Bring rigor and fun together in your math lessons with these Pi Day activities for students in elementary, middle, and high school.
On March 14th, the first three digits of pi (π) — three, one, and four — become the date! Pi Day is a great, low-pressure opportunity to engage your students in math. By taking time to celebrate this mathematical holiday, you can infuse some light-hearted (and rigorous!) fun into your lessons, and help students realize that math is not something to fear, but just another subject to learn. Try using these Pi Day activities to teach your students about the concept of pi and show them just how much fun math can be.
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Easy Pi Day Ideas for Your Classroom
When it comes to celebrating Pi Day with your students, there are almost as many options to choose from as there are digits in pi. Here are a few easy Pi Day ideas to help you celebrate this magical number.
- Put together a collaborative Pi Day poster. Have each student decorate one or two pieces of a Pi-Day-themed poster. Once you put it all together, you’ll have some festive hallway or classroom decor for the month!
- Write “pi-kus.” Instead of writing a traditional haiku, where the arrangement of syllables is 5-7-5, ask students to write “pi-kus” using a 3-1-4 arrangement for a fun twist.
- Measure circular items. Have students measure the radius, diameter, and circumference of different circle-shaped items in your classroom. If you decide to throw a Pi Day party, you can have them do the same with their pi-themed treats.
- Hold a pi recitation contest. Turn Pi Day into a fun competition by challenging students to memorize as many digits of pi as they possibly can.
- Organize a scavenger hunt. Put together a scavenger hunt around the school or classroom for students to find pi-related items, such as paper cutouts of pies or pi-related words in magazines and books, and so on.
- Read a pi-themed story. Encourage younger students to start exploring pi with read-alouds that involve pi. Check your library for books about pi or even stories about famous mathematicians.
- Create a pi skyline. Teach about the numbers in pi by having students create a vertical bar graph, using graph paper, where each bar corresponds to a digit in pi. You’ll end up with miles of skyline to decorate your classroom with.
Plan your Pi Day in minutes with no-prep activities
If you’re looking for Pi Day ideas that you can implement with no prior planning and minimal materials, this resource has you covered.
Last Minute, No-Prep Pi Day Activity Ideas
By Elementary Inquiry
Grades: 5th-7th
This list of 10 last-minute, no-prep Pi Day activities is perfect for whatever you need. Some ideas can be completed with students in just a few minutes, while others could fill an entire lesson. Choose one activity if you can’t set aside much time to celebrate, or do them all for loads of Pi Day fun!
Pi Day Activities for Elementary Students
While younger students might not be ready to learn and apply the concept of pi just yet, it doesn’t mean they can’t participate in Pi Day fun! Start familiarizing your class with this math concept and lay the foundation for future learning with these creative International Pi Day activities for elementary students.
Dive into what the concept of pi is
Get your math (and art) on with a variety of worksheets and activities that explore circles and the concept of pi. These activities are meant to introduce pi to younger students in an age-appropriate way.
Pi Day Activities – Circle Math and Art Fun for Elementary
By Meredith Anderson – Momgineer
Grades: K-4th
Standards: CCSS 2.MD.D.9, 1.NBT.B.3, 2.NBT.A.4, 3.NBT.A.2, 4.NBT.B.4, 1.G.A.1, 2.G.A.1, 3.G.A.1, 4.G.A.2
This resource includes several activities to celebrate Pi Day, such as a color-by-code activity, pop art coloring pages, a dot chain craft and bracelet projects, a Kadinsky-style art project, logic puzzles, and more. With so many activities to choose from, you can even save some of these for a rainy day or a sub tub, too!
Celebrate Pi Day with math and literacy games
Pi Day is a great day to get your students to celebrate math — and this collection of math and literacy activities can add a special and meaningful touch to your lessons on Pi Day.
Pi 3.14 DAY ACTIVITIES WORKBOOK BUNDLE | Literacy, Math, and fun!
By Teachin’ in the Sun
Grades: 2nd-8th
Ideal for substitute days, early finishers, or homework packets, these Pi Day activities help upper elementary students practice a variety of math and literacy skills.
Sharpen students’ math skills with pi-themed activities
Use this packet of no-prep activities, centered around the elementary math curriculum, to celebrate Pi Day in a fun and engaging way.
Pi Day Activities Elementary
By Teaching Math and More
Grades: 3rd-5th
This packet includes six engaging math activities that have students work on addition, subtraction, multiplication, comparing fractions, measurement, line plots, and pictographs as they learn more about the number pi.
Learn all about Pi Day
Introduce your students to this international mathematical holiday with two original texts that cover the history of Pi Day and the celebrations that take place on Pi Day.
Pi Day Read and Respond (Digital or Print)
By The Knitted Apple
Grades: 3rd-5th
Standards: CCSS RI.3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.2; LA.3.6.A, G
For each text, there are two response choices, which aim to help students practice answering comprehension questions, determining the topic and purpose, summarizing the text, and determining the main idea and supporting details.
Pi Day Activities for Middle School and High School
With these International Pi Day activities for high school and middle school students, embrace both fun and rigor in your lessons. Help students remember the digits of π, understand pi as an irrational number, and learn how to measure the circumference of circular objects. Plus, encourage your class’ creativity amid your math lessons with art and writing activity components!
Learn how to write a poem in “pilish”
If you’re looking for an interdisciplinary Pi Day activity, you can easily join in on the celebration by having students write a poem in “pilish” — that is, a form of writing where each word must contain the same number of letters as the sequence of pi.
Pi Day and Poetry with Luck of the Pilish FREEBIE
By Route 22 Educational Resources
Grades: 4th-8th
This simple print-and-go activity can support poetry lessons or help math teachers add a fun writing component to their lessons.
Warm up their brains with pi-themed puzzles
There’s no better way to celebrate Pi Day than with a few brain teaser puzzles that focus on the value of pi. These interactive puzzles are sure to make learning about pi memorable and enjoyable for your students.
Pi Day Puzzles
By To the Square Inch- Kate Bing Coners
Grades: 4th-8th
Sharpen students’ algebraic skills with these 10 puzzles that can be completed without any prior knowledge of how to calculate the area and circumferences of circles. It includes printable versions for easy classroom use, a digital version for seamless integration into Google Classroom, and an answer key for quick and easy grading.
Pi Day Activities – Puzzles
By weatherly
Grades: 5th-10th
Make math memorable and enjoyable for your students with this no-prep resource that includes five different puzzles about pi, including a game of sudoku, a word search, a cartesian graph, and more.
Calculate area and circumference with partners
No Pi Day math class celebration can be complete without using pi to solve a few math problems! Have students work together to practice finding the area and circumferences of circles with this quick partner activity.
Pi Day Partner Activity Area and Circumference of Circles
By Mrs Padillas Math Class
Grades: 7th-8th
Standards: CCSS 7.G.B.4
This resource includes two worksheets — one for each partner — and has a total of eight problems for them to solve. Once they match their answers, they can complete a festive Pi Day color-by-number activity.
Combine problem-solving with a game of musical chairs
Get your students moving around and working on their math skills with this fun Pi Day activity. Arrange seats in a circle, place a math problem on each seat, and start the music! When the music stops, have each student answer the question on the seat in front of them.
Pi Day Musical Chairs Middle School
By Misty Miller
Grades: 7th-8th
Standards: CCSS 7.G.B.4
This resource includes 32 game cards with a range of problems for students to solve, a student recording sheet, and an answer key. You can use this as a group activity to review the concepts, or as task cards for individuals or partners.
Solve math problems to create a Pi Day picture
Add a little flair to your Pi Day lessons with this color-by-number activity. The best part? This can be used at any point in the year — not just March 14th — to practice finding the area and circumference of circles.
Area and Circumference of Circles Pi Day | Coloring Activity
By All Things Algebra
Grades: 6th-10th
In this set of 12 problems, students are given either the radius or the diameter of a circle and asked to find that circle’s area or circumference. Students then match their answers to a key and color the pi symbol accordingly.
Make math fun with Pi Day activities from TPT
High-pressure math environments are known for causing fear among students, and this math anxiety actually inhibits student performance. So, make sure to take every opportunity to infuse a little more light-hearted fun into your math lessons, whether through Pi Day activities or Halloween math lessons. Discover more resources about pi, for every grade and subject, on TPT.
