After a year of learning, growing and working hard, what better way to celebrate than with a class party! As well as being a fun activity to wrap up the school year, it shows your students that you recognise the friendships, the effort and the memories made along the way.

An end-of-year class party doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive to be meaningful. With a bit of creativity, some sticky tape and a whole lot of heart, you can create something that feels really special and gives everyone the chance to celebrate just how far they’ve come. So grab the butchers paper, cue the music and give your class the send-off they deserve.

Two primary-school-aged children at an orange table in a classroom, cutting white paper with scissors, with pencils and craft supplies scattered nearby.

Why Celebrating Together Matters

Celebrating the year as a class isn’t just about pass the parcel and party hats. It’s about connection – a way to pause and reflect on everything the students and their teachers have achieved together. It can also help students, especially younger ones, process the change that comes with moving up a year or saying goodbye to classmates.

Recycled Class Party Decoration Ideas

Grab some scrap paper, lots of markers and paint and plenty of imagination, and try these end-of-year classroom decoration ideas that are cost-effective and mindful of waste.

Two primary-school-aged children stand at a wall-length butchers paper mural, colouring a scene with houses, trees, flowers, a rainbow and clouds.

Butchers Paper Message Wall‍

Hang a long sheet of butchers paper across a wall and let students fill it with drawings, scribbles, class jokes, quotes or “what I’ll remember from this year” anecdotes.

What to Try

A string of purple-framed mini photos pegged to a twine line across a white wall, showing portraits of students.

Polaroid Portrait Bunting‍

Take photographs of the teacher and students, and use twine and mini pegs to create bespoke bunting to hang throughout the classroom.

What to Try

A series of images showing coloured cardboard being cut and shaped into a cone, elastic being attached and the hat decorated using paper fringing and coloured markers.

Make Your Own Party Hats‍

Grab some pieces of coloured card, paper offcuts or recycled board, twist them into cone shapes and secure with sticky tape. Let students decorate their own hats, then ensure hats stay on heads by adding two holes near the base of the hat, on opposite sides, to tie elastic through. Alternatively, make crown-style hats that can easily wrap around the head and be secured with sticky tape to fit.

What to Try

A series of images showing coloured paper being cut with scissors into strips, then looped and taped to create a bright paper chain garland shaped like an S.

Paper Chains‍

Turn old worksheets into decorative paper chains – a great repetitive cutting and folding activity to keep minds calm in the last wiggly days of the term. Cut strips of paper and colour them with paint or decorate with drawings, then thread strips through each other to create a chain, securing each paper chain link with tape.

What to Try

SEE ALSO: 3 Easy DIY Christmas Wreath Ideas

Primary-school-aged students seated at a classroom table near a window; a student writes in a notebook while classmates discuss an activity with sticky notes and letters.

5 Class Party Games (That Teachers Will Love Too)

These games are low-prep, fun-filled and scalable for any age group.

1. Book Character Heads 

Pair students into groups of two. Each student writes the name of a book character on a sticky note and sticks it to their classmate’s forehead. They each ask yes/no questions until they guess who they are. Use your DIY party hats as the base and just tape on the name. Guaranteed giggles!

2. Musical Freeze

Press play on the class’s favourite tunes and get everyone dancing. Freeze when the music stops. No prizes needed – just good old-fashioned fun.

3. Memory Mingle

Get students to write a favourite memory from the year and pop it in a hat. Read them out and guess whose is whose.

4. Class Bingo

Create bingo cards with school-themed items around the classroom such as a whiteboard marker, library bag, lunch box, school hat and ruler. Give each student a card and let them find each item, ticking them all (or just a row) off until the first student yells “Bingo!”.

5. Compliment Circle

Ask each student to write a kind or funny message to someone in the class (or to their teacher). Mix them up and read them aloud. No names required – just warm and fuzzy feelings to finish the year.

End-of-Year Craft Ideas

Now the formal school projects are done, it’s time to make something meaningful as a class. Here are some simple projects that work for all year levels.

A series of images showing a hand sketching and colouring a long paper banner with sports icons and stars, revealing the message 'Proud to be on your team!' as the sheet is unrolled.

An Epic Banner

Using a big roll of butchers paper, create a giant banner like the ones you see on the field at sports games. Decorate it with a heartfelt message, such as ‘We’re proud to be on your team’, and roll each end onto some dowel or a broomstick. Then comes the fun part: hold up the banner for your teacher and students to run through. What a way to kick off the celebration!

A series of images showing the construction of a paper bouquet made of yellow, orange and white paper and green pipe cleaners, all shown on a yellow background.

A Paper Flower Bouquet

Get each child to make a paper flower using coloured paper and pipe cleaners, then put them all together to create a big bouquet for their teacher. Wrap them all in cellophane and ribbon for maximum impact.

What to Try

‘You Rule’ Pen Jar

Take an old jar and glue short rulers around the outside to make a pen jar gift with a twist. Before glueing on the rulers, have the kids write messages (like “You rule!”) on the backs of them, so your teacher can peek inside the jar and be delighted with the secret messages inside.

What to Try

SEE ALSO: How to Create Tape Art With Kids

4 Gift Ideas For Teachers Under $20

An assortment of gift ideas for teachers, shown on various brightly coloured backgrounds. Products include things like personalised mugs and calendars, and mini terracotta pots with markers for personalisation.

1. DIY Desk Plant‍

Pop a small herb or succulent into a terracotta pot decorated with paint pens or paper collage from the kids. Add a tag: “Thanks for helping us grow!”

What to Try

2. Photo Mug

Make a personalised* photo mug and get the kids to sign it using a porcelain pen. Bake the mug to set it and your teacher will have a gorgeous keepsake to hold their pens at school or for tea break. Perhaps a note that says “Best Teacher!”, too.

What to Try

3. Personalised Clipboard

Decorate a plain clipboard with a paper collage or washi tape. Add a quote or name using alphabet stickers: “Mr Carter – King of the Clipboard.”

What to Try

4. Snack Cups

A colourful and cute snack container for next term will help your favourite teacher keep their energy up at recess or fruit break time. 

What to Try

‍

*Personalised Print + Create items require 7 to 10 business days for printing. Express same-day photo gift printing available at selected stores. Same-day photo gift orders must be placed in-store at the photo kiosk.

SEE ALSO: DIY Gift Ideas to Celebrate Life’s Small Moments