End of Year Writing Activities for First Grade: Free Summer Writing Paper Included

It almost feels like it should be easier by now. By the final weeks of school, your end of year writing activities should be the easiest part of the day. Your first graders know the routine. They can write sentences independently. They have experiences to write about—field trips, class parties, that time milk sprayed out of their nose.

But here’s the reality: energy is up, attention is down, and your own to-do list has exploded. Writing time becomes harder to manage—not because students don’t know what to do, but because everything else around it is spinning like a top. What used to work in February might not land in May—and that includes your go-to end of year writing activities.

Focus Is Harder to Hold

Summer is close, and students are distracted. Their minds are already on pool days and popsicles. It’s hard to compete with summer excitement, even with the most engaging lesson plans in place.
They rush through writing or struggle to settle in at all. What used to be a calm routine has turned into a race to get done—or avoid starting entirely.
Prompts that were once engaging now feel stale to them—or you. The same sentence starters or journal questions that worked in March stopped working in late May.
Repeated reminders are needed to stay on task. Instead of diving into their work, students need constant nudges to get started, reread their sentence, or stay seated. You spend more time managing than teaching.

Energy Levels Are All Over the Place

By the end of the year, classroom energy becomes wildly unpredictable. Some students are overstimulated—chatty, bouncing in their seats, and distracted by every pencil drop and whispered conversation. Others are exhausted and barely able to focus. This imbalance makes writing time difficult to manage. Whole-group lessons lose momentum, and you’re constantly shifting strategies just to keep everyone engaged and on task.

You’re Out of Time for New Content

There’s no room left in your schedule for multi-day projects. Special events, assemblies, and field trips interrupt the flow of your week, making it nearly impossible to maintain consistency across several days.
You’re reviewing and assessing, not launching new curriculum. Your focus has shifted to progress reports, final assessments, and end-of-year data—not introducing new writing genres or lengthy assignments.
All your lessons need to wrap up by the last day, so you’re on a time crunch. Every block is spoken for, and you’re watching the calendar as closely as your students are.

You still want writing to have value—but it has to fit in short blocks. A 5-minute activity that reinforces skills and encourages reflection feels far more realistic than a formal lesson plan.

Your Attention Is Pulled Elsewhere

Your attention is pulled in every direction—classroom clean-up, assessments, parent communication, awards, and supply inventory all demand your time. Planning thoughtful writing lessons each day feels unrealistic.

You need writing time that runs itself without sacrificing quality. Honestly, if students could just write independently for five minutes while you track down that document buried in your Drive, it would feel like a win.

You Still Want Writing to Be Worthwhile

You don’t want to give students “filler work.” After a year of growth, giving them something just to stay busy doesn’t feel right.
You want them to feel like their writing matters. Whether it’s a short story, a summer plan, or a favorite memory, their work should still have a reason for it.
Ideally, they’d take something home they’re proud of. A finished page or simple writing craft can be a meaningful send-off they’ll want to show their families.
You’re looking for reflection, closure, and maybe a little fun—without creating a new unit from scratch. Something that celebrates their school year and gives you a break from reinventing the wheel.

End Of Year Writing Activities That Actually Work

The Free Summer Writing Paper set was created for this exact time of year. You don’t need to plan a new unit, invent new prompts, or prep materials. The entire set is designed to help your students continue writing their best—while giving you space to manage everything else on your plate.

What's Included:

This free set of summer writing paper includes 36 ready-to-print pages making a complete first grade summer writing packet for in-class use or as a take home folder.

Here’s what you’ll get:

Two line styles – primary with a dotted midline and standard lines
Two layout options – full-page writing and half-page with drawing space
A list-style template – perfect for summer goals or bucket lists
A simple popsicle writing craft page – great for bulletin boards or a take-home project.
8 printable teacher notes – use for quick desk messages or send-home surprises
20 summer writing prompts – so students aren’t stuck on “I don’t know what to write”

You can use these pages for morning work, independent writing, early finishers, or send-home literacy folders—with zero prep. This is one of those rare low prep end of year activities for first grade that actually holds students’ attention without adding to your plate.

Why It Works

No planning required – Print and go. That’s it.
Differentiation built-in – Multiple layouts and line options support different writing skill levels.
Flexible use – Works during class or as part of a summer take-home pack.
Engaging but simple prompts – You’ll get 20 free printable writing prompts for summer, all kid-friendly and easy to use independently.
Supports routines – Keeps writing consistent when everything else feels off-schedule.

Keep Students Writing Over the Summer

This set of free summer writing paper can also be used to create a simple summer writing folder.

Choose a few pages, include a pencil, and send it home during the last week of school.
Add one of the included teacher notes for encouragement and tell students to write “just a little” over the break.

This makes summer writing feel fun, not forced—and keeps their skills sharp without overwhelming families.

Get Your Free Summer Writing Paper Here

End-of-year writing time isn’t easy. Students are distracted. Energy is inconsistent. Your time and attention are limited. But writing still matters—and your students need activities that reflect that.

Instead of creating new lessons or managing behavior during your writing block, give your students something they can do independently without taking too much of your time.

The Free Summer Writing Paper set gives you exactly that: