Jumping to 100

Goal: Count until someone says 100

1. Count and jump

Decide what number the group will count by.

Easy: Count by 1, 2, or 10.
Medium: Count by 3, 5, 6, or another number under 15.
Hard: Count by a number with a fraction or decimal, such as 2 1/2 or 0.75. 

Everyone gets in a circle and counts. For instance, if counting by 2, the first person says 2, the second says 4, the third says 6,  and so on. Whoever says a number that ends in 0 jumps in and out of the circle.

 

2. When will we reach 100?

Each time you finish going around the circle, ask children if they think they’ll get to 100 next time around. Then, continue the count. Anyone who says a number ending in 0 jumps. 

 

3. Keep counting

Continue until the count reaches 100 or higher.

 

Variations

Fill It or Spill It (Grades K, 1, 2)

Put a large container on the table and ask children to predict how many cups of water will fill it. Children go around the circle, adding a cup of water and keeping count of how many cups in all, until the container is filled.

3, 2, 1 Blast Off! (Grades 3, 4)

Children start at 100 and count backward by 2 or 3. Before the count, ask for predictions about whether or not someone will say “zero” as part of the count.

Number Actions (Grades 3, 4)

Instead of jumping for a number that ends in 0, children perform different actions for other kinds of numbers. For instance, they clap on an even number and stamp their foot on a multiple of 3.

Books about 100 (Grades 3, 4)

Children read a book about 100 things, such as those listed below, and create a display. For instance, they read The Hundred Dresses and make a poster of 100 different dresses. Help children decide how to organize and keep track of the dresses so they know that there are 100 in all.

 

Books and Other Resources

The Hundred Dresses (Grades 3, 4)
Estes, Eleanor. (New York: Harcourt Children’s Books, 2004).

More book ideas to come!

Spotlight

Place value

Jumping for every 10th number in this activity can help children understand place value, especially the important role of 0, 10 and 100. Every 10th number ends in 0 because it is a multiple of 10 and has nothing in the ones place.

As children count to 100 in different ways, they explore factors of 100. When counting by 1, 2, 4, 5, and 10 they will say 100 in the count because those numbers are factors of 100 (and 100 is a multiple of those numbers). 

Children also gain a sense of size of numbers. When counting by 2, children need to go around the circle several times to get to 100. When counting by 10, they reach 100 much faster.

Connections

Zeros make a difference

Adults often have to make quick decisions that involve numbers and number size--it’s important to pay attention to zeros. When making major purchases, people sometimes choose among payment plans: Can I afford an auto loan at a lower interest rate but at $80 extra a month? What does that add up to over the course of the year? Leaving off a 0 in a calculation can lead to financial disaster.

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