{"id":7031395,"date":"2026-08-07T05:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T05:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/uncategorized\/100-picture-books-an-age-positive-way-to-celebrate-100-days-of-school\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T05:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T05:07:19","slug":"100-picture-books-an-age-positive-way-to-celebrate-100-days-of-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=7031395","title":{"rendered":"100 Picture Books: an Age Positive way to celebrate 100 days of school"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Cute little kids wearing specs and shawls and shuffling along with canes and walkers. Adorable right? Sorry, but wrong.<\/p>\n

This is the time of year that many teachers search out ideas for celebrating the 100th<\/sup> day of school.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, \u201cDress Like a 100 Year Old Day\u201d is incredibly popular. And problematic.<\/p>\n

Some even embrace the activity by taking it to the extreme\u2014kids and teachers fake hearing loss and physical and cognitive impairments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese costumes and behaviors rely on simplistic and demeaning stereotypes that ignore the uniqueness of older people and the diversity of the aging process\u2026\u201dstates a new guide for teachers from OldSchool.info.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ageist and also ableist: it contributes to stereotypes and stigma around physical and cognitive ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

OldSchool<\/a> is an impressive Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse with many\u00a0 helpful resources including this \u201cA is for Aging blog.\u201d Read more about a Call to Action to educators<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019d like to offer another idea for celebrating the 100th<\/sup> Day of School\u2014using picture books of course. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Age Positive picture books<\/a> can show kids the possibilities ahead when living a long life, perhaps even to age 100. Carefully curated picture books:<\/p>\n

\u2013show kids that having many birthdays is a positive thing<\/p>\n

\u2013expose kids to a\u00a0diversity<\/em>\u00a0of older people (as no one ages in the same way)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0Geriatrician Lisa Mitchell<\/a> asks\u2026<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cWhat if we allowed kids to imagine their lives as grandparents and\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 100-year-olds as freely as they view their current selves?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Because truly, the possibilities for kids living their long lives as predicted are exciting<\/em>. Even in later life. Not limitless, or boundless certainly, but exciting. However, stereotypes of older people do <\/em>limit young people\u2019s views of what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

Those negative age stereotypes also contribute to poor health and cognition, shorter lives and decreased happiness.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"100<\/p>\n

Image from\u201d100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days\u201d by Bruce Goldstone<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Activity: Show children the possibilities ahead when living to 100 years old <\/strong><\/p>\n

Step one:<\/strong> Gather and stack a collection of 100 picture books*. (100! Imagine the kids\u2019 excitement!)<\/p>\n

Step two:<\/strong> Include numerous Age Positive picture books. Find Age Positive picture books here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Illness and disability can certainly be present, at any age, but they do not define aging. Our Age Positive picture books lists include individuals with disabilities that are not depicted as pitiable, such as Henri\u2019s Scissors<\/em> <\/a>at left. (Read more about ableism at bottom of page.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Step three:<\/strong> Explain that each book is like one year in the life of someone 100 years old. And each page is one experience big or small.<\/p>\n

No matter how old we are, our days are often filled with learning new skills and understanding new things. In a lifetime what we experience both in school, and other parts of our life will make us the person we become.<\/p>\n

Step four:<\/strong> Perhaps build the book stack slowly and deliberately\u2014with a pause at each decade to ponder what might have been experienced at that age. Maybe assign each child a number 1-100 and one book.<\/p>\n

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The books could showcase: <\/strong><\/p>\n