Introduce your elementary students to the concept of pi on Pi Day (March 14th). I’ve been celebrating Pi Day with my middle schooler for the last seven years—both at home and at the Exploratorium in San Francisco—so I wanted to share some of our favorite Pi Day activities for elementary-aged kids.
1. “Pi” Day Potluck
Just about everyone I know loves pie! Host a “pi” potluck for your class or make a pie together at home. We make cherry pie every year, but apple and pumpkin pie are easy family favorites as well.
If you want to make baking even easier with younger kids, you can check out my visual pie recipes in my Etsy shop.
2. Read a Book About Pi
Kids often learn new ideas best through stories and games. I introduced my younger kids to the concept of pi through Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi and Happy Pi Day to You!
The knights, adventures, and rhymes make the concept of pi memorable—even for my kindergartener. My kids love these books and still regularly request them at story time.
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3. Pi Day Lesson
If you’re looking for a more traditional math lesson, SciShow has a great video explaining pi in a way kids can understand. You can also pair the video with a simple worksheet to help reinforce the concept with practice problems.
4. Pi Day History
Have you ever wondered how ancient civilizations used math or where the concept of pi comes from? Pi has a rich global history. Students can learn how ancient mathematicians discovered and used this number with a Pi history printable and timeline activity.
5. Pi Day Cityscape
Combine math and art by creating a Pi Day cityscape using the digits of pi and a graph. Students use the numbers of pi to determine the height of buildings on graph paper.
My middle schooler still loves this activity, and it was a great way to reinforce bar graph skills when he was in elementary school.
6. Pi Day Dot Marker Art
If your class is too young for the Pi Day cityscape activity, try a Pi Day dot marker graph instead.
This activity is perfect for preschool and kindergarten students. The digits-of-pi dot marker sheet reinforces early numeracy, while the other pages help develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
7. Calculate Pi Yourself
For upper elementary students or advanced learners, try calculating pi yourself using household objects.
All you need is a string and a ruler or measuring tape. Measure the circumference and diameter of several circular objects and divide the circumference by the diameter. It’s amazing to watch the concept click when students keep getting the same number!
8. Pi Parade
I’ve never hosted one myself, but my kids absolutely love the Pi Parade at the Exploratorium.
The idea is simple: line students up and give them batons with the digits of pi written on them. Then go for a walk together. At the Exploratorium, participants walk 3.14 times around the Pi Shrine at 1:59 PM, followed by pie and music.
I hope this list gives you some fun ideas for celebrating Pi Day with your elementary classroom or homeschool students. If you’re looking for more Pi Day inspiration, check out these posts:
Easy Print & Go Pi Day Worksheets and Activities
If you’re looking for some easy prepared Pi Day Activities checkout the resources on my Etsy Shop and Teachers Pay Teachers.
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