As the school year winds down, I always try to complete a few end of the year projects that will create lasting memories for my students. This year my students are writing letters to their future self, and this has quickly become my absolute favorite end of the year (or anytime of the year activity).
This writing activity gives students the opportunity to write letters to their future self. Students will write a variety of letters on different topics and will seal the letters inside envelopes to be opened on a particular date or event. I allowed my students to determine when they can open each envelope in the future. I encouraged them to choose dates such as their 30th birthday, high school graduation, day of first job, and other memorable times and milestones. I was a bit surprised to see milestones such as, “When I get a girlfriend”. I did make a requirement of waiting at least five years before opening any of the letters, because they were choosing dates such as the end of the school year.
There are 16 different writing/letter prompts that you can choose from. I also included different options of lined paper, so that the prompts would work with almost any age group.
I had initially planned on taking pictures of my students’ writing to share. However, much to my surprise my students are writing very reflective and personal letters. I expected them to be cute and fun, but the letters are full of raw honesty and emotion. They’re also writing with the trust that no one will see the letters but themselves, so I’ve decided against using them on my blog. I always ask if I can look at them, and no one has minded, but that’s a little different than sharing them here. I hope that in a few years I get feedback from these students about this “letter to their future self” project. I know that I would LOVE to have done this as a student! I cannot image what all I would have written.
You can check it out here!
Be sure to check out this post for more end of year ideas!