Strategies and Activities to Support Fast Finishers

There are plenty of reasons why a student might finish classwork early:

• They are methodical
• They are academically inclined
• They are gifted
• They are naturally good at one or more subjects
• They are particularly interested in the assigned work
• Etc.

However, there are also students who finish early because they rushed through the task, put in minimal effort, accidentally skipped certain steps, or neglected to read over their work.

As you get to know your students, you will start to learn their traits and tendencies. Some will always be among the first to hand things in, while others will be so worried about making mistakes that they hardly ever finish on time. Still others will be all over the map, working faster or slower depending on the task or subject!

There is room for all of these working speeds in the classroom, as long as fast finishers do not distract students who need more time. You can make sure of this by preparing a list of activities for students to do if they finish early.
 

To figure out what activities to choose, consider your students’ personalities and factors such as the time of day, previous tasks, and whether the rest of the class needs peace and quiet so they can concentrate.

Ideally, the activities you suggest to fast finishers will give them different learning opportunities and encourage their intellectual and personal growth. We have grouped the following ideas into four categories:

These activities are both fun and educational. The idea is for students to be able to relax and progress at their own pace.

• Have students review or practise a concept by playing a game or watching a video on Alloprof. For example, they could read and answer questions about a story in Book of Spells. They could also write a short reflection on an in-class reading.
• Create a reading scavenger hunt designed to take several weeks. Your students can go back to it whenever they have spare time in class. This could also be a good time to set up learning stations.
• Have students quietly play educational board games, on their own or in small groups.
• Sometimes, students just need some time to relax. Activities such as colouring, listening to music, freewriting, drawing, and reading are great options in this case. Another idea is to leave out an origami book along with a supply of scrap paper.

These activities encourage students to become actively involved in the classroom, boosting their sense of belonging and team spirit.

• As long as it is allowed, students who finish early can go help their classmates with their work. You may want to share some guidelines so that students understand how to help their peers without simply giving away answers.
• Set up collective class projects that students can contribute to when they have extra time. Here are some examples:
  • One (or more) writing notebooks with an associated theme. When they have a spare moment, students can add a story or text of their own, or read what others have written.
  • A class reading log where students review books they have read. They can print out or draw the book covers and write their reviews underneath. This log could be a fun way for students to find new reading suggestions.
  • A discussion board where, over the course of the year, students post sticky notes containing a question or statement related to material covered in class. If a student finishes a task ahead of their classmates, they can try answering a question on the board or reflect on some of the statements. You could also use the board as a source of topics for class discussions.
  • A drawing contest where every student has a role, whether as a contestant, a vote counter, or a member of the prize selection committee.
• You can also ask fast finishers to give you a hand with classroom tasks like handing out worksheets or tidying up the reading corner.

These enrichment activities are for students who need to improve their critical thinking skills or powers of reflection.

• We normally do not recommend giving more exercises of the same nature, but in some cases, a student may want to challenge themself and request an additional exercise that is a little harder.
• A great way for students to reinforce or consolidate knowledge on a subject is to create a mind map or poster to summarize a concept discussed in class. They can then post it on the wall as a handy resource.
• Students can use their extra time to research a topic of interest. If they want, they can then give a brief oral presentation on what they learn.
• Along with puzzles, exercises involving inference, logic, or deduction are fun activities that are also mentally stimulating.

The activities in this final category encourage students to either increase their autonomy by working on individual assignments or enhance their self-knowledge by developing new skills.

• If you have a weekly homework schedule, fast finishers can use any extra time to continue working on an assignment. Similarly, they can complete half-finished exercises or get a head start on their homework.
• This one may sound counterintuitive and perhaps unappealing, but extra class time can be a good opportunity for students to work on a concept they are having trouble with. They can also work on things like improving their study methods, for example.
• Some fast finishers might be interested in taking on a personal project. Examples include creating a board game or writing a story or comic strip.
• If a student is planning to take part in a regional or provincial competition (e.g., writing, speech, math, chess), they can use the extra time to prepare their application or get in some practice.

To boost your students’ autonomy (and avoid having to answer the question “What should I do if I’m done?” a hundred times), you can use a variety of tools depending on the age and grade level of your class:

• Get into the habit of writing activity ideas on the board for when students have some free time
• Set up folders or bins from which students can choose an activity
• Put up a list of approved independent work activities
• Create a plan with each of your students, tailored to their needs and interests, for what they can do if they finish classwork early

Keep in mind that you do not want these extra activities to overstuff your workload. One way to avoid this is by providing students with answer keys so they can correct their own work.