Free 100th Day Celebration Unit Plan for Kindergarten

This free unit uses the hundredth day as a simple reason to practice counting, grouping, estimating, and making number patterns visible through real classroom tasks.

Overview

Over several short sessions, students build comfort with “100” by touching it, moving it, timing it, and seeing it in groups. They count to 100, make sets of ten, test quick time predictions, and create a 100-based project to share on celebration day.

Subject Connections

The lesson centers on mathematics through counting, grouping, place value, and simple measurement. English Language Arts skills appear as students explain their thinking, dictate captions, and discuss predictions. Fine motor and visual organization skills are supported during hands-on building and display activities.

Learning Goals

By the end of the unit, students can count to 100 with support, explain that 100 is ten groups of ten, and use simple patterns (like counting by 10s) to stay organized. They also practice making a guess, checking it with a timer or measuring tool, and talking about what happened.

Materials

You only need a few basics: a classroom 100-chart or floor number line, a timer, and a tub of small countable items (counters, linking cubes, beans, paper clips). Add paper, crayons, glue, and scissors for projects. If you want a money connection, use play coins to build to 100 cents.

Preparation

Post a large 100-chart where everyone can see it. Set up one “counting station” with small objects and ten-frames or cups for grouping. Create a simple recording chart with three columns: “My Guess,” “What Happened,” and “What I Notice.” Pre-cut paper strips if you plan to build a 100-link chain.

Teaching Procedure

Session 1: Make 100 feel real
Tell students the hundredth day is coming and the class will prepare projects to share. Start with a calm challenge: everyone tries to sit still and quiet while you time 100 seconds. Do not frame it as a “gotcha.” Let it be an experience of how long 100 seconds actually feels.

Move straight into counting. Use the 100-chart and count together to 100 once. Then show the class how to “travel” the chart by tens. Point to 10, 20, 30, and so on, and let students hear the rhythm. Keep it brief and confident.

Session 2: Grouping and skip counting without fuss
Bring out 100 small objects. Do not ask students to count one-by-one to 100 at first. Model making ten neat piles of ten. Count each pile to ten, then count the piles by tens. Say what you are doing as you do it. Students repeat the routine in pairs with their own set of objects.

Session 3: Estimation in “kid-sized” trials
Run one quick test that takes under five minutes. Ask students to guess how many claps they can do in 100 seconds, or how many times they can write the first letter of their name in 100 seconds. Record a few guesses. Time it. Count the results. Compare. The goal is not accuracy. The goal is noticing the difference between a guess and a check.

Session 4: Measure something with 100
Choose one measurement that fits your space. Options that work well are 100 steps in the hallway, 100 inches measured with a tape, or 100 cubes laid end-to-end on the floor. Students guess first, then measure, then explain what surprised them.

Session 5: Build the celebration product
Students complete one main project to display. Keep it simple and repeatable. Pick one option from the Independent Activity section and commit to it as the “class product,” then add a second optional choice for early finishers.

Guided Practice

Run the same classroom routine each time so students feel secure. Start at the 100-chart for two minutes of group counting. Move to objects and build ten groups of ten. End by recording one sentence on the class chart such as “Ten groups of ten makes one hundred.” When students struggle, bring them back to the grouping routine instead of re-explaining.

Independent Activity

Main project (recommended): 100-Object Picture
Students bring or choose one type of small object. They count out 100 with support, grouping into tens as they go. Then they glue the objects to form a picture (a heart, a star, a simple animal, or a big “100”). Students add one short caption under the picture: “I used 100 ____.”

Optional writing project: “If I Had 100…” Mini-Book
Students create a small booklet with three pages. On each page they complete a sentence stem and draw a matching picture. Keep the writing short and focus on clear ideas, not spelling.

Discussion and Reflection

Bring the class back together around the display work. Ask questions that lead to concrete talk. Which method helped you keep track, counting by ones or making tens first? What felt longer, 100 seconds sitting still or 100 seconds doing claps? When you measured, what made your guess too big or too small? Let students point to evidence in their work rather than speaking in generalities.

Assessment

Assess through observation and products. During counting, listen for stable sequence and whether students can return to the chart when they lose their place. During grouping, check if students can make sets of ten and explain what the sets mean. For the main project, confirm that the student used grouping or another tracking method to reach 100, even if the final count needs teacher verification.

Differentiation

For students who need more structure, give pre-made ten-frames or cups labeled 10 and have them fill one container at a time. For students ready for more challenge, have them create a pattern across their 100 objects (for example alternating colors every ten) and describe the pattern aloud. For fine-motor needs, allow larger objects such as linking cubes or paper squares instead of tiny items.

Grade Adaptation

Kindergarten students should focus on counting with support, grouping objects into tens, and explaining ideas orally. Grade 1 students can count more independently, record numbers on simple charts, and write short captions or sentences describing their 100-object project and observations.

Extension Ideas

If you want to extend beyond the projects, keep the “100” theme but shift the skill. Create a class “100 Acts of Kindness” paper chain where each link is one kind act students notice. Make a 100-cents classroom store using play coins and price tags under 25 cents so students build to 100 cents. Or run a “100 Questions” jar where students add questions they have, then answer a few each day with short research or read-aloud support.