The 100th Day of School is an event celebrated in many preschools and elementary schools across the country. As a relatable way for young kids to understand the value of one hundred, the day can be marked with art activities and lessons that have to do with counting and numbers.
Here a few easy art activities for preschoolers that can be taught on the 100th Day of School, to help celebrate this fun day:
1.) Create an artwork with 100 pieces – Have a large assortment of small items that preschoolers can count and use to create an artwork. Because so many pieces are required, inexpensive craft or food items may be best. For instance, for food – kids can count out 100 Cheerios, mini-marshmallows or pieces of macaroni; or, for crafts, children can count 100 fuzz balls, beads, sequins or buttons.
After counting their items, preschoolers can then glue them down to a paper and decorate with other art supplies. Or, for a collaborative group art activity, children can create a class ‘100th Day of School’ mural by gluing all their items to a large panel.
2.) Collage or paint a ‘100’ – This art activity can be made easier or more challenging, depending on the children’s ability levels. For younger preschoolers, teachers can draw a big ‘100’ in block letters, filling a piece of paper. Children will then glue down paper to collage in the numbers, or use paint to fill them in. Older preschoolers may learn to trace the ‘100’ on their own paper, from a sample the teacher has already made, and then fill them in.
Similarly, teachers can write a ‘100’ with big lines (no bubble letters/numbers) on children’s papers, and teach students to use glue and yarn to outline the numbers.
3.) Stamp 100 times or make 100 fingerprints – Preschoolers can learn the meaning of a hundred by using a stamp and inkpad and making 100 stamps on a piece of paper. Or, for a more custom art activity, children can dip their fingertips in paint and make 100 fingerprints on their paper. These can be simple prints or arranged to create a picture.
4.) Draw a picture of what they’ve done the first 100 days of school – Rather than count to a hundred, preschoolers can reflect over all their time in school so far and what they’ve learned. Students can create drawings of exciting activities they’ve done in preschool, things they remember learning or field trips they went on. These can then be displayed in the classroom or hallway with a sign saying “In Our First 100 Days of School, We Have…”
5.) Sculpt ‘100’ with play dough – Most preschoolers love any tactile art activity using play dough. While playing with dough (a lot of it will be needed), have each student try to roll 100 small circles in dough, or use cookie cutters to cut out 100 small pieces. If you have a lot of preschoolers and not much dough, try having 10 students each make 10 pieces, and then put them all together to show the class how much ‘100’ really is. You could also show students how to sculpt the number ‘100’ out of dough.
The 100th Day of School is a fun time to celebrate with preschool and elementary students. Consider some of these art activities that will help students mark this eventful day while helping them reflect on the value of time, counting, and math, while being a little creative as well.
