100th Day of School Activities With An Inclusive Twist
When my kindergartener came home with instructions for his 100th Day of School project, my wheels immediately started to turn. If you're unfamiliar with this tradition, lots of early childhood classrooms celebrate the 100th day of school by doing activities that visualize or represent the number 100. A quick search for "100th Day of School Activities" will often yield ideas such as decorating a t-shirt with 100 items, filling in circles with 100 pieces of cereal, and displaying collections of 100 items brought in by each child in the class. While these are fun, I think we can do better.
Why not make the 100th Day of School an opportunity to emphasize cultural pluralism? After all, one hundred is a big number to little kids. That means that using 100 as a gauge for how many languages, cultures, countries, religions, books, (or any diversity-based concept) exist across the globe, will surely drive home the point that there is a beautifully diverse world out there to explore and appreciate.
So this year (and every year after that) challenge yourself to give your students more than the typical (and sort of forgettable) 100th Day experience. Instead, add meaning and value to their learning by integrating inclusive culturally relevant practices to their math education! Need ideas? No problem. I've got you covered with my list of 100th Day of School Activities... all with an inclusive twist.
My Top 100th Day of School Activities With An Inclusive Twist
Display 100 Flags from countries all across the world, with extra focus given to the countries of the global south. Did you know Africa has 54 countries? I bet your early learners would love to learn that the number of African nations is more than half of 100! Use printouts of the flags as math manipulatives- work on patterns, symmetry, counting, and more!
Create a Photo Gallery with 100 images of influential BIPOC leaders, mathematicians, inventors, artists, athletes, or local community members, etc. Students can count the images in the display, compare the ages of the people, and learn about important leaders, both past and present!
Display 100 Children's Books by BIPOC Authors in the school library or along the halls of the school. Find books by local authors to include in the display, and see if any will connect with your students in some way!
Mark the Homelands of 100 Indigenous Peoples on a large map. Your early learners will be fascinated to know that in the United States alone, there are over 500 federally recognized tribes! Check out https://native-land.ca/ for a great starting point!
Learn to Say "Hundred" in 100 Different Languages. Create a video or audio recording of students saying the words to watch or listen to as a class as a culminating project. Early learners will be astounded to hear that there are over 7,000 languages in the world! Learning how to say the same word in one hundred different ways is only a drop in the bucket of language diversity, but is sure to help your students realize that the ways people communicate are expansive!
Create and Listen to a Playlist of 100 Songs in 100 Different Languages. It's always fun to compare the sounds and styles of music from different countries and genres. This will make a great soundtrack for learning as you celebrate the 100th Day of School with your students!
Look at 100 Different Alphabetic Letters, Numbers, and Characters from languages across the world. There are over 4,000 written language systems in the world! A meaningful art and literacy project could include spelling or representing familiar words or numbers using the alphabetic characters in a different language and then decorating and illustrating a poster using one or more of those words.
Ask Students to Bring in a Collection of 100 Items that represent something special to their family's history or culture. This offers the opportunity for children to practice speaking publicly in front of the class, as they share something meaningful about their family and background with their classmates.
Alphabetically Sort 100 words Related to Social Justice. Brainstorm together as a class to create a list of words and sort them by starting letter, writing each down as you go. Alternatively, provide children with pre-written index cards and work as a group to sort by letter, taping each word against a word wall as you go. There are so many enriching literacy, vocabulary, and social studies skills at play in an activity of this nature!
Learn About and Display Pictures of 100 Foods from across the world. Perhaps choose one or more to make as a class, which will likely involve measurement skills and fractions! Also, it's delicious!
Make a List of 100 Baby Names commonly chosen in different areas of the world, and make a collage or mural of all the names. You can also have the children draw pictures of babies or baby faces using skin tone crayons to display alongside the names. This is a great way to emphasize the importance of names to individuals and families, and how every person's name is special and deserves respect.
Have Students Create a Protest Sign for a cause of their choice and decorate it with 100 images and words to convey their message.
Display and Learn About Religious Symbols From 100 Different Religions. There are over 4,000 world religions, and hundreds of symbols representing the wide variety of belief systems found across the world. Teaching about symbols is also a great early literacy skill, as children are solidifying their understanding that print carries meaning.
Create a Timeline that Spans At Least 100 Years and displays the major civil and human rights milestones achieved in each century.
Create a List of 100 Intersectional Ways we can work to make the world better for everyone. Children are naturally empathetic and have a strong sense of justice. By going deeper than singular acts of kindness, and thinking about ways in which we can work collectively to make the world better for everyone, children can broaden their understanding of community and collaboration.
Create a Museum-Style Display of 100 Images and/or Models of Inventions created by BIPOC inventors. There are so many essential inventions that young children love to learn about, and realizing that they, too, can grow up and design new tools that help others is extremely empowering for early learners! Ensuring that all of our children learn about a large number of BIPOC inventors who changed the world will help them go beyond most standard curricula, and ensure a broader and deeper social studies experience.
Create a Photo Gallery of 100 Natural Wonders from around the world. You can use a large map to pinpoint the locations as part of your display and learning experience. This will emphasize the vast array of places and sights to visit across the globe, as well as foster a love of and desire to protect the natural world.
Create a Photo Mural of 100 Faces of the students in your school. Have the children convey different expressions for added social emotional learning, which will allow teachers to use the display as a teaching tool for their early learners, too. If you are limited to only the number of students in your class, have each student take multiple pictures to get to 100! Remember to ensure that you have media release permissions for each child you photograph.
Looking for more antiracist and inclusive learning resources to root your early childhood classroom in liberation? Check out this article for more tips!
Want to save time planning, but still ensure that your kids get access to high-quality inclusive activities and materials? Claim your FREE activity guide to my favorite antiracist and inclusive activities for early learners!
Thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you are doing with your children for the 100th Day of School, and if you have any ideas I should add to the list above. Please feel welcome to connect with me any time!
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