100th Day: Say It With a Shirt
After the holidays, many schools start anticipating the 100th day of school. It’s a nice, low-key way to give kids something to look forward to when that post-holiday, back-to-the-grind feeling sets in. And like lots of other celebrations, those for 100th day can be as simple or involved as a group would like. We have an article called “11 Ways To Mark the 100th Day of School” that lists cute ways to celebrate the day at school and at home, like asking students to write 100 reasons they like their school (or town), challenging classes to read 100 books, and sending each child home with a small plastic bag to be filled with 100 small items (buttons, paper clips, etc.).
One very simple activity for 100th day that we seem to hear about from a lot of schools and parent groups is to have kids decorate and wear T-shirts with 100 of something on them, like safety pins, buttons, or fuzzy balls. Making a shirt also gives kids a nice takeaway and the chance to be creative. Some schools ask kids to decorate shirts to represent their interests, such as by drawing 100 baseballs. You could even up the fun and the feel of the day as a true celebration by having the kids wear their shirts in a parade. (Tip: If you organize the decorating as a home (not in-class) activity, it’s a good idea to keep some shirts and fabric markers on hand for quick shirt-making so kids who forgot or didn’t make one don’t feel left out.)
Thinking of decorating shirts makes me recall my own favorite 100th day memory from when my boys (now teenagers) were small, which involved making a T-shirt for my older son, then a 1st grader. We kept it super simple and used fabric pens to write up a bunch of equations that added up to the number 100 (1 + 99, 37 + 63, 22 + 78, and so on). The reason I remember these equations so clearly is because he wore it for a couple of years on 100th day, as did his younger brother. In fact, that shirt, which took all of a half-hour to make together, was probably worn on seven 100th days! It’s been tucked away in the back of a drawer for years at this point, and I smile each time I unearth it. So you never know when a simple effort to commemorate something fun can create a long-lasting memory.
For more 100th Day celebration ideas, go to our 100th Day of School Pinterest board.
Originally posted in 2014 and updated regularly.
