Do you have early finishers in your elementary classroom? I bet you do. We all do.
You know it’s coming. No sooner than you get an activity started, you hear those dreaded words – “Teacher, I am finished”. Or, if you live in the South like me, “I’m done”.
It always happens. It doesn’t matter how well you plan your lesson. There is always going to be at least one student who finishes earlier than the others. This is why you need some simple and engaging activities for your fast finishers.
It pays to be prepared and plan ahead with meaningful time fillers that can answer “I’m done – now what?”.
Here are some of my favorite early finisher activities that are engaging but super simple to implement.
Baskets of Books for Early Finishers
Baskets of books are an awesome way to engage your early finishers. This time filler is especially effective when students have the option to choose books for the basket. You can go ahead and put books that you know students can read or books that you have been reading in class. Just be sure and let students choose some too.
I always liked to put books that I used for our take-home reading program. These books were ones that students were familiar with. In fact, they often wanted to pick these books for the baskets.
It’s also a great idea to include decodable books, especially if they are ones that the students have been working on in small groups.
For fun, you can add some thematic books. These books may be too difficult for students to read independently, but they will love looking at the pictures, especially nonfiction books.
To save your sanity, make sure the baskets are within easy reach of students. Also, make sure students know how to get the books, an important point if the books are not on or by their desks or tables. I personally liked to have baskets right on the desks. Typically, I grouped my desks in cooperative groups of 4. I would place a basket in the middle of the desks. Students had plenty of great book options right at their fingertips. Each week, I rotated the baskets among the tables.
Free Journals
Free journals are another great option to keep your fast finishers occupied. A free journal is basically a notebook that students keep in their desks and are “free” to write in – just be sure to go over expectations or the journals will fill up pretty quickly with random scribbles.
My first graders loved their free journals! We did have rules about one page at a time and completely filling up a page. Once we established some general rules, students were very careful with their free journals. They really loved being in control of the content. I loved having this inexpensive way to keep my early finishers engaged. Students brought in extra composition books at the beginning of the year. I also bought some one-subject ones when they went on sale at Walmart or Target.
These early finisher activities were also great time fillers in other ways because students could share their work during those random two or three minutes sprinkled throughout the day.
Partner Games
Partner games are super beneficial in an elementary classroom. These educational gems are a great way to review and practice skills. They also give students a chance to collaborate with their classmates.
Partner games can be great time fillers for early finishers too!
When using games as activities for fast finishers, there are a few things to consider:
- Are students super familiar with the games?
- Can students play the games independently?
- Will students be able to quickly and easily get all materials?
I have written a blog post, How to Successfully Use Games in the Elementary Classroom, that can really help you address the above considerations.
What kinds of games can early finishers play? There are a ton of games, such as a variety of card games or even paper/pencil games (i.e. tic tac toe with sight words). My favorite partner games are simple board games, like these two games.
This free CVC Mixed Review game set is another great choice. You can grab this freebie now by clicking on the picture.
Partner games are a great idea for your fast finishers if games are something you play regularly in the classroom. I wouldn’t suggest making these games an option if students can’t play independently. If you don’t use games regularly, grab this freebie and read the blog post I shared. You will be hooked on partner games in no time!
Technology
Technology can provide great activities for early finishers. Learning games, especially, are great time fillers. Just like with partner games, make sure students know how to access digital resources independently.
There are truly some wonderful educational websites available to students. I have even written about some of them on my blog. National Geographic for Kids, Starfall, Funbrain, PBS Kids, and Primary Games are just some of the great options available.
I have to say that my absolute favorite is Boom Cards™. Boom Cards can be a great way to gamify learning. These digital task cards are easy to use, self-checking, interactive, and fun! Teachers, you can get a free or paid subscription (http://bit.ly/BoomTrial).
I especially appreciate that the Boom Learning site is completely safe and secure. You never have to worry about students seeing things they shouldn’t.
Once students understand how to use Boom Cards, it is super easy for them to use these decks independently as an early finisher activity.
If you want to try some Boom Cards, I have a lot of free options in my Members Only Free Resource Library. I also have a huge variety in my TPT store. You might even be interested in some huge endless bundles, like these two options:
Fun Printables
I will be the first to admit that I try to not overuse worksheets. However, there are times when a fun printable can be a great option for your fast finishers.
Fun printables, like Color by Codes or Secret Pictures, can keep kids engaged and provide quality practice. One major consideration is to find printables with simple directions so students can complete them independently.
Conclusion
It can be super challenging when you have a bunch of early finishers! Go ahead and take a little time now to plan some simple activities that will keep them engaged. There are so many great options. Make sure they are simple enough that students can do them independently. Also, make sure they are worthwhile activities that will provide your students with meaningful practice.