Early Finisher Solutions

"{Insert name here}, I'm done.  Now what?"  Sound familiar?  If I got a quarter, or a penny for that matter, every time a student asked me that question, I could probably put in for early retirement!


Having a collection of go-to activities for early finishers is a must!  First, that pesky question is no longer being asked.  Next, having activities accessible to students reduces the boredom which in turn, reduces the troublesome behavior.  Also, activities can and should extend and/or enrich students' learning.  

Including activities for early finishers can be as simple as you want to make it.  Early on in my teaching career, I had what I called "wise choices."  It was a list of activities that students could choose from when they were finished with an assignment.  The list was a short standard list.  It included unfinished work, reading, or writing.  When I was asked that "I'm done, now what?" question, I simply pointed to my wise choice chart.  


As time as evolved and resources are in abundance, I have broadened my choice activities for students.  Students like having a wide variety of activities to choose from.  Honestly, from time to time, I like to change things up myself.

Over the past couple of years, I have had my students using an Early Finisher's Choice Board Activities notebook.  The notebook goes with The Choice Board.


Within the notebook, each subject has a dedicated section.  Students place their responses to the early finisher's activities into the corresponding section.  

Here are examples of choice board activities that they respond to and place in their notebook.  


Additional Ideas for Early Finishers

Task Cards
Brain Teasers
A teacher-approved website
STEM activities

For the early finisher activities that require a recording sheet and/or other printables, students fold the paper in half and glue the top half of the page into the corresponding section of their notebook. They love to go back and see what they have completed throughout the year.  

You can grab the above printable for free HERE.


Another option that is great for the digital or non-digital classroom is the Outrageously True activities.  Students absolutely LOVE them!






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