Early Finisher Activities Teaching Resources
Explore early finisher activities created by teachers to help you answer the question "I'm done, now what?" when your students complete work ahead of their classmates!
This collection of worksheets, quiet activities and more for those "fast finish" students is packed with options that provide students with a challenge that will keep them occupied — and keep them learning — while classmates complete a task!
Looking for ideas for early finishers and how to build this important part of classroom management into your classroom routines? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is an Early Finisher?
Whether it's completing a test before their classmates or wrapping up an assignment in half the time that you allotted, some students work more quickly than their peers.
The reasons are varied. Some kids speed through work because they aren't taking time to carefully read what's in front of them or address the assignment, but others are finishing early simply because they can.
Early finishing could come down to:
- Differences in Abilities — We know our students have individual learning styles and abilities, and with that comes an ability for some to work at a faster pace than others.
- Prior Knowledge — Your early finishers may possess prior knowledge or skills related to the task, whether from a previous class or even something learned outside of the school setting.
- Motivation Levels — Some students may be highly motivated and focused, leading them to complete tasks efficiently.
What to Do if a Student Finishes Early
Before you decide what to do with your early finishers, you need to consider why and how your students are completing their work at a rapid pace.
If the "why" is that a student is not appropriately addressing the assignments, you'll need to work with them to slow down and focus on the task. If you're looking at students who finish work early simply because they can, the next question is how to keep them engaged so they're not disrupting their classmates and getting value out of this class time.
How Do You Engage Early Finishers?
We recommend you focus your early finisher activities on a mix of practice and enrichment work rather than focusing on "fun" that may tempt students to speed through their work. As you explore this collection of activities, you'll find they're focused on skill building, rather than simply giving students a chance to goof off!
We didn't stop there! Here are some clever ideas from our teacher team to engage fast finishers.
- Establish early finisher procedures. Let students know from the first week of school what to do when they've completed individual tasks so that they can move on directly to early finisher work. You may want to establish a "must do," "may do" and "may not do" structure for this procedure so students know what they should — and should not — be doing when they've completed a task! The actual procedures will look different depending on your grade level — a kindergarten early finisher activity procedure will likely be simpler than one for fifth grade — but having it set in stone is key to good classroom management!
- Set up an early finisher destination. Minimize classroom disruptions by setting up a spot in the classroom where students know they can go to find their early finisher work such as a set of busy bins, a "what do I do now?" station or even a bulletin board with folders where students can find challenging worksheets to complete for extra credit.
- Have fast finishing students help you keep classroom supplies in line. Do you have puzzles that may or may not be missing a few pieces? It's an all-too-common problem in classrooms, and it's one that you can solve by having your fast finishers count out the pieces to ensure everything is in place. Similarly, students can use this time to ensure board games are still in working order and so on.
- Assign a classroom job. If some kids are always finishing ahead of their classmates, why not assign them a job such as helping classmates who could use their assistance?
- Differentiate your instruction. If you recognize that the same students are always finishing their work ahead of their peers, plan ahead with extension activities, independent research projects or creative assignments that encourage critical thinking.
- Have early finishers work together. You can challenge your early finishing students to work together on group projects such as a STEM challenge which can help them build their teamwork and social skills.
- Extra reading. When in doubt, allow students to spend time reading to keep their brains active (and their mouths quiet) while their classmates finish up a task or test.
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Finish the Picture - Drawing Worksheets
Spark creativity in the classroom with a pack of Finish the Drawing worksheets.
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Converting Units of Length - Math Mazes
Strengthen measurement conversion skills while converting units of length with this set of math mazes.
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Count and Color the Coins - Differentiated Worksheets
Use skip counting and addition skills to determine which coins are needed for a given amount.
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Count the Nickels Worksheet
Use skip counting and addition skills to determine the number of nickels needed for a given amount.
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Color by Parts of Speech - Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives - Octopus
A fun activity to use when learning about nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
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Color by Number - Multiplication Facts of 2
Get your students practicing their facts of 2 with this color by number worksheet.
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Fast Finisher Task Cards (Lower Elementary)
Keep your fast finishers busy with this set of task cards targeted to lower elementary students.
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I’m Done, Now What? Early Finisher Activity Board
Provide your early finishers with a fun activity choice board to answer the question: I’m Done, Now What?
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Animal Classification Word Search Pack - Lower Grades
Introduce your students to the six animal types/classes with a pack of printable animal word search worksheets.
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Thanksgiving Color By Number Worksheet - 2nd Grade Place Value
Have some Thanksgiving Math fun with a printable Thanksgiving Color By Number worksheet to practice standard, expanded, word, and base ten forms.
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Estimating Sums & Differences – 3rd Grade Math Mazes
Sharpen your students’ rounding and estimation skills with a set of 3rd grade math mazes.
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Symmetry Worksheets
Use this set of eight symmetry worksheets to help students understand symmetry, the line of symmetry, and symmetrical objects.
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National Dot Day Coloring Sheets - Kandinsky Circles
Introduce your students to the circle art style of Wassily Kandinsky with a set of fun National Dot Day Coloring Sheets.
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Adding within 1,000 Expanded Form Worksheet
Practice using the break apart strategy by working through this addition worksheet.
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Synonym and Antonym Crossword Puzzle
Review vocabulary skills and boost your students’ knowledge of synonyms and antonyms with a crossword puzzle worksheet.
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Absolute Value Mazes
Calculate the absolute value of rational numbers while finding your way through this set of 3 math mazes.
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Fall Color by Part of Speech - Nouns and Verbs Worksheet
Use this fall color by part of speech worksheet to review nouns and verbs.
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Math Mazes (Skip Counting)
Skip count your way through 3 printable math mazes that focus on number sequencing.
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Addition and Subtraction Minute Math Booklet
Warm-up (or assess) with this 10-page booklet of addition and subtraction drills.
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Color by Number - Multiplication Facts of 3
Get your students practicing their facts of 3 with this color by number worksheet.
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Color by Number - Numbers 0–9
A color by number activity for students to practice number recognition.
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Antonyms Polygon Puzzle
Match antonym pairs with an engaging opposite words tarsia puzzle.
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Tangram Treats - Tangram Puzzles
Have fun learning about shapes with a set of 36 tangram task cards separated into three levels, along with two tangram cut-out templates.
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Paris Landmarks – Mindfulness Coloring Pages
Use this set of mindfulness coloring pages of Paris landmarks to celebrate the magic of Paris during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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Cooperation Puzzles - Team-Building Activity
Explore the benefits of cooperation with a tangram-style team-building activity.
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I'm Done! Early Finishers Choice Board Display
Build a useful ‘I’m Done, Now What?’ bulletin board with a printable early finisher task board display kit.
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Do-a-Dot Thanksgiving Worksheets for Preschool
Do a dot painting with printable Thanksgiving worksheets for preschool and kindergarten.
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Cooperation Word Search
Review vocabulary and boost your students’ cooperative interaction skills with a word search worksheet.
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Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition – Crossword Puzzle
Review science vocabulary terms associated with weathering, erosion, and deposition with a crossword puzzle.
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Equivalent Fractions – Differentiated Math Mazes
Practice your understanding of equivalent fractions with this set of differentiated math mazes.
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Natural Resources Word Search
Review the different natural resources with a word search.
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Roll to Create a Silly Book Title - Differentiated Writing Activity
Have some fun with a hands-on Read Across America activity using a die and chart to create a silly book title and storybook.