The 100th day of school is a fantastic chance for teachers to simultaneously complete learning activities while celebrating the accomplishments of the first part of the school year. Many schools have an official celebration with grade level activities and large scale 100-themed fun. If your school doesn’t have a grand event already planned, don’t worry! Here are some easy ideas that are exciting and motivating for kids of any age.
100 Day of School Trail Mix
Create a memorable snack mix by having students bring in 100 pieces of each ingredient. Send a note home one week before the 100th day and explain the homework assignment to parents. The kids can practice counting to 100 with their parents as they prepare their 100 snack pieces. Then on the big day the class can practice counting by 100s as they add each ingredient to the mix. This a skip counting activity the students will definitely remember!
100 Things Homework Activity
For schools that have a strict snack or allergy policy the 100 things homework activity may be an easier idea. Instead of bringing in 100 snack pieces the students bring in a collection of 100 things of their choice. This works best when it is an open-ended task. Kids are able to come up with more interesting collections and displays when given little direction. The 100 things activity lends itself to many teachable moments based on what the kids bring in.
I Can Do 100 Activity
Give each student a clip board and sheets of paper with the sentence, “I can do 100 ____, can you?” Have the students complete a number of teacher or student generated tasks throughout the day such as 100 jumping jacks, blow 100 bubbles, or find 100 books. Then the kids can take the papers home to see how many of the activities their parents are also able to complete.
I Can Count to 100
One of the most popular 100th day of school activities is to practice counting to 100 in various ways. Students can count by ones, twos, fives, tens, twenties, etc. for multiple and skip counting practice. A variety of everyday and school room manipulatives such as paperclips and pieces of chalk can be used to aid in this activity. The results can be compiled onto a bar chart to be placed in the math center for future practice.
When I’m 100 I Will…
This 100th day of school writing prompt garners fun responses and will still be eliciting smiles years down the road. Have the students complete the story starter any way they choose and then share their answers with the class. Copies of the stories can be compiled into a class book for future reading, but be sure to send the original home for the students and parents to enjoy.
100th Day of School Quilt
Recap the first 100 days of the year by having the students create a 100 square quilt. Pass paper squares out to each of the students and have them design a quilt square representing something that they learned, thought was fun, or even a special book or game in the classroom. Make sure the students each do enough squares so that you end up with 100 total, then assemble the squares in a ten by ten pattern to form the quilt. Display it in or outside of the classroom and use it to reminisce about the year so far and to practice counting to 100 by tens.
The 100th day of school is an exciting day for everyone. How do you celebrate?
Megan Sheakoski - Megan Sheakoski is a teacher, mom and writer whose ideas have been featured in college text books, graduate courses, on websites and on ...
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