10 Ways to Celebrate Pi Day on March 14th

Pi Day, March 14th, is a great way to get your students excited about math! March 14th celebrates the irrational number pi or the approximation 3.14.

Teaching students about this amazing irrational number was always one of my favorite days during the school year. Students are amazed to learn that when you measure the circumference of a circular object and divide by its diameter you always get pi.

Here are fun, easy and engaging ideas to teach your students about pi and to celebrate this special holiday!

1. Look at the Frequency of Digits in Pi

Have your students guess which digit 0-9 is most frequent in the first 100 digits of pi. Then have students look at the first 100 digits and tally the number of times each digit appears. Make this a math class lesson with this pi resource that will have students coloring and calculating percentages. Best of all this visually helps students understand that pi is irrational.

Have students look at the frequency of the digits of pi with this engaging resource.

2. Host a Pi Bee

This may just be my favorite pi day activity! Your students can see how many digits of pi they can memorize. I always made this an optional activity but added fun prizes for the winners. One year I had a student memorize over 150 digits of pi! You can read all about hosting a class pi bee here.

3. Create a Pi Paper Chain

A few days before March 14th, cut up strips of 10 different colored construction paper. Make a key that assigns each color of paper to the digits 0-9. Then have students make a paper chain using the color key and a list of the digits of pi. How many digits of pi can your students represent in the paper chain? Hang the paper chain around your classroom or take it in the hallway to see how long the chain can reach. This is a great activity for early finishers leading up to March 14th and it is such a fun way to visually represent the irrational number pi!

4. Watch a Video About Pi

You can find a lot of short video options on YouTube to show your students about pi. Check out this video that is one is my favorites and under two minutes.

5. Have Students Solve a Crossword Puzzle

Grab my Pi Day crossword puzzle pack that also includes questions to go with the above video as well as a page with fun facts about pi day.

6. Have Students Go on a Scavenger Hunt

Grab my scavenger hunt resource here or set this up yourself using circular items found in your school. Some examples include a hula hoop, a bowl, a clock, or a circular table. You can have students search for the list of circular items or have the circular items set up as stations in your classroom. Using a measuring tape students will measure the circumference and diameter and then divide to discover pi. This is a great activity to help students understand more about the mystery of pi!

7. Practice using Pi in Circle Formulas

Have your students solve area and circumference of circle problems. This fun riddle and coloring pack has a pi day theme but any type of area and circumference problems will do.

8. Have Students Create Pi Day Shirts

Have students create their own pi day shirts. You can give extra credit or a homework pass to any student that wears a homemade shirt to school on March 14th. Make sure to give certain requirements that students should include on their pi day shirts.

9. Decorate for Pi Day

Decorating is a fun and easy way to make Pi day memorable for your students. Add streamers to your door or around the room. Add colorful circles around your room. Invite students to help you decorate the day before. When your students walk into your class they will know that Pi Day is a special day.

10. Celebrate with Circular Treats

Most celebrations have some kind of treat, pi day is no different! You could have students bring in circular treats to share with the class. This could also be an extra credit or homework pass opportunity. Before eating the treats make sure students measure the circumference and diameter to calculate pi. Depending on your school’s rules for treats here are some simple treats that could be brought in: a pie, a cookie pie, cookies, prepackaged Little Debbie type circular treats, Hostess cupcakes, donuts, circular cereal, and more.

Keep it Simple: Pick One or Two

Finally, remember to keep it simple. Pi day doesn’t have to be complicated or over the top for it to be memorable. Simply choose one or two ways from the list above to focus on this year. Remember to show your excitement for the day! Say “Happy Pi Day” to everyone you see. It is just one day, but it can be something your students will never forget!

Looking for more ready to go Pi Day resources? Grab my Pi Day Bundle that includes some of the above activities and more.

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