Try these 100 days of school activities for the primary classroom, including 100th-day collections, STEM stations, snacks, and more fun activities.
This postshares some favorite100 days of school activities and how to get them prepped and organized for a fun-filled day. I also recommend turning to Pinterest for TONS of great ideas and Teachers Pay Teachers for the best resources and freebies out there!
The 100th day of school is a BIG deal in any primary classroom. It means that we have reached 100days ofschool and have learned a TON! It is a significant accomplishment and a great one to celebrate with children. They LOVE it! It is also a great day to reinforce, practice, and build student number senseto 100.
Table of Contents
- Dressing Up for the 100th Day of School
- 100 Days of School Activities
- 100th Day Hats
- 100 Days of School Snack
- 100th Day Collections
- 100th Day Cereal Necklaces
- 100 Days of School Stations
- Other stations that we use during our 100 days of school activities:
- What are your favorite 100 days of school activities?
- 100 Days of School Resources
- FREE 100 Days of School Train Activity
- Free 100th Day of School Hat Craft
- 100th Day Fun Pack
- Other Holiday Resources
Dressing Up for the 100th Day of School
To create an engaging and lively atmosphere, I recommend dressing up. Send a note home to parents explaining 100’s day and that you would love it if they would dress up. Give them suggestions, such as glasses, sweaters and long dresses for girls, and button-up shirts and suspenders for boys. My trick is to add some baby powder to your hair to make it look grey. Tell the kidsto practice anold person’s voice and posture.
Here I am (right) with my student teacher, Ms. Wu. I had a blast “acting” ancient, and my students loved the character I took on. There were lots of laughs.
These handsome fellas had the perfect outfits with mustaches, vests, hats, and a cane!
Another fun way to dress up is to create and wear 100’s day shirts to school. Ask students to bring in a shirt with 100 things on it and ask for parents to help preparethis at home. My students have brought in shirts with 100 buttons, pins, pom poms, stickers, and more creative ideas.
100 Days of School Activities
A well-run 100’s day celebration requires some time to prepare materials in advance. There are many free activities online and ideas you can use in the classroom that don’t cost anything. I purchased some food items for our activities, but you could ask for donations from parents.
I get the materials for our 100 days of school activities ready to go on a table. Being organized is the key to a successful day when there are so many new things happening.
100th Day Hats
On each student’s desk are the materials to make the 100 Days Smarter hat from Kinder Craze.
Students come in, sit down, and work on coloring 100 dots on their 100. We attached the pieces and created a hat to wear.These adorable hats make the perfect accessory for the 100th day.
100 Days of School Snack
We taketurns coming to the table to count out 100 pieces of food for our 100th-day snack. We count out each type in groups of 10 using 100th-day mats. You could use any snacks you want. I choose a mix of healthy snacks and treats for our special day. We havepretzels, grapes, m&m’s, marshmallows, jelly beans, fish crackers, bunnycrackers, chocolate chips, graham crackers, and Cheerios.
I created these mats and laminated them for durability to reuse each year.To create the mats, cut 11″x 17″ pieces of cardstock. Glue on ten circles any color and size you would like. Add a label to the center and laminate. Students can place each group of 10 snacks on each circle. Once they have counted ten groups of 10 snacks, they have 100 snacks to eat! Yummy!
100th Day Collections
My favorite activity for the 100th day of school is sharing collections of 100 things. I send home a letter to parents asking them to encourage and help their children gather a collection of 100 things. I ask that the collection be brought in a box or a bag with tally marks showing that there are 100 items inside. This makes a great collaborative project for families to complete together at home.
I mention that theymust be things that can be glued onto cardboard for a display. It is alsoimportant to share some collections that work better than others. Collections of things that are lighter and smaller glue and stay down more quickly than heavier and bigger items.
I’ve done this every year, and there have always been such creative collections brought in. Some of my simple favorites are stickers, pasta noodles, paper clips, and toothpicks. Some of the amazing collections I have seen include pennies, paper cranes, and pop-up hearts. We each create a 100 days of school poster by gluing down our collections and writing what we have brought in.
100th Day Cereal Necklaces
Another fun activity is creating Fruitloop necklaces. You will need a box of Fruitloops cereal, sting, and paper plates. I suggest taping one end of the string to a desk so the cereal doesn’t fall off the string. Place enough fruit loops on a plate for each student. They can count groups of 10 cereal and put a paper marker on the string to help them keep count. Once the necklace is complete, we tie the ends together, and they can wear/eat it.
100 Days of School Stations
Later in the day, we do funhands-on, STEM, and other independent100 days of school activities. We get into small groups (up to 4) and move around the room to stations that are set-up ahead of time. They have a challenge (mental or physical) to complete at each station.
The most straightforward station to set up and the most exciting for students to complete is 100 cups. The challenge is to build something using all 100 cups. It’s an excellent activity for building teamwork and communication skills. They need to work together to come up with a plan of how to build and keep their tower up.
A few of the stations’ set-up includes items from our math tubs and center bins. I count out 100 items and place them in bags ahead of time. Some of the stations we use are small wooden blocks, Lego pieces, and Unifix cubes. The challenge again is to use up all the pieces in the bag to build something.
Other stations that we use during our 100 days of school activities:
- Draw yourself at 100 years old.
- Write 100 words on a chart paper. Students can go up and record words of their own to a class list.
- One hundred exercises, such as jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit-ups.
- Take 100 steps down the hall and back.
What are your favorite 100 days of school activities?
100 Days of School Resources
Do your kindergarteners need some fun practice counting to 100 on the 100th day? Prep them with this Counting to 100 unit for kindergarten.
Kids will love learning about the numbers 1-100 in this Numbers to 100 and 120 unit for first grade.
Want slightly more in-depth instruction for your second graders? You’ll find that in the Numbers to 100 and 1000 unit for second grade.
FREE 100 Days of School Train Activity
This printable activity is a great way to practice numbers to 100. Build a train of numbers!
Click the image below to get your free copy.
Free 100th Day of School Hat Craft
Create a 100th Day Hat Craft in your classroom with this FREE printable. Have kids add pictures of what they have learned to do during the first 100 days of school and celebrate being 100 days smarter. They will love parading their hats around school all day!
Click the image below to grab a copy.
100th Day Fun Pack
Try the 100th Day Fun Pack by Proud to be Primary. It comes with tons of activities, centers, and games to celebrate being 100 days smarter!
You’ll find a memory book, math activities, fun crafts, certificates, games, bookmarks, and an activity book.
Other Holiday Resources
Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids
How to Draw a Groundhog
Earth Day Ideas
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