How to have an engaging and reflective end of the year with your students

So, I still have a way to go until my end of the school year (end of July - yes I know, pass me another chocolate bar...) but I am planning ahead with loads of ideas I can use with my students to help raise their spirits after the test stress!  
​
We all know that once tests are done, everyone pretty much switches off and it's a real challenge to keep our students engaged. Well, I've got a solution! ​Here's a really fun idea to reflect on the academic year as a whole group where you can really bond with your students and be assured that everyone will have a blast!

This end of year reflection activity uses the concept of the game "Jenga" where students build a tower and remove pieces stacking them on top whilst trying to not knock the tower over or to build the tallest tower! Now, we're all probably familiar with Jenga blocks (I mean, they're just blocks of wood, people!) but I found an equivalent that is soooo much prettier! They are from the brand "Lewo" and you can order these from the Amazon affiliate link here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

What I like about these are that as they are already colour coded, they are really versatile to use for any game or activity in your classroom. I personally would never stick anything to my blocks as that means they can only be used for one activity - what a waste!? And I'm not a fan of the DIY blobs of ink and paint on the ends either - it just doesn't look pretty enough for me (who's with me here?!) So these blocks are the way to go in my opinion:

As you can see in these photos, I have created some colour coded cards with questions on them - the colours match this set of tumbling blocks perfectly! I have created this end of year reflection game to be used in 4 different ways to suit your budget, needs, resources and preference so it's really versatile!

As we don't all have the luxury of endless colour printing at school, I have included mono versions in black and white ideal for printing onto coloured paper instead, which also look really snazzy!

There are a total of 54 different questions in this resource which is more than the number of blocks in a pack, so there are definitely enough for 1-2 questions per student and enough variety to keep the game interesting! However, even if students were to repeat questions, every student will have a unique response so it's something that can be played more than once too!

I designed the smaller question cards to fit perfectly in these business card holder boxes that I got for dirt cheap on Amazon! They are an effective and inexpensive way to store the cards as they fit perfectly and it's really easy to add a sticker to the box with group numbers or you could even use chalk pens or sharpies! 
You can get the boxes from these Amazon affiliate links here:
Amazon US 
Amazon UK

Although the card option is really fun as it creates that spontaneity not knowing what question you're going to get, I've also created different options if you'd rather have a less printing and less prep. The same questions therefore come on larger colour coded sheets that come 2 to a page so you only need to print 3 letter size / A4  pages. I have also included a mono option if you'd rather print these in black and white!
​Again, I include full rules of how to play using this method in the resource for you.

These larger options mean you will only need a set of 6 cards. I have created them to be exactly the size of a standard photograph (6x4in) so you can easily put them in photo albums or photo sleeves (a much more versatile option than laminating everything as this makes them easy to change up for different activities!)

Here are some great photo sleeves you can check out if you're interested:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

So, why should you get your students to play this game at the end of the school year?

Well if you're the kind of teacher who really cares about classroom community and helping students bond before they leave for the summer, this resource will leave your students with fond memories about you and their classroom. To me, it's all about how you finish the school year that matters as that is the lasting memory!

They will have a blast bonding over the good times, reflecting on their journey this year and looking forward to years to come!

​Oh and for those of you who are up for embracing more technology in your classrooms, I have created another option in the pack that is a digital interactive way to play that doesn't involve printing anything!

You can have students download the PowerPoint to their devices (you can easily convert it to a Google Slides document via Google Drive) then they can use this to access the questions and have one device per team or even one per person: it can be used with or without the dice!

And because I have tried to cover ALL bases, this option is for those of you who don't want to print anything at all! Plus, if you're on a really tight budget and can only afford to have one set of blocks, I give you instructions on how you can play as a whole class using the just one set of blocks, and one PowerPoint! Check out the clip below to see a preview of how it works.
​
You candownload the game here from TpT or directly from my store here if you prefer PayPal or paying in GBP!

I hope this has given you some fun and exciting ways to have a reflective and enjoyable end to the school year! 

Thanks for reading this post :) If you found this valuable, leave a comment below or share it out!
I truly believe that by allowing our students to take time to reflect on the school year with their peers in a fun and engaging way, they will effectively take on board on what they have learned and where they hope to be in the future, not to mention form stronger bonds with one another thus improving overall well-being and classroom ethos.

How do you plan on ending the school year with a bang? Comment below, I'd love to talk more about it!