Counting Activities for Kindergarten: 100th Day Routine

This free counting routine for kindergarten builds number sense every school day as students track days in school, bundle tens, and prepare for a 100th Day celebration that makes “100” feel real.

Overview

Early elementary students count the days they have been in school using a consistent daily routine that develops counting by ones and tens, place value language, and careful number writing. Over time, students move from placing single counters to bundling groups of ten and reading the total as tens and ones. The routine culminates in a 100th Day celebration with simple stations that reinforce counting, estimating, and comparing quantities.

Subject Connections

This lesson builds core math skills including counting sequences, place value understanding, number formation, and quantity comparison. Students also practice speaking and listening as they explain totals and describe tens and ones, and they strengthen fine motor skills when bundling sticks and writing numerals.

Learning Goals

• Count forward by ones with accuracy
• Group objects into tens and describe the total as tens and ones
• Write numbers clearly and match written numbers to quantities
• Use daily counting to build confidence with numbers to 100
• Estimate and check quantities during hands-on tasks

Materials

• Three labeled containers: Ones, Tens, Hundreds
• Counting sticks (craft sticks) or linking cubes
• Rubber bands or pipe cleaners for bundling groups of ten
• Dry-erase marker and a write-on number line space (chart paper or whiteboard)
• Class “Days in School” tracking sheet (paper or digital)
• Optional for 100th Day: paper strips for a chain, small cups/bags for counting sets

Preparation

• Secure or place three containers near your calendar area and label them Ones, Tens, Hundreds
• Prepare at least 180 counting sticks so you have enough for the year
• Create a visible space to write the daily total (a simple “Days in School” line)
• Prepare a one-page tracking sheet with a blank: “We have been in school ___ days.”
• Decide who will be the daily helper and how you will rotate jobs

Teaching Procedure

Each session fits a standard class period of 10 minutes during calendar or morning meeting. The 100th Day celebration is a longer session (60–90 minutes) or can be split across two class periods.

Session 1 – Launch the Daily Counting Routine

1. The teacher introduces the containers and explains that each day the class adds one “day stick” to show one more day of school. Students repeat the names of the containers together: Ones, Tens, Hundreds.
2. Activity: The teacher tells students, “Today’s helper will add one stick to the Ones container, then we will read and write our total.” Materials: labeled containers, sticks, and a writing space. Students physically place the stick, count the ones aloud, and demonstrate understanding by saying the number of days and pointing to the written numeral.
3. The teacher models writing the number carefully (starting point, size, and direction). Students air-write the number with a finger, then the helper writes it on the class display.
4. The teacher closes by asking one quick question: “How many ones do we have today?” Students answer and point to the Ones container.

Session 2 – Build Consistency and Counting Language

1. The teacher reviews yesterday’s total and asks, “What happens when we add one more day?” Students respond, “It goes up by one.”
2. Activity: The teacher tells students, “Count with me as we touch each stick.” Materials: sticks and containers. Students count aloud in unison while the helper points to each stick, then demonstrate understanding by stating the final total together.
3. The helper writes the new number on the class display. The teacher quickly checks number formation and correct placement.
4. The teacher asks a comparison question: “Is today more days or fewer days than yesterday?” Students respond and explain using one sentence.

Session 3 – Introduce Bundling Tens

1. The teacher explains that when the Ones container reaches ten sticks, the class will “trade” ten ones for one bundle of ten.
2. Activity: The teacher tells students, “Let’s make a bundle of ten and move it to Tens.” Materials: ten sticks and a rubber band/pipe cleaner. Students count ten sticks, bundle them, and demonstrate understanding by saying, “Ten ones make one ten,” as the bundle moves into the Tens container.
3. The teacher leads students to count the tens by tens and then add any leftover ones to find the total.
4. The helper writes the total number, and students read it aloud as “__ tens and __ ones.”

Session 4 – Daily Routine with Place Value Jobs

1. The teacher assigns quick roles (helper adds stick, counter counts tens, counter counts ones, reader reads the total). Students rotate roles across days.
2. Activity: The teacher tells students, “We will count tens first, then ones.” Materials: containers and sticks. Students count bundles in Tens by tens, then count the ones, and demonstrate understanding by stating the total in two ways: “__ days” and “__ tens and __ ones.”
3. The class checks the written number against the counted total and fixes any mismatch together.
4. The teacher ends by previewing the goal: “We are counting toward Day 100.” Students point to a class goal marker (a simple chart or number line).

Session 5 – 100th Day Celebration Stations

1. The teacher reminds students that 100 is ten tens and shows the Hundreds container as the place where “100” will live.
2. Activity: The teacher tells students, “At each station, you will make or collect 100 and show it in a clear way.” Materials: cups/bags, counters, paper strips, crayons. Students physically count items into groups of ten, combine them to make 100, and demonstrate understanding by showing ten groups of ten to a partner or the teacher.
3. Students rotate through 3–4 simple stations such as making a 100-link paper chain, building a 100-cube tower, creating a “100 collection” (100 buttons/pennies/cubes), or doing a 100-movement count (10 sets of 10).
4. Students complete a short class reflection by drawing their favorite station and labeling it with “100” and “10 tens.”

Assessment

• Daily observation of accurate counting and correct placement into Ones/Tens/Hundreds
• Quick oral checks: students explain “ten ones make one ten”
• Number writing checks for legibility and correctness
• 100th Day station products showing ten groups of ten

Differentiation

• Use larger sticks or linking cubes for easier handling
• Provide a visual ten-frame or “bundle of ten” card next to the Tens container
• Pair students so one counts while the other points and checks
• Challenge advanced students to predict how many tens they will have on a future day

Grade Adaptation

Kindergarten students focus on counting to 20 early in the year and gradually build toward 100 with teacher support and visual models. First grade students can independently read and write the number daily and may begin skip counting by tens without prompts.

Extension Ideas

• Add a weekly graph showing how many tens the class has so far
• Have students create “100 in our classroom” posters (100 letters, 100 dots, 100 tally marks)
• Connect to estimation by guessing how many steps it takes to walk 100 steps and checking