Young children who are preschool/kindergarten aged seem to enjoy counting the first 100 days of school. I did this for the first time with my now 6 year old when she was completing her Four Year Old Preschool year in our homeschool. I generally sat down and worked with her three or four days a week, and on those days we would count the days of school we had completed.
I begin counting the days of school the very first day we “do school”. By “doing school” only three or four days a week, the 100th day of school should fall in early May. In fact, after the 100th day, we will consider our Four Year Old Preschool complete.
How to Count the Days
I use 100 5 x 7 white unruled index cards, and I write the numbers 1-99 (except for the tens numbers) with a black sharpie, one number per card. I use a red marker to write the numbers 10, 20, 30, all the way to 90, and then I use a green marker to write 100 on the very last card. These cards are stored on a shelf right beside the wall where we will hang the numbers.
Each morning after we discuss the calendar, weather, days of the week, months of the year, and our memory Bible verse, I have the child tape on the wall the next number. Then we begin with 1 and count all the numbers up to our current day. I point at each number as we count it. After a couple of months, when we have some of the red numbers, I also count the red numbers by tens.
Why Count 100 Days of School
Counting the days of school each morning has proved to be a painless way to teach my children how to count to one hundred by ones. They also learn how to count by tens to one hundred. The repetition really does work.
Celebrating the 100th Day of School
The 100th Day of School was a very special day the last time we celebrated it, and I know it will be just as much fun for my current preschooler. Here is my 1ooth Day of School Plan
1. Richard Scary Counts to 100
2. The Cheerios Counting Book
Activities
1. Count 100 Cheerios for breakfast
2. Count to 100 using our number cards on the wall.
3. Draw a picture of yourself showing what you will look like at 100.
4. Count 100 jelly beans. Sort them by color, and then complete a graph.
5. Line up 100 dominoes and knock them over.
6. Count 100 pennies.
7. Exercise 100 seconds. Complete 10 seconds of each of the following activities: jumping jacks, toe touches, sit-ups, twisting at the waist, running in place, reaching over your head, going up and down the stairs, arm bends, skipping, making a bridge.
8. Rest quietly 100 seconds.
9. Stick 100 stickers in a book.
10. Make a design with 100 pattern blocks.
11. Build with 100 soft foam blocks.
12. Put the number tiles 1-100 in order on the 100 chart.
13. Put together a 100 piece puzzle.
14. Eat a snack of 100 goldfish and 100 M&Ms (share with siblings!)
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That is such a good idea!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
The first grade classroom where my son’s Tiger Cub Den met last year had another great idea for counting the 100 days. The teacher in that classroom used pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and a dollar. The kids learned money as they went along. They placed pennies in a row until they had five, then they switched the pennies out for a nickel. When they had a nickel and five pennies, they switched it out for a dime… two dimes and a nickel – switch to a quarter. She displayed the money by taping it on to popsicle sticks. I thought this was a great idea for kids who have mastered 1-1 correspondence, and counting to 100s by 1s and 10s. We’re going to give it a try in our classroom this year.
Bookmarked this page for when we reach 100 this year! Thanks!