Activities for Early Finishers

Different students have different abilities and strengths, so it is only natural that some activities will be easier for certain groups of students. This can lead to some students being finished earlier than others. We all know that when students have time that is unoccupied, they are more likely to talk to classmates or act out in other, possibly disruptive ways that can distract other students who are still working. That is why it is important to have activities ready for students who complete assigned work early. Below are listed several possibilities that can be used to deal with this common situation.

• Make an "I'm Through, What Can I Do" packet: I did this for the students in the ASLA at Thomaston Center School. The packet included a wide variety of activities ranging from brain teasers to logic puzzles to calculator activities to word searches. The packets were placed on a table in the back of the room, and any student who finished early could go to the back of the room and work on the silently. 
• Have students read a book from home or the library
• Complete unfinished work: Throughout the day there will always be times when a student, for one reason or another, is unable to complete an assignment on time. If they are able to finish another assignment earlier, they can then go back and complete their prior assignment. 
• Study for upcoming exams: Extra study time is always a good idea
• Do extra credit assignments: These can take the form of anything from a one page book report to Marcy Cook pages to scribble stories to multiplication pages.
• Work at predetermined centers: At the beginning of the week assign groups of students to a particular center that they can go to if they finish their work early. Centers can include an art center, a computer center, a center where students can listen to stories through headphones, or a writing center.
• Provide students with a one stop activity center: This idea can be very fun for the students, however a lot of prep time and materials are required. You can buy a plastic cabinet with 15-30 separate drawers. Number each drawer, and inside each one put a different activity. At the beginning of the day randomly pass out cards with corresponding numbers, and when students finish an assignment, they can get an activity from the box with the number they received.