A new year can only mean it’s time for 100th day of school project ideas! The special day set aside to mark the first 100 days of school isn’t an official holiday, which means it can easily sneak up on you.
That’s whythe teacher team at Teach Starter has brainstormed and planned out all your projects for you. As teachers ourselves, we knowthat it’s almost a full-time job to scroll through all those Pinterest boards and watch all those teacher TikToks searching for 100th-day-of-school project ideas. Do yourself a favor this year. Close out the dozen tabs you have open on your device, and take a look at our list of teacher-approved ideas to use with your students to celebrate getting past the halfway point of the school year.
You can choose to have your 100th day of school projects coincide with a neighboring teacher at your school or keep it to your own classroom for planning ease. Either way, take a deep breath, and pat yourself on the back for reaching this milestone.
Getting to 100 of anything can be a challenge with a class of 23 kids, but there’s no reason you can’t hook up with the other teachers on your grade team and challenge all of your students to do something big like collecting 100 cans for a local food pantry to add a social and emotional learning component to the milestone. Or you can keep things simple — the teachers who create all the printables and other activities on Teach Starter created a mix of options so you can go big or stay low-key.
Photo courtesy of Teach Starter teacher team memberRandi Smith
Why Do Schools Celebrate the 100 Days of School?
One hundred of anything is a big number to young students, and 100 days of school is a significant milestone! It’s a perfect time for students to reflect on the previous 100 days, set new goals for the rest of the year, and celebrate the achievements they’ve already made.
The 100th day of school comes at a perfect time of the school year when big holidays have already passed but align with New Year’s goals and resolutions.
Keep reading for 100 days of school project ideas you can assign for homework before the big day arrives or for activities you can complete together with your students in the classroom. You can make the first 100 days of school celebratory, focus on reflection and goal-setting, or combine the two.
Marking the first 100 days of school with a celebration or fun activity is an excellent way to combat the winter blues and empower students with a look back at the things they have accomplished and it gives your students something to look forward to after the holiday season.
100th Day of School Project Ideas for Students to Complete at Home
We’ve divided our 100th day of school project ideas into projects your students can complete at home for homework and projects students can complete in school as a class, in small groups or in partnership with other classes.
Let’s start off with some of our favorite ideas that you can add to your list for students to do at home.
- Look up how to say “hello” in 100 languages.
- Write 100 reasons why they would like to be 100.
- Alternatively, have students write 100 reasons why they would not like to be 100!
- Write 100 things they could do if they were 100.
- Flip the idea above on its head — have students write 100 things they could do if they were 100.
- Dress up and come to school as a 100-year-old.
- Write their name 100 times in fun fonts or cursive.
- Draw 100 shapes or designs on a blank t-shirtand wear it to school on the 100th day or design their own with aprintable 100th day t-shirt.
- Write 100 ways to be kind for homework. (Teacher Tip: Compile everyone’s ideas in a classroom poster ordoor decoration.)
- Write 100 things they’ve learned this year or want to learn.
- Calculate what year they will reach the age of 100 and do the same for two family members or other adults they know.
- Think of 100 things they’re thankful for.
- Write 100 ideas for a better world (including your class, community, and world).
- Write 5 number sentences that equal 100 such as 50+50 = 100 or 250-150=100.
- Find and record 100 shapes they find in their home (i.e. 2 rectangles in the window, an oval in the tub, etc.).
- Write a list of 100 people they’d like to meet and why.
- Create trail mix using ingredients divided into 10s (10 raisins, 10 pretzels, etc.).
- Write what they’d do if they had $100.
- String 100 objects or food together on string such as loop cereal, buttons, or beads.
- Find the mystery object with our 100 Color by Number grid activity.
- Create the numbers 1-0-0 out of food you have at home (glue to a piece paper to bring to school).
- Make snowflakes at home and decorate the classroom with 100 of them (if you live in a snowy area).
- Draw an animal or shape and fill it with 100 pom poms, cotton balls, or other fun craft supplies.
- Find and collect 100 botanical items in their yard, local park, or neighborhood like grass, pinecones, and rocks.
- Reflect on what they’ve learned so far this year with this 100th Day of School writing prompt template. Students will finish off the sentence “I’m 100 days brighter because…” before coloring and decorating the template.
Feel free to copy/paste any or all of these ideas to share with parents in your next classroom newsletter. You can even keep students’ options open, and have them surprise the class with their chosen way of celebrating the 100th day of school.
100th Day Projects to Complete In School as a Class
Are you looking for projects you can complete as a class? Here are 25 different ideas straight from our teacher team!
- Fold 100 origami shapes or animals (this is a great project to do with other classes or the entire grade level).
- Have students write 3-5 reasons why they love their class or school and compile them with the rest of the class into a display or bulletin board.
- Add 100 new decorated rocks to the class or school garden! Each student in the class or grade can be assigned a certain number of rocks to paint with a botanical or animal design to complete the project by the 100th day of school.
- Challenge students to write a list of things they’ve been told “100 times” by you, their teacher. Students can share with the class for some laughs (and hopefully some learning).
- Have students complete a 100 Day Pennant Banner and compile all of them into a bulletin board to promote students’ pride for all their hard work.
- Work as a class to collect 100 cans of food, articles of clothing, or pet supplies to donate locally.
- Put 100s of small items (such as marbles) into a jar and have students guess how many there are (100, 400, 600, etc.).
- Get the blood flowing with a fitness break using 100 fun exercises such as jumping jacks, sit-ups, or yoga poses.
- Plant 100 flower seeds in cups (divide and distribute 100 seeds to the class) to have 100 flowers for spring.
- Practice counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s in a 100 table with snacks like Cheerios, goldfish, or popcorn.
- Challenge your class to read 100 books, every time a student finishes reading a fun book at home or school, they add it to the class list.
- Download a 100 Days Smarter Hat for students to color, cut out and wear to celebrate 100 days of school.
- Separate your students into groups and have them set up 100 dominos in varying patterns. The entire class can watch each design fall down once each group finishes.
- Complete this 100th-Day Math Dice Game. Each pair will roll and add their way to 100, and the first pair to 100 wins!
- Listen and sing along to a 100th day of school song.
- Create paper chains and link them all together to hang in the classroom or as a door curtain.
- Split students into groups to create a structure using 100 objects such as LEGO, blocks or cups.
- Challenge students to find 100 objects in the classroom beginning with the same letter, or have students find the same word throughout the classroom (including in the class library).
- Have students draw a monster and glue 100 googly eyes on its body.
- Draw 100 lines on a large piece of paper and have students write a word, one by one, until all the lines are filled in with words they know and have learned throughout the year.
- Use our 100th Day of School Digital Center with interactive slide activities.
- Make math fun by having students flip a coin 100 times and track the number of heads versus tails (complete in small groups or individually)
- Print out the numerals 1, 0, and 0 and ask students to turn them into a creative drawing.
- Provide blank templates of the number 100, and challenge students to fill in each shape to practice differentiating between triangles, squares, and other 2D shapes.
- Divide your students into small groups and have them draw or create 100 animals in their natural habitats, such as the cute ladybugs on leaves shown below in a classroom.
Photo courtesy of Teach Starter teacher team memberRandi Smith
What Month Is the 100th Day of School?
Not seeing this one listed on your district calendar? In a perfect world, the 100th day of school would be the same for everyone across the country. Realistically, between the school year starting in different months, snow days, parent/teacher conferences, and all the rest, the exact date of 100 days is all over the map.
However, most schools reach 100 days of school between the end of January or the beginning of February, so don’t let it pass you by.
