Games to Enrich Your Curriculum.

My Art Games Bundle is also available on TPT, click below.

Collaborative Art 

Collaborative art is perfect this time of year, when my students need a change of pace. It also provides students a chance to think quickly, be creative, and most of all – collaborate! Not only does collaboration help prepare them for the real world, but these activities end up being some of my students’ favorite lessons. Create a large mural or collaborative artwork that can be hung for an open house for the following school year or to welcome back students on the first day of school. Check out my blog post “Collaborative Art Ideas” for a variety of ideas. 

Escape Room 

My students love escape rooms. Escape rooms are an engaging way to recapture student attention at the end of the school year, when motivation and interest begin to lag. Critical thinking and teamwork are just two of the reasons you should incorporate an escape room into your teacher’s toolbox. Check out my blog post How to Make a Printable Escape Room Game for more information.

My Artroom Escape game is also on sale, click below.

Art Movies 

When I need a little down time to get some grading done or just breathe I’ve been known to show a movie. I feel less guilty when I show an art related movie that provides my students with some educational content. It also scores some bonus points with my students. I fill coffee liners with popcorn for my students to enjoy while watching the movie. Check out my blog post “Art Movies for Students” for a list of movie ideas for all ages.

Portfolio 

I keep my student’s artwork throughout the school year and send it home in a portfolio a week or two before the last day of school. Before I send the portfolio home, we discuss the importance of keeping a portfolio of work and how it should be saved in a special place. In addition, I have my students reflect on the artwork they created. They write or talk with a partner about their artwork using their art vocabulary. Lastly, the parents get assigned homework.

I ask the parents and/or guardians to view the portfolio with their child. After they have seen the contents of the portfolio, parents write a paragraph about their favorite work of art, giving specific examples of why they chose this work of art. The students return this “homework” for a grade. It makes the students accountable for taking home their portfolio and keeps parents accountable for taking an interest in their child’s artwork. 

Extra Supplies 

Once I have covered all my required content and my students have taken their art exam, they are ready for some creative play and choice-based art. This is the perfect time of year to use donated art supplies amongst other odds and ends. I take out the bins and bags of random items that have been donated to the art room to create found object sculptures and assemblages. Collages can also be created with leftover scraps of construction paper, donated magazines, and painted paper scraps. 

I use leftover paint from paint trays and have my students paint paper for collages. We use scrapers and other tools to add textures and patterns to the paper. This is a much better solution to washing acrylic paint down the sink. Bonus, the kids have a blast creating the painted paper they will use next year for collages.  

Cleaning 

Lastly, this is the perfect time of year to clean and take inventory of supplies to make ordering a piece of cake next year. I have my students help me organize and store paper in color wheel order in cabinets. My students also organize and sort paper scraps into 3 boxes: warm, cool, and neutral colors.  

I place a few boxes of markers at each table and have my students check all the markers. I recycle the “retired” makers, at stores, such as Staples, that will accept “retired” markers. In addition, non-permanent markers can be added to water containers to make liquid watercolors.  

There are always a few students that like to sharpen colored pencils with a hand-held pencil sharpener. I sort sharpened pencils by color and put short pencils in a “found object” box for assemblages. 

It is important to get those hands working, whether it is scrubbing tables, counters, palettes or bins and containers. I maximize my little helpers to get our art studio looking organized and neat for the following school year. It teaches my students responsibility and ownership for keeping a neat and organized art space. 

Hopefully this list of tips and tricks will help you get to summer vacation smoothly, enjoy! 

Happy Summer! – Trista

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