I'm 100 Days Smarter! (what does that mean?)

It will soon be the 100th day of school! Many teachers will distribute crowns or certificates or stickers proclaiming, "I'm 100 Days Smarter!"  It is the perfect opportunity to teach young children what it means to be smart and to build everyone's self-esteem.

Back in the 1980s, Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University, formulated and advanced his theory of multiple intelligences.  Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory suggests that there are many different kinds of intelligence that we all possess in varying degrees. Then, in the early 2000s, Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University, developed her Growth Mindset theory.  Growth Mindset theory is the idea that intelligence isn't a fixed capacity but, rather, one that can be increased. Taken together, these two theories are good news for educators who are willing to work creatively and energetically to help all children learn.

Here is a chart that I've created to help you visualize MI in kindergarten-friendly images and words.  If you want to download a copy, click here.

If you work in a private or parochial school, you may be able to create an activity
to practice "question smart."

In my classroom, for many years, I would start the 100th Day by telling the children that there are many, many ways to be smart. I'd project a chart like this one and we'd discuss the images and terms for the different kinds of "smarts."  Click here to get your own copy.

Although I am not particularly "Music Smart," I kind of enjoyed pretending to be MisterRogers and sang my version of one of his most popular songs, "There are Many Ways to Show I Love You."

"There are many ways to show how smart you are.

There are many ways to show how much you know.

Many ways, many ways, many ways, many ways,

To be smart."

Then, I'd explain that today we would be participating in an activity for each of the different ways to be smart.  After each activity, each child would be able to reflect (think about) whether or not they liked being smart in that way.  They would each be able to mark their own " Many Ways to be Smart" chart to show their feelings.  Here are two copies of the chart for you to download and photocopy. If you want to create your own activities, click to download version 1. If you want to do my same, easy, tried-and-true 100th day activities for the multiple intelligences, click to download version 2.

Version 1: you can program it with your own questions about the 100th day activities.

Version 2:  My students and I had a lot of fun with these activities over many years.

My students always loved reflecting on the different ways we are all smart.  It was easy to reinforce the terminology the rest of the year:  "Marisol, you are growing very math smart today as you count the beans carefully."  "Javon, you are growing so nature smart the way you are sorting the different kinds of seeds."  And you'll really love it when you hear a child exclaim about a friend, "You are growing so people smart 'cuz you asked me to play with you!"

P.S. Here's another freebie from my files, useful if you can't celebrate the 100th day for some reason but are in school on Day 101!