So here you are—100 days into the school year. This is likely a moment for reflection: What's been working well in the classroom? What hasn't? What are your goals for the rest of the school year? You can also have students do some reflecting on areas where they have succeeded this year and where improvement may be needed.
This day is also a time for celebration, especially for early learners and elementary school students. Below are some 100th day of school activities for you to consider to engage your students with festivities for this milestone.
100th Day of School Activities for Elementary Students
1. Bring in 100 of an Item
Can your students visualize what 100 of something looks like? Of course, this will depend on the item used; a pile of 100 blocks will look a lot different than a stack of 100 pieces of paper!
Have your students bring in 100 of a certain (small) item—buttons, pennies, stickers, or anything else they can think of. Then, it's time to get creative. You can hold a gallery walk and hang or display the 100 items for everybody to see, or have the students glue their items to a large piece of paper or oak tag and use them to spell out the number 100 or create a collage. And hey, if your students decide to bring in food, you can have them share it with their classmates (and you!).
2. Create an 100th Day of School Poster
This can be done either in class or as a homework assignment, and either individually or in a group. In the first Instagram post below, the teacher made the rainbow ahead of time, and then added to the chart as students noted the various reasons they love first grade, totaling 100. You can also have your students write out "100" using 100 of a certain item (for instance, stickers) and create their own poster at home. Then, you can hang up your students' masterpieces around the classroom as you celebrate the 100th Day of School. (View more 100th Day of School poster ideas.)
The second teacher also took a creative approach to this type of activity, brainstorming a list of 100 acts of kindness. How many can you and your students come up with? This activity can teach students about respect and kindness, which are beneficial for social-emotional learning.
3. Make Snacks to Commemorate the Day
Celebrate the 100th day of school with healthy snacks! Provide vegetables, such as baby carrots and cucumber slices, and have students create the number 100 with veggies. Or, try an 100th day of school trail mix recipe idea, like this one, and encourage students to bring in different ingredients. They can customize it to their own group’s preferences. Find more 100th day of school snack ideas on Shaped.
4. Make Shirts With 100
Have students design their own 100th day of school T-shirts! There are different ways you can go about doing this, but one easy idea is to have each student find a plain white T-shirt at home and then give them markers that can be used on fabric. Their shirts should be themed around "100," whether that means writing and decorating the number itself, drawing 100 designs, or pinning 100 small items to a shirt. Students can wear their shirts during your classroom celebration (see activity #11) and school photo!
5. Make a List of 100
100 is a big number, but it can be fun to have your class take time to come up with a list of 100 items. You can tie it into your curriculum, too! Ask students to make a list of 100 adjectives. Or, to try listing 100 places they want to visit! Teaching science? Have students brainstorm 100 new inventions they would like to see in the next 100 years. For another twist on this, give students a list of 100 words and have them put them in alphabetical order or group them together by theme. Depending on the topic students can do it individually, in small groups, or with the whole classroom.
6. Dress Up as an 100-Year-Old
Have your students dress up like a 100-year-old—and of course, you can participate in the fun (like the teacher below)! Then, develop a fun writing assignment as a supplement. You can have students write about what their lives would be like if they were 100—what they would look like, what will be their favorite food, where they would live, and what kind of job they would have (if they decided not to retire yet). You are sure to get at least a few good laughs from your teacher BFFs, the students, and their parents with your 100th day of school dress-up and costume ideas.
7. Make Pictures Using the Digits of 100
What are the different ways your students can use the digits of 100 (1, 0, and 0) to create a picture of their own and start thinking outside the box? Provide students with markers, crayons, or colored pencils to enable them to beautify their masterpiece even further. Check out some examples below.
8. Build a Structure With 100 Cups
What type of structure can your students build using 100 cups? This can be a fun in-person activity to get your students to work collaboratively and think creatively. You can either make this into a classroom competition—for example, whichever team builds the tallest free-standing structure first wins—or simply an activity for students to play at their leisure.
9. 100th Day of School Scavenger Hunt
You can definitely get creative with this activity! For instance, on X, Angelo Mizzi posted photos of a scavenger hunt she held for her kindergarten students, requiring students to find 100 hearts around the classroom. This is a good way for them to practice teamwork (social-emotional learning!) as well as basic counting.
10. Door Decoration With 100
You can have your students contribute to decorating your door (or another area of your classroom) by having each of them write or draw an item to be included in a list of 100. For example, the teacher below focused on "100 Ways to Be Kind" and included student work on her door. Depending on your class size, students may have multiple contributions. Some other possible ideas include "100 Goals We Have for the Rest of the School Year" and "100 Reasons We Love # Grade."
11. 100th Day Class Photo and Celebration!
You can also simply hold a celebration in your classroom and find ways to incorporate the aforementioned activities into the party. For any food you serve, see if you can find a way to make it "100"-themed. If your students are dressing up as 100-year-olds or wearing their super cool 100th day of school T-shirts, take a class photo and post it for everybody to see. Also, see if you can find other teachers whose classes may want to participate, and take a picture of your students cheering in a "100" formation.
12. Explore 100 Through a Mathematical Lens
Why is 100 such an important number? Help your students develop their math skills with these 100th day of school math activities, enabling them to practice operations with whole numbers up to 100. You can view some fun math facts about 100 to share with them, too!
13. Gumball Machine Activity
Try celebrating 100 days of school with 100 gumballs! Use our 100th day of school gumball machine template as a colorful (and chewy) way to honor the occasion. These math games and activities for all grades will have your students counting and coloring gumballs to learn more about the mathematics of "100." These activities explore concepts like counting to 100, exploring factors of 100, and even writing numbers in bases other than 10.
More 100th Day of School Celebration Ideas?
Have any easy 100 days of school ideas for celebrating in the classroom? Share them with us at Shaped@hmhco.com.
We wish you and your students the best as you embark into the latter part of the school year. Hopefully, these 100th day activities can help you add a fun element as you reflect on your instruction and classroom management thus far and look forward to the months ahead.
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