I'm done. Now what?

Something that comes up daily for teachers is students who are done their work quicker than other students. Sometimes we don't know what to give them to do when they are done. Here are some ideas that could be used for students when they finish their work early and have some free time.

1. Have an 'I'm done jar'. The jar can be filled with slips of paper that have different types of activities on it. The activities can be things that the students can do in the classroom either on their own or with a partner. It could be useful to have two jars for this- one for individual and one for group or partners. Some activities could be computer/ipad game, checkers, chess or other strategical or educational games. 
2. Another idea you could do is have a bin with sections or a rolling cabinet with drawers in it. For each drawer or cabinet you can have a different activity for kids to do. Have two variations for each activity, one for students doing it alone and one for students with a partner or group. Students can then pick one of the activities or have some fun way for it to be decided like rolling a dice and doing the activity with that number.
3. Another way to keep students busy when they are finished their homework is to have flashcards. Flashcards can be made to help students practice so many different things from various subjects alone or with a partner. Have flashcards for different things the students are currently learning in math or English and they can practice their skills whether it be adding, subtracting or grammar. 

I'm sure there are so many different options for students who have finished their work early. I feel like no matter what you have set up it should be educational for the students and be helpful when it comes to strengthening the skills they are learning. Anyone else have any thoughts or ideas on what can be done for those students who finish early?