100th Day of the Year Activity Ideas!

 

Happy 100th day of the year to you all!

 

 

To mark the day, I have put together a list of activity ideas you may wish to try as part of your learning at home plans. I have also created a HUGE selection of activities based on the 100 square and you will find those in this attached 100 Squares PDF. It features a range of ideas to suit children of all primary ages. There are even a few that may get pupils in the early years of secondary school thinking and wondering about mathematics.

 

Without further ado, let me introduce my activities list to you!

 

To help visualise 100, why not…

• make a collection of 100 items? These can be a mix of small items, e.g. paper clips, toy cars, counters etc. Can your child think of a good way to sort them so that they are easy to count? As an additional challenge, can your child fit them all on one plate?

• build a structure with 100 blocks. What is the tallest structure you can make? What is the longest structure you can make?

• create a paper chain with 100 links or use 100 paperclips to form a chain? Have your child estimate how long they think it will be before creating it.

• make a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle?

• paint 100 dots (jelly beans) on a page or paper plate?

• make a hand-print poster with 100 fingers? Discuss at the outset how many times your child will need to print their hand (or draw around it) to make 100. Can (s)he work this out?

 

To develop mathematical thinking, why not…

• practise counting to 100 in different ways, e.g. by 2, 4, 5 etc.? Which numbers does this not work for?

• use coins to make $1 in as many ways as you can think of.

• have your child estimate how long 100 seconds is. Set a timer and compare when they say 100 seconds is up with what is on the timer.

• estimate and then check how many times you can clap in 100 seconds/ throw and catch a ball in 100 seconds/ how many skips you can do in 100 seconds etc.

• ask your child to figure out what they did in the last 100 hours?

• have your child calculate in what year they will be 100 years old.

• download our FREE 100 Square Activity Ideas PDF for lots of suggestions, games and teaching tips to embed knowledge and understanding of counting, sequencing, place value, multiples and more!

 

To introduce some STEM activities, why not…

• ask your child to create the tallest structure possible using 100 lollipop sticks and tape?

• build the sturdiest bridge possible using lollipop stick and tape?

• make a LEGO creation using exactly 100 bricks?

 

To support spelling and writing, why not…

• have your child write 100 words? These can be words selected by you from their writing or words they can think of, e.g., have them write down as many words beginning with a as they can think of before moving on to b etc. Discuss how many letters of the alphabet they got through before reaching 100 words.

• try this task with a theme and get the whole family involved. Can you think of 100 foods, places, animals etc.?

• write a story using exactly 100 words?

• compile some lists, e.g. a family list of 100 changes you would like to see in the world, a list of 100 acts of kindness, a list of 100 things to do while in quarantine. How many acts of kindness or things to do can you complete before the end of the month? What ideas for themed lists can your family come up with?

• ask your child if (s)he can compile a word cloud with 100 things that are meaningful to him/her?

 

To promote reading, why not…

• challenge your child to read 100 pages? How long do they think it will take?

 

To add some bonus mathematical thinking: –

• Divide a page into 4 columns. If you number the first one 1-25, discuss with your child whether you need to number each column. How will they know when they have written 100 words? Try with 5 columns and discuss the difference.

• If I want to write a few words for each letter of the alphabet and keep my list fairly even, approximately how many words should I list for each letter.

 

 

To develop vocabulary, oral language and oracy, why not…

• discuss what your child would do if they won $100 (or $100,000)?

• ask your child to find out the word that means 100 years? Can they find some other words related to 100?

• have your child consider synonyms and antonyms for 100 (if 100 refers to a considerable amount)?

• learn to recite ‘100 is a Lot’ by Meish Goldish

 

100 Is a Lot by Meish Goldish

100 dogs, 100 cats,
100 heads for 100 hats.
100 women, 100 men,
100’s more than 5 or 10.
100 buttons, 100 coats,
100 sails for 100 boats.
100 cookies, 100 cakes
100 kids with bellyaches!
100 shoes, 100 socks,
100 keys for 100 locks.
100 puddles mighty dirty,
100’s even more than 30.
100 daughters, 100 sons,
100 franks on 100 buns.
100 trees, 100 plants,
100 picnics, 100 ants!
100 is a lot to count,
100 is a LARGE AMOUNT!
100 kisses, 100 hugs,
100 bats, 100 bugs.
100 bees, 100 birds,
This poem has 100 words!

 

To develop art and creativity, why not…

• ask your child to design a piece of artwork incorporating the number 100. (S)he can move the digits in any way they like; they simply must be included somewhere in the picture. Get inspiration at The Akash Creations.

• as a family make 100 thumb print characters? Get inspiration from the fingerprint alphabet on Easy, Peasy and Fun.

 

To develop history and inquiry, why not…

• ask your child to find out what was happening in the world 100 years ago? Can they find out anything interesting that happened on this day? What about in the month of April etc.?

• have your child create a timeline highlighting some important events of the last 100 years? They may choose to base this on a theme if they like. e.g., a fact from about each of the Olympics held in that time, a number one song from each of the decades, developments in a particular field (e.g., transport) or natural disasters throughout that period. 

 

To develop geography and inquiry, why not…

• ask your child to name and locate 100 cities around the world?

• create a poster with 100 world flags on it?

 

 

 

To develop fitness and promote movement, why not…

• head outside and have a counting walk. What can you count? 100 leaves, 100 pebbles etc.?

• have a family basketball game and see how long it takes to score 100 points?

• have your child undertake an exercise challenge? Can (s)he do 10 sets of 10 exercises? Discuss what exercises they would like to have on their list. You may find our movement games download useful for this task. Can your child do 10 steps of 10 different animal walks?

 

 

To develop fine motor skills, why not…

• ask your child to create a stack of 100 pennies? Can they do so using their non-dominant hand?

• set up a 100th day station activity at the table with activities to be done in sets of 10? Keep score of how many they do if you like.

Can your child…

• tear off 10 strips of masking tape and stick them to the floor in a zig-zag pattern to make a road to drive their cars along or a track to roll a ball along?

• thread 10 pipe-cleaners through the holes of a colander?

• write the names of 10 of their favourite book/TV/cartoon characters (spelling does not matter!)?

• make 10 pieces of food using playdough?

• Draw, cut out and glue 10 shapes to a page? (30)

• put 10 stickers on a page?

• open and close 10 buttons on a shirt?

• do 10 finger press-ups with a clothes peg/pin?

Can they invent their own stations worth 100 points?

 

 

I hope this has given you lots of inspiration for 100th day themed activities. I highly recommend you download the attached 100 Square Activity Ideas PDF as I believe it is a resource you will turn to time and time again to support your child’s development of mathematics. As always, if you have activity ideas you feel should be included, please leave a comment below.

 

Access your FREE 100 Square Activity Ideas PDF

 

Take care and stay safe all!

 

Image Source: Pixabay (except no. 5)