Have you ever heard of MORNING MEETINGS?(Also known as, the couple extra minutes to take attendance, submit lunch counts, read parent notes, etc.
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This is a small moment at the start of the day (10-15 minutes total) that focuses on building classroom community. After the last few years we’ve endured, we NEED that community now more than ever! Give one (or more) of these Morning Meeting ideas a try in your classroom.
Morning meetings in a nutshell are:
- Whole group greetings that may include songs, chants, whole group questions, journaling with shared responses, morning work, etc.
- They build speaking and listening skills.
- Encourage cooperative learning through shared responses.
- Help to establish expectations and routines.
The KEY here is that your morning meetings should happen EVERY DAY. Being consistent is extremely important.
Keep reading for some amazing Morning Meeting Ideas and greetings you can use in your classroom!
But before we hop into those ideas… have you ever walked into your classroom late and realized that you don’t have the activities you need for your lessons that day?! Talk about a teacher’s worst nightmare.
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Morning Meeting Idea 1.
Paperless Morning Meeting Slides K/1
Our Paperless Morning Meeting Slides for K/1 is NO PREP. Just project on the screen and go. 225 total slides with 45 Math Monday, 45 Task Card Tuesday, 45 Word Work Wednesday, 45 Three Things Thursday, and 45 Feelings Friday. You and your students will LOVE the daily prompts!
2.Paperless Morning Meeting Slides 2/3
Similar to the K/1 set, the 2/3 set also has 225 slides but with more complex prompts. My favorites are the Feelings Friday slides. Opening conversations around feelings is huge, especially with our 2nd and 3rd-grade students.
Morning Meeting Idea 3.Math Warm-Ups
If you start the day with math, our Math Warm-Ups are the perfect morning meeting idea for you. Our Math Warm-Ups include 45 weeks of engaging and comprehensive math exercises designed to help your kids grasp concepts through daily review. Project the daily slide on the board, have students work them out in their math journals, then bring them to the carpet to start the day and go over the warm-up as a whole.
Morning Meeting Idea 4.Morning Work
Maybe you’re looking for something more independent for your students. Morning work is a great option if you are wanting to check in with individual students or small groups of students. Students complete the morning work while you meet with students. Then, the morning work is checked as a whole group.
5. Journaling 
Journal prompts are a WONDERFUL way to get students thinking creatively first thing in the morning. Once the students have had a couple of minutes to write, they have the opportunity to share out with one another. Think about the great speaking/listening practice they will have?! ETTC has a set of 180 Journal Prompts for primary grades! Check them out HERE.
Morning Meeting Idea 6. Read Alouds
What better way to start the day than with a book?! The goal of your morning meeting is building classroom community, and books are an EASY way to achieve this! Below are some of my personal favorites that address different social/emotional topics: (links are for Amazon)
Charlotte’s Web (for older grades, can be read over multiple settings)
Morning Meeting Idea 7. Goal Setting
How many of you wish you could be better at goal setting, especially with your students? Some morning meetings can be used for Goal Setting! Meet as a whole group, greet one another, then set some goals!
8.SEL Slides and Activities
Why not begin each day with a “check-in”? We know there is a HUGE push for the implementation of social-emotional learning, especially after this previous school year. At ETTC, we have crafted a yearlong SEL resource for K-2 and 3-5 with EVERYTHING you’ll need to foster, grow, and support your students’ emotional needs. Use the “daily check-ins” portion to connect with your students from the moment they walk in your room!
9. “Would You Rather” or “Are You More Like”
Okay, not only are these games great for morning meetings, but they’re also fun to play in faculty meetings (cough*admin*cough). “Would You Rather…” is a game where students are given prompts like, ”Would you rather run to school or ride on a scooter?” Students share responses and give specific reasons why they’d choose one answer over another.
Another version of this is “Are You More Like…” where students have to think critically about which object they’re more like. For example, think for a minute, “Are you more like a lawn flamingo or a lawn gnome?” Here, the focus is on how they apply the item to their life. Want to try out “Are You More Like…”? Click HERE for an example!
Bonus #10. Social Studies Daily Calendar Slides
Start your mornings with a little bit of history. Each day your students will learn about a national holiday that occurs on that calendar day. After reading a short summary of the special day, they can listen to a read-aloud or watch a quick video. It is an easy way to engage your students every morning while you take care of all the things.
Now that you’ve seen some of the morning meeting ideas, let’s talk greetings.
In morning meetings, saying hello to everyone is part of the routine. Here are some of my favorite greetings for your morning meetings: (from HarmonySEL.org)
1. Pass a Smile
For this greeting, start in a circle. The teacher smiles at a student, who in turn makes eye contact and smiles at another student. This continues until everyone has had a turn. The last student turns and smiles at the teacher.
2. The Wave
Ever been to a concert or sporting event and someone starts “the wave”? This is the same concept. One student starts the wave and it continues until the last student has had a turn. This can be completed several times, changing direction, speed, arm height (think tiny T. Rex arm wave), etc.
3. Keep it Up
For this greeting, you need a balloon. (Maybe a few. 
) The greeting is simple. The first student sends the balloon into the air using one hand and the next student hits it with only one hand. Objective…get the balloon around the circle with each student using one hand and hitting it one time. I love this idea because it incorporates movement and a lot of focus for the students. I can hear the giggles now.
4. Marching Band
Okay, I’ll admit, I had not heard of this greeting before. Students pair up and choose a musical instrument to act out. The entire class acts out their musical instruments at the same time resulting in a…marching band. Sounds noisy yet cute!
5. Silent Squeeze
Simple greeting here with a silent squeeze. Start in a whole group circle. The teacher squeezes the hand of the student to her right. That student squeezes the next student’s hand and so on until it gets back to the teacher.
6. Hop and Break
Need a quick movement greeting? Try out Hop and Break. The students hop around the room (or in place) until the announcer yells “break” and a number (break 4 or break 2, etc.). Once announced, the students gather into that sized group. From here they can greet one another or share their journal responses, morning meeting slide responses, etc.
Once you’ve decided which morning meeting ideas and greetings you’d like to try first, write them into your schedule. If it’s there, there’s a better chance it’ll actually happen. Remember, it doesn’t have to be long, just do it every day. Make it ROUTINE, your students will love the time together. Over time, you’ll create an amazing classroom bond!
Written by: Heather Wagoner
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