10 Ways to Celebrate the 100th Day of School
Turnkey activities for kids to enjoy at school or at home
This year is one for the books in education! Teachers, students, and families alike are still persevering through the ups and downs of dealing with the effects of the pandemic — learning loss, absentees, remote learning, and just general motivation. So this year’s 100th day is a perfect time to celebrate all your school community has accomplished, and all you will continue to do in this second half of the school year.
We’ve compiled 10 of our favorite ideas that kids can do in the classroom or even at home to mark this momentous occasion, the 100th Day of School. Share some of your favorite ideas and your class’s celebration on Twitter @ClassrooomChamps or on Facebook and Instagram @ClassroomChampions.
1. Compliment Chain:
Ask students to write a personalized compliment for each of their classmates on an individual paper strip. After delivering them to the recipients, students can connect the strips to make their own paper chain. Use another strip to connect each student’s chain into one complete classroom compliment chain. If you have at least ten students, you will have a chain of 100 compliments!
2. Reading List: Challenge your class to collectively read 100 books within a set amount of time (a week or a month?). Give them free rein or provide thematic books such as those found in this recommended book list.
3. Cheerio or Fruit Loop Abacus:
A bit more involved, but create personal Chinese counting tools using popular cereals, string, and a cardboard box.
4. Counting:
Practice counting by creating an art project or bulletin board display by grouping puffy balls, craft sticks, candles, cotton balls, stickers, and/or paint dots into groups of 10 to equal 100.
5. T-Shirt Designs: Challenge kids to take an old plain (or inside out) t-shirt and decorate it in a way that showcases the number 100. Fabric markers and fabric glue can help the longevity of this student creation, but aren’t necessary. Ask kids to wear their custom designs on the designated day, and then hang them around the perimeter of the room for the next month for some custom decor!
6. Fashion Show: Let kids’ creativity shine! Will they dress as an centenarian? Or will the wear a festive hat or handmade necklace that alludes to the number one hundred? Host a fashion show complete with a classroom runway!
7. 100th-Day Menu: Send home ideas for families to celebrate the 100th Day at mealtime:
- Can you use pancakes with a side of sausages or bacon to make the number 100?
- Can you create 10 snack packs of 10 items (pretzels, goldfish, etc.) to equal 100 bites?
- Can you make a meal or a cake in the shape of 100 using number-shaped foods (think bagels) or cookie cutters?
8. Self-Portraits: Create self-portraits for now and for in 100 years. Use torn paper art or pick from a host of mediums to help kids imagine their transformation decades in the making.
9. Rotation Stations: Set up activities stations so that your students can get hands-on practice with the concept of 100. Put out folded signs with instructions and set a timer rotate kids through 100 minutes of F-U-N:
- Build with 100 LEGOs or 100 pattern blocks
- Fold 100 origami projects
- Brainstorm 100 words (can add constraints like begin with the letter “B”)
- Complete 10 sets of 10 exercises to equal 100
- Create a structure with 100 red plastic cups
- Race to 100 on a hundreds chart by rolling dice and moving a chip forward
- Adorn a 100 Days Smarter template with 100 stickers, paint dots, or cut squares
- List 100 algorithms that equal 100
- Decorate and assemble a face mask in the shape of 100 (free printable)
- Write a short piece with sentence starters like: 100 days ago I didn’t know … or If I had $100 dollars … (cue a classroom remix of If I Had A Million Dollars by the Barenaked Ladies).
10. Doors or Backgrounds: And celebrations can happen whether you are in person or from afar. For the ultimate school challenge, if schools are in session, have each class decorate their classroom doors to celebrate the 100th day. For students still in remote learning situations, challenge them to create a 100-themed Zoom background using Canva or Adobe to turn a photo into a multimedia creation.
So many ways to celebrate 100 days of school! Share your kids’ accomplishments with us at @ClassroomChamps on Twitter or @ClassroomChampions on Facebook and Instagram. And CONGRATULATIONS to you and your kids! There truly is a lot to celebrate as a school community.
PS: If your 100th Day already passed according to your school calendar, it is still worth it to celebrate and acknowledge with your students! There are no rules that it has to be exactly on the 100th day of school …
