End of the Year Staff Morale Ideas

The end of the year is a crazy time in any school. With the final countdown underway, teachers and other staff members in a school are working harder than ever! Help boost motivation and keep staff members smiling with these simple, end of the year staff morale ideas everyone will love! 

Why Staff Morale Matters at the End of the Year

This time of year is notorious for burnout. Everyone at school is focused on testing, graduations, parties, student recognition, final grades, and preparing for summer vacation. Teachers, administrators, secretarial staff, and everyone else at school are all burning the candle at both ends. This means that it's more important than ever to show staff members their hard work is appreciated. 

There's nothing worse than feeling frantic and unappreciated. By getting intentional with your staff morale activities, you can ensure that the staff members in your school have a smoother, successful end to the year. And don't worry, your end of the year staff morale activities don't need to be complicated! Here are 9, simple ideas to help you boost staff morale and end the year on a positive note!

1. Summer Mirror Shout Outs 

First up, I've got a fun idea that I know will put a smile on everyone's faces. Best of all, it's super easy to execute! These Summer Mirror Shout Outs, allow you to leave inspiring, kind notes on the bathroom mirror in your school. As staff members use the restroom, they will be greeted with a sunny reminder that they're doing a great job! 

All you need to do is print these meaningful messages on some colorful paper and hang them up! This resource includes funny puns such as "Long time no sea" that will help your staff remember that summer break is just around the corner! 

I also loved using these in a staff photo booth for the end of the year party. Just print them out, add a popsicle stick to hold them up and you're in business. Either way, these fun little notes will make your staff members smile! 

2. Staff Rock, Paper, Scissors

Looking for a fun and easy game to boost staff morale at the end of the year? You'll LOVE this Staff Rock, Paper, Scissors Game! This is one of my favorite ideas for end of the year staff morale boosters since it's easy to implement during this busy time of year. Staff members will play throughout the day as they pass each other in the halls or see each other at lunch. 

To get started, you'll need to purchase beaded necklaces or Hawaiian leis from a place like the dollar store. You'll need one per staff member. On the morning of your game, you'll drop one in each mailbox with a special tag and directions to play. Staff will wear the necklace and as they see another staff member, they can challenge each other to a friendly game of rock, paper, scissors. The winner of the game gets to keep their opponent's necklace. 

At the end of the day, the necklaces are counted up and the winner is awarded a certificate and/or a fun prize! This game is a great way to sprinkle a little fun into this crazy busy time of year! 

3. Summer Scratch-Offs 

Have you tried using Scratch-Offs at your staff meetings yet? These are some of my favorite ways to show staff they are appreciated all year long. These are printable tickets that come with pre-programmed options as well as blank versions to fill in your own prize ideas. These work just like a scratch-off lottery ticket, and can be prepared with stickers or paint. Staff members will simply scratch them off to reveal a prize!

These June and July Scratch-Offs are the perfect addition to your end of the year staff morale ideas. They're super quick to prepare and have a fun summer theme that everyone will love. If you need some ideas for prizes, be sure to check out this post with 25 staff prizes that are perfect for scratch-offs!

4. Teacher Yard Sale 

If you've ever had a classroom of your own, you can probably relate to that feeling of overwhelm that sets in as you begin to pack it up at the end of the year. Teachers accumulate a lot of stuff over the school year and it can feel a little crazy to get organized in those final days. Help encourage your staff to clear things out and pass on unused items to a new home with a Teacher Yard Sale! 

This resource includes signs, sign-up sheets, and directions for helping your staff give new life to old things. They will love the boost of motivation to clear things out at the end of the school year and get organized as a whole school! 

Plus, it always feels good to pass on used items to another colleague. This is a wonderful community-building activity that is perfect to boost staff morale at the end of the year! Not to mention, your teachers will be so thankful to return to a classroom that's already been decluttered in the fall. 

5. Staff Post-It Notes 

Looking for a simple and easy way to recognize individual staff members at the end of the year? These Staff Post It Notes make it super quick and easy to spread a little sunshine any day of the week! Included in this resource, you'll find 18 different messages along with two printing templates. Simply select your design, load your Post-It's in the printer and you're ready to go! 

I loved printing these on bright, summery paper to add a little extra sunshine to the mix! The messages include things like, "Here's a little sunshine to brighten your day" and "You are masterful at the art of teaching". 

There's bound to be something for everyone on your staff roster! Simply print these off, add a personalized message to the back if desired, and leave them in mailboxes, on teacher desks, or anywhere else staff report to. 

6. Jar of Sunshine 

Do you have a valued staff member retiring this year? Use a Jar of Sunshine to wish them a happy retirement and celebrate as a whole school. The idea behind this is similar to individual retirement cards but will give your retiree a jar full of sweet messages to read through instead. This also works as a whole-staff pick-me-up by prepping one jar for each person at the end of the year. 

Included, you'll find 12 sentence stem worksheets that will work for all staff members, and 4 additional for retirees only. Choose the ones you need and pass them out to staff to complete. Collect them afterward and place them in a pretty mason jar that you've prepared with the included card. This is such a fun gift to present and always makes staff members feel valued and appreciated. 

7. Teacher Self-Care Challenge 

Self-care is often last on the list for our dear teachers and school staff members. They are some of the hardest-working people on the planet who will always put others first. Encourage them to incorporate a bit of intentional self-care into their daily routine with this Wellness Challenge. 

Included, you'll find 10 different BINGO boards with ideas for self-care such as light a candle, take a hot bath, go to bed early, and take a walk. These simple, doable ideas are perfect for encouraging some after-hours self-care among your staff. 

I like to pass these out at the beginning of the final month in school and encourage staff to work on them throughout the month. After they fill in their board, they can turn it in to receive a small prize. Everyone loves this activity and it's a great way to avoid burnout! 

8. Windshield Notes 

Sometimes a simple note is all that's needed to brighten a person's day. That's why I love these Spring Windshield Messages. They each have a cute, seasonal message printed on them that the staff will love! Some of the included messages are: 

• Live like it's Spring!
• You are the Bee's Knees!
• We've got sunshine on a cloudy day! 
• To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.

To use, simply print them out and place them on staff windshields before the day ends. They will love coming out to their car to find a fun message just for them. This is a super simple, yet meaningful staff appreciation idea that's really easy to fit into the end of the year chaos! 

9. Friday Oranges 

Last, on my list of simple, end of the year staff morale ideas, I've got a Friday treat that everyone will love! Use this Friday Oranges resource to give staff a tasty snack in a fun way to close out a busy week. All you need to do is print off the signs and/or tags, buy some oranges, mandarins, or cuties, and set everything up in the lounge for staff to enjoy. 

I liked to print a few of the colorful signs that read "Orange You Glad It's Friday?" and post them in staff hallways and on the lounge door. Then, place the bowl of fruit on the table and scatter a few of the smaller tags on the table. You can also place a tag and orange in each person's mailbox if you prefer to pass them out individually. Either way, this is a fun and healthy treat everyone will love!

Start Planning Your End of the Year Staff Morale Activities

I hope you found something fun and new to try in this post! What I love most about these ideas is that they are all simple and easy to implement. It doesn't take much to show staff that they are appreciated during this extra busy time of year. Pick and choose the options that work best for your school and have fun planning! You can find all of these ideas and many more in my TPT Shop. Wishing you a wonderful end to your school year!

Looking for More End of the Year Staff Morale Ideas? 

Check out this post that's filled with 6 fun ideas for a Staff Snack Bar! These ideas are perfect for your end of the year meeting or party and are sure to show staff they are appreciated.