The 100th day of school is more than just a marker on the calendar; it’s a moment that signifies growth, accomplishment, and community. For educators, students, and families, this day provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the journey of learning and to celebrate the milestones achieved along the way. It can be one of the most memorable days you celebrate, but it can also be one of the most chaotic! Today, I am going to share some of my favorite tips and tricks to make the day go smoother.
Tip 1 – Make it Special
I have three ideas to make the day special, and you don’t have to spend any money to do that. First, plan a craft. This could be my free crown or the 100th day cupcake. Crafts always make the day special. Next, you want over emphasize that the kids are 100 days smarter and brighter. This day is about how hard they have worked. Make sure your students know how proud you are of them. Trust me, they will never forget that feeling. Finally, send your students home with SOMETHING to show their parents they are smarter and brighter. This doesn’t have to cost you anything! I have a FREE Certificate that will do the job. At the bottom of this post, I have a free 100 Day Brighter tag that can be added to a glow stick or any pencil (last year, Target had 100 day pencils, but I didn’t see them this year). Being able to go home, show and tell their parents that they are 100 days smarter is priceless. These three things will make the day magical. As a bonus, I like to hang a party curtain on the doorway. You can find them at Five and Below or Walmart. They are pricey on Amazon. It sets the day off as special from the moment students walk in. We can’t have balloons at our school, but if you work at school that allows them, 5 and below has confetti filled balloons.
Tip 2 – We Read 100 Books!
Throughout the day, we work on We can Read 100 Books Anchor Chart. We do not read 100 Books each. Instead, we Once every one has arrived, we will read a book about the 100th Day. Then, I will have students write down the name of the book they read and we will add it to our I Can Read 100 Books Anchor Chart. If every students write down the book we read, that will be 20-25 books that we will already have on our chart. Typically, we can get to 100 books by reading five books. I typically read 3 books. I have students independently read on of their readers. Then, I have the partner read their “100 words book.” You can get the anchor chart and 100 words book in my 100th Day of School Unit.
Tip 3 – Break Up Your Day
Every year, my classroom dynamic is a little different. Some years, I love doing whole group crafts. Other years, I have to save the craft for a small group rotation. I recommend you take the time to think about your class dynamic, break it up into whole group, small group, and independent work. For example, you may want to do whole group during you reading block. Then, do stations during your math block. This will vary year to year, based on your classroom dynamic. I also recommend you have something ready to go for morning work. In my 100th Day Activities unit, I did include tips for what activities work best for whole group and what work best for small group. For this cupcake, you can use glitter glue, stickers, or have students color the dots. The one above is white glue with glitter added. It was messy. I did those in small group and each student had a tray from Michaels to keep the mess contained. If you choose glitter glue or stickers, you could do it whole group.
Tip 4 Think About Time and Materials
Take the time to think about what activities you want. Are you having a year where everything needs to be no prep? That’s okay. You can skip the stickers and bingo dabbers, and just use crayons and marker. Do you have lots of little stickers or bingo dabbers? Great. You can use those. Everything doesn’t have to be [interest perfect. This year, I let my class choose between stickers and markers because I was worried I didn’t have enough stickers. For this crown, I would not recommend using glitter glue with this one because it won’t dry in time to use it. You can get the FREE Crown here. This crown is a great whole group activity, but you will definitely need a plan for early finishers.
Tip 5 – Plan Your Stations
After lunch, we typically read a book, then do our stations. I like to do 5 stations for 12 minutes each because I have 5 tables. I LOVE when I have other adults with stations, but sometimes, that isn’t possible. For my stations, I like to choose activities that are fairly independent, unless I have volunteers that can help run a station. Think about your class. How many stations do you want to have? How long do you want them to last? Personally, I like to change up my groups on special days and allow kids to work in groups with their besties. It makes it more fun for the kids. Just make sure you don’t accidently put all the loud kids in the same group!
Tip 6 – Making the Necklace
Yes, this one needs its own tip! If you have never made the necklace before, you will find these tips helpful. If you only have one volunteer, I recommend you have them help out with the fruit loop necklace. If you are the only one, just make sure you check back on this group often. My number one tip for the fruit loop necklace is to tape down the string. Tip number two, if you are worried about kids eating the fruit loops, you can get a bag of pony beads from the Dollar Tree. If you are worried about germs, you can pour individual bowls for kids. I did this during Covid, but it was challenging to ensure their groups of 10 were all the same color. I did not count the fruit loops before putting them in the individual bowl. I just made sure it was more then enough and then had kids throw away the extras. My final tip is don’t use yarn or anything that might fray. I recommend you get lanyard string. It’s a plastic string that does not fray. You can buy it at Michaels or use my amazon link here.
Tip 7- Early finishers
Whether you are doing stations or whole group, you will definitely want to have some early finisher activities. For early finishers, I want to pick something that is open ended. I like stacking 100 cups, building a structure with 100 marshmallows, or 100 playing cards. These can last 2 minutes or 10 minutes. They are also quick to clean up. You can also do a 100th Day sheet coloring page, which have included in my 100th Day Activities.
My 100th School Activities and Crafts includes 20 low prep and no prep activities so that can create a memorable day for your class. I have included station signs and teacher tips, including recommendations for whole group, small group, morning work, and early finishers, to make your day go smoother.
I made this FREE bracelet tag that can be added to a glow stick for a simple gift to give your students. You can buy glow sticks at the Dollar Tree or order them on Amazon. I always buy this set of 100. If your entire team is going to use them, you can split the cost. You can also give them out in May if you do an end of the year glow day. I hope you have a magical 100th day of School!
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