The school teacher sent an email last week to remind everyone that today is their 100th day of school, and they could dress up like 100-year-old grandparents (or wear their school uniform if they prefer). We initially thought it was just a simple celebration of reaching 100 days of school but to our surprise!
We asked our kid what they did today, and she said, “We played games, sang songs, danced, drew pictures… in short, we had a lot of fun.” It seems like the school really values the 100th day of school. So, we did some online research and found out the essence of this day.
What is 100 Days of School
It’s a milestone for children (and teachers!)
For kids, especially the young ones and those experiencing full-time school for the first time, reaching the 100th day is a big deal. Teachers and students discuss all the learning they’ve accomplished so far and what’s to come. They reflect on their favourite parts of school thus far and what they look forward to. They reexamine their hopes and dreams from the beginning of the year and see if they’re on track to achieve those goals.
It’s a way to practice counting to 100
How many ways can you count to 100? In kindergarten, teachers focus on counting by 1s and 10s, and as kids get older, they learn to count by 2s and 5s. As they grow, they start adding and subtracting three-digit numbers and engage in multiplication reasoning. 100 is a significant number to explore.
It incorporates various math concepts
Patterns, counting, sorting, measuring… all of these concepts can be used on this day.
It’s a way to integrate different aspects of the curriculum into a focal activity
This day is not just about math. Teachers incorporate reading, writing, science, and social studies throughout the week, including on the 100th day. It’s a holistic approach to curriculum learning, including social activities and sharing collections.
Overall, it’s a lot of fun! In the 100-day celebration, teachers and students play games, take pictures of themselves as 100-year-olds, enjoy snacks, make necklaces, glue together 100 collections, and more.
Both kids and adults have a blast on this day, combining lots of fun with a lot of learning.