As a teacher, I think an end of the year memory book is a great project to do with students before they leave for the summer. As a parent, I also think this. My kids are grown now, but I still love to look back at what they wrote when they were just six. Actually, they do too. We still have a good laugh at my daughter’s kindergarten narrative about her first experience at a hibachi grill. That flaming onion volcano had a real impact on her!
MEMORY BOOKS
An end of the year memory book gives kids a chance to preserve all the special moments from the year. I guarantee their families will enjoy reading it this summer. And, for kids who are like mine, they’ll enjoy rereading their book when they’re a twenty-something grown-up.
Open-ended writing templates like these help guide young children in collecting and recording their ideas. The prompts and page design are open enough to allow for differentiation. Depending on their skill level, kids can either write or sketch their memories… or both. Plus, there are plenty of cute images to color!
THIS MEMORY BOOK includes several writing templates to get children thinking. They’ll draw pictures of their school, teacher, and friends. They’ll also reflect on their work in different subject areas, like science, math, and reading. What were their favorite lunch foods? What were their favorite P.E. activities? Did they have a favorite field trip? And so on.
GOAL SETTING (AND A GOOD LAUGH)
An end of the year memory book doesn’t have to focus only on the past. I like this template that gets kids thinking about the summer ahead. “What would you like to accomplish or do this summer?”
We brainstorm academic goals, like reading every day, and adventurous goals, like learning how to ride a bike or swim. We also talk about healthy goals, like getting plenty of rest and maybe taking it easy with ice cream. Together, we talk about a lot of goals… places we’d like to go, shows we’d like to watch, hobbies we’d like to learn. If you have the time, try not to skip this step. The discussion really helps kids think beyond their own initial ideas.
This page👇 is usually good for a laugh (internally, that is). I LOVE to see what the children think is important to pass on to the next group of kids that will be sitting in their seats next year.
You can VIEW THE FULL RESOURCE HERE.
RELATED POST
FUN SUMMER READING
Happy teaching!
