The time is near parents! Your little ones are almost primary 7 leavers. They are ready to fly the primary school nest and head off on the next part of their educational journey! Being primary 7 leavers and moving on from primary school can be one of the hardest transitions for both your child and you parents! They’ve worked hard to get to this point but now that the time is here, it’s a bit crazy how fast the time has flown! So I could write a blog post all about how to deal with this emotional, exciting time. But no matter what advice I give you, you are still probably going to FREAK OUT!!! *insert laugh emoji here!* Side note, I really wish we could add emojis to our blog posts, then you’ll know when I’m messing with you parents *insert wink emoji here!* Instead I thought I would write a blog post with some lovely ideas that will help your child enjoy these last few weeks of primary school and to help capture some wonderful memories.
Even though your child’s transfer test days are long behind them now, my new eBook will still be of use to you. There is a great chapter on how to prepare your child for Year 8. There’s also a free Year 8 planner template which you can use to help make your child’s weeks in big school run as smoothly as possible. 10% off all book sales are being donated to Cash for Kids NI which is an amazing local charity that supports families from right here in Northern Ireland. Download your copy here!
What can you expect these last few weeks of term?
When I think back to my primary school days, I can clearly remember all the fun things we did those last few weeks of term! I remember feeling so grown up and excited to go to a new school but then crying my eyes out to Green Day, ‘When September Ends’ on my portable CD player on the last day of school! These last few weeks of term are the perfect opportunity for your child to make lasting memories, have fun and just enjoy these moments with their friends and teachers. Every school is different and will have various activities planned but here are some things that I have come across over the years that P7s will take part in.
Leavers Assembly
Queue photo montages of your child’s class from P1 right up until P7! The leavers assembly can be one of the most emotional things you will come across since your child started primary school! When those old photos alongside emotional music start sweeping across the screen, you’ll find it hard not to shed a tear. A photo montage and your child singing a Primary 7 leavers song, reading a Primary 7 leavers poem or talking about their primary school days…well even I’m getting emotional just writing about it! The leavers assembly is an absolute must in these last few weeks of term. My advice for going to your child’s leavers assembly take photos, enjoy the moment and bring plenty of tissues!
Leavers Hoodies
The leavers hoodies. This was definitely not a thing when I was in primary school! I actually didn’t get offered one of these until I was in sixth year! But primary 7 leavers hoodies are very on trend right now and you might get a request to place an order for one with your child’s school. It is a lovely memory for students as it will have all the names of the children in their class and the year they finished primary school. So if you have the chance this is definitely a brilliant gift for your child to take with them.
P7 Show or Play
Just like the leavers hoodies, this is another thing that has become very popular over the last few years, a Primary 7 show or play. Some schools will have a musical event and some put on a proper show like Annie or Beauty and the Beast. Whatever your child’s school is doing, you can bet that your child, their teachers and their classmates have put in A LOT of effort and practising. So expect a lot of reciting of lines and singing show tunes in the car on the way to and from school. I’ve linked some noise-cancelling headphones here just in case!
School books sent home
Just like the end of every school year, your child will get all of their workbooks and artwork sent home. Probably before now, some of that artwork, if not all ended up in the recycling bin! But this time, you might be a bit more emotionally attached than you ever have been before. Grab a folder and keep it all together because from now on, your child’s Year 8 artwork will be sketches, paintings of fruit and clay pots! No more of those classic primary school bright paints!
P7 Trip
Each school usually plans a nice trip for the P7 students before they leave. Some schools will plan a residential for a couple of nights and others just plan an exciting day out for the class. If your child is going away on a residential, this could be their first time away from home apart from the odd sleepover with friends here and there. You might feel nervous, they might feel nervous but the P7 residential is one of the most amazing and memorable experiences your child will have before going to their new school. And if you are really panicking about it, don’t worry they can probably bring a phone or use a teacher’s phone if you need to contact them. Long gone are the days of phoning home from a phone box!
Sports Day
Just like every June, sports day will make an appearance. Whether you love it or hate it, this sports day will be extra special! If you can, book it off work and make sure you can attend. Trust me your child will be over the moon seeing you there watching them! Once your child goes to secondary school, sports day transforms into an Olympic event with shot puts and javelins flying about the place! Not all secondary schools invite parents to the sports day event so this could be the last one you have to go to. *insert sigh of relief here!*
5 fun, memorable activities for your primary 7 leavers
Alongside all these exciting things that are happening in school, there are some extra lovely activities that you can do with your child to capture more memories! Now I don’t mean build a shrine for your P7! I just mean have some extra bits and pieces that they can look back on in years to come. Here are my top 5 fun, memorable activities for your primary 7 leavers.
Scrapbook
Some schools do this in school already and you might have already started your own. But a scrapbook is a fantastic way to keep your child’s primary school memories all in one place. If you haven’t started one, don’t worry. Just grab a few photos from P1 right up to P7 and make a page for each year of their primary school days. This will be a really special scrapbook for your child that they can look back on when they are older and remember the ‘good old days!’
Sign T-Shirts
This is a lovely, simple idea to help your child remember their classmates. You can take an old school shirt or a plain T-shirt and a Sharpie and your child can ask whoever they like in the school to write a wee message and sign it. They can ask their teachers, classmates and any other pupils throughout the school. I still have my primary 7 leavers signed shirt!
Class artwork
Another one of my primary 7 leavers ideas is your child’s class could complete together is a class painting or collage. Each student can take a section of the canvas or paper and draw or paint something that represents their time in primary school. You could ask the school if they could complete this in class or after school. Then get it made into multiple prints for each student or get it printed on t-shirts, phone cases and even tea towels! These would make lovely primary 7 leavers gifts.
Record video messages
This is a quick and easy way to record memories from primary school. Chat with the other parents from your child’s class and ask them to record a quick 10-20-second video clip of them talking about their memories from primary school and merge them all together! Another recording you can do, although it will take a bit more time, is have each student record a 5-10-second message wishing each of their classmates good luck for their new school. Merge the videos together for each student and they will have these primary 7 leavers memories saved forever!
Class picnic in the park
When I was teaching in Australia, having picnics in the park with your child’s class was a regular occurrence. Families and teachers would all meet at the park on a Saturday, have a lovely picnic and play games. So I was thinking this would be a lovely experience to incorporate over here. I know things are busy and chances are your child’s teacher might not be able to make it. However, as your child is finishing primary school, they might be able to make an exception. Arrange a class picnic, invite all of your child’s classmates and have fun! Hopefully, you’ll get a nice sunny day for it!
More Information on leavers
Primary 7 Leavers Yearbook Activity
Helping your child manage the move from primary to secondary school
Ways to Help Your Child Transition from Primary to Secondary School
“New beginnings are in order, and you are bound to feel some level of excitement as new chances come your way.” – Auliq Ice. I absolutely love this quote and I think it would be fab to share with your Primary 7 when they are leaving primary school and getting ready for their new school. Unfortunately, your child can’t stay in primary school forever. It truly is a blessing that they have the opportunity to begin the next chapter of their lives. So yes be sad and emotional but also be grateful and happy for everything they have achieved and learned these last seven years. Enjoy these last few weeks of primary school and make lovely memories with your primary 7 leavers!
