The 100th Day of School is a monumental celebration in most early grades, but especially in kindergarten and first grade! It’s a day filled with counting, building number sense, reading, exercising, and practicing fine motor skills. To make the most of our day, I set up a variety of hands-on 100th Day centers, which usually takes the entire day to complete.

And… after many years of celebrating this important day, I have learned a thing or two about how to not only make this day learning-filled and fun for students, but also stress-free for teachers! To help make your 100th Day of School run as effortlessly as possible, I am sharing 3 insider secrets for setting up your 100th Day centers!

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Secret #1: Easy to Navigate 100th Day Centers

The first secret to making your 100th Day celebration a success is making sure you have a seamless system for rotating between your 100th Day centers.

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I have found that using station signs and individual student punch cards work best.

Students read the center on their punch card and match the number to the station sign. This allows students to confidently locate and rotate from one center to the next.

After deciding how many 100th Day centers you will have (I have always done 8), you will need to prep your student punch cards.

To prep the punch cards, simply type the number and name of each center on the provided template and print on colored card stock.

Then print the numbered posters on colored card stock and place them at your 100th Day centers.

Each time a student visits and completes a center, they will receive a punch on their punch card.

Secret #2: 100th Day Center Bins

On the day of our 100th Day celebration, students rotate between eight different 100th Day centers. Each center lasts about 20-25 minutes.

I like to project a timer on our whiteboard so students can visually see how much time they have to complete each center. If they finish before the timer goes off, they can grab one of the 100th Day early finisher activities (more on these later in the post).

As for our 100th Day centers, the secret to keeping everything running smoothly is to place all center activities in bins or tubs.

Each bin will house everything the students will need to complete the center activity/craft independently.

Here is a list of the eight 100th Day centers I set up and how I quickly prep them. With 22 activities to pick from, you can choose to use all eight, use less, or use more of the activities from this 100th Day party pack!

The best part about these 100th Day centers is that there is no prep on your end other than printing and placing each center inside a bin/tub!

Gumball Craft

This 100 gumballs craft is one of the easiest 100th Day centers to prep! To create the gumball craft, print the templates on white and red construction paper or cardstock, add some bingo dotters, scissors, and glue to the bin and students will be ready to count to 100 by 1’s or 10s.

100 Days Smarter Crown

The students will color the school house and sequence the numbers by 10s for this “100 Days Smarter Crown“. To prep this center, cut 3″ x 18″ strips of construction paper. After the students have finished coloring and adhering the pieces to the strip of construction paper, measure around each students head and staple. The school house adds just enough length so that the crown fits perfectly around their heads.

100th Day Collection & Weighing Station

This center requires a little pre planning. Before your 100th Day party, attach this letter to a paper lunch sack and send it home to families explaining that students will need a collection of 100 items for one of the centers.

Students will then count their collection by 1’s and 10’s using these “100th Day Collection” mats. I like to print them on 11×17 paper.

After they count, they will weigh their items using a balance scale, teddy bears, pattern blocks, and linking cubes.

Pocket Chart Sentences

For this center, the students build and sequence these pocket chart sentences. After building each sentence, they will complete the response page by filling in the missing word. For this bin, you will want to laminate the pocket chart pieces for durability and then print the response sheets.

Fruit Loop Necklace

This is one of those 100th Day centers that is a MUST! In the bin, add this ten frames counting mat, ribbon, tape, and fruit loops for students to count by 10 to 100 to complete this Fruit Loop necklace.

I also recommend a tray of some sort, as this station often takes a little longer and the tray keeps everything organized if a student needs to transport their materials. Here are my top 5 tips for making these 100th Day necklaces without the stress!

Pattern Block 100

Students will build the number 100 using pattern blocks. For this center, simply print the pattern block work mat and place pattern blocks in the bin. Then, they can record how many of each shape they used, including how many shapes in all on their individual response sheet. To differentiate, you can also have students add the number of two shapes together.

100 Punches

Add a variety of shape punchers (or a hole puncher) along with this “100 Punches for the 100th Day” punch book to the bin. Students will strengthen their fine motor muscles as they punch their way to to 100.

100 Stickers Mat

Toss sheets of stickers and this sticker mat into the bin for another easy fine motor 100th Day math center. The students will stick 10 groups of 10 stickers onto each space of their sticker mat.

Secret #3: 100th Day Early Finisher Activities

The last secret to a successful 100th Day celebration and maybe one of the most important is having 100th Day early finisher activities ready to go.

These early finisher activities allow students who finish the 100th Day centers early to remain engaged while other learners complete the task at hand.

Let’s be honest, any special day at school can really throw kids off… so classroom management is key, especially on these sort of days. This will help eliminate behaviors and keep those fast finishers busy on purposeful tasks.

Here are some of the 100th Day early finisher activities I like to have available for students who finish a station a bit early.

100th Day Punch Out

Get those hole punchers back out for this “100 Punch Out” printable! Students punch 100 along the outside edge of the paper and then trace and write the number 100.

Dip and Dot to 100

Fill up paint trays with a variety of paint colors. Students will dip a cotton swab in the paint and then dot the number 100 on their Dip and Dot to 100 sheet!

Skip Count to 100

The students will color, cut, and then skip count to 100 as they build the 100th Day picture!

Number 100 Maze

For this early finisher activity, the students will locate and mark the number 100 to finish the maze.

Spot the Number 100

This is a super quick early finisher activity where students spot the number 100 and dot it with a bingo dotter.

Number 100 Spin and Trace

Students use a spinner (or paper clip and pencil) to spin and see what writing tool they will need to use to trace the number 100.

Roll and Race to 100

For this early finisher activity, students will need a printable hundreds chart, a foam die, and 1-2 counters. If a student is playing alone, they will roll the die and move their counter until they reach the number 100.

If they are playing with a friend, they will take turns rolling the die and moving their counter that many spaces. The first person to 100 is the winner!

Lace the Number 100

This early finisher activity is great for practicing fine motor control, as students thread and lace these number 100 lacing cards.

100 Write the Room

At this 100th Day center, the students will write the room as they collect the items needed to make a special 100th Day snack!

The best part is that you can use any of these 100th Day activities and crafts interchangeably. The 100th Day centers can be used as early finisher activities or the early finisher activities can be used as the main 100th Day centers. Pick what works best for your students!

100th Day Centers

Grab all twenty-two no prep 100th Day centers, crafts, and early finisher activities for your 100th Day of School celebration here!

More 100th Day of School Activities

For a more detailed look at all of the 100th Day math centers, head to this post!

Learn more about the 100th Day literacy centers here!

Integrate writing into your 100th Day celebration with this adorable 100 year old craft and writing activities!

Throughout the day, be sure to incorporate some of these 100th Day of School picture books!

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