End of the year traditions

Do you have any end of the year traditions? Other than preschool graduation, my favorite tradition is just to take it easy. I like to spend extra time focusing on my relationships with the children and enjoying our time together. 

We always spend a lot of time outside, taking walks, blowing bubbles, drawing sidewalk chalk murals.  This unstructured time is some of my absolute favorite from the entire year. 

My traditions aren't all about doing nothing though, there is usually some work involved. I make every attempt to make it fun. We do a lot of cleaning, I pull out all of the puzzles and we make sure that all of the pieces are where they need to be, we rub tables down with shaving cream and then wipe them all off.  We test all of our markers and get rid of the ones that don't work and we collect art projects and send them all home. 

These tasks all help the children recognize that our time is coming to an end. They serve as a transition as we clear out the materials and supplies that we have used and make way for new supplies and new faces. 

We also celebrate our memories.  I use these memory books to help the children reflect on what has meant the most to them this year.  I take some time to recognize what makes each child unique using these fun award ribbons, and I make sure to take photos with all of the children so that I have something from each of them to look back on.

What are some of your end of the year traditions?