Simple, Stress-Free Morning Routines for the Classroom
Mornings in the classroom are stressful. You have students pouring in with notes from their parents (who are also probably emailing you at the same moment), adults popping their heads in with schedule changes (the specials teacher is sick and there's no sub), kids who have forgotten their lunch boxes, and you need to take attendance before the secretary calls you asking about it for the third time this week.
Sound familiar?
Mornings don't have to be this way. When I set aside time for a few simple morning routines, my mornings were infinitely more relaxed, which in turn set the tone for the rest of the day.
These routines are loosely based on Responsive Classroom routine of Morning Meeting, but I've twisted some to meet my needs (read this as: NO PREP!) and changed the order around a bit.
1. SET THE TONE WITH A SONG (OR TWO)
When my students enter the room, I greet them, they get unpacked, and they head to their carpet spot. As they are entering, I always, always, always have music playing. I don't know about you, but for me, music can take a not-so-good morning and completely turn it around - and the same is true for my kids. Once they're unpacked, it's their time to be social. We do a lot of talking at the beginning of the year about what this looks like and how to start conversation with friends. I've found that because I give them this time to relax and socialize at the beginning of the day, they're less chatty when it's time to get to work.
As students are chatting on the carpet, I'm putting out fires left and right (emailing that parent, consoling a crying student, etc, etc.). I also have our morning message pulled up on the interactive whiteboard (more on this in a minute!)
I spend a TON of time curating my morning playlist because, 1) I can't stand Kidz Bop and I want to enjoy what we're listening to as well and 2) I want it to be clean and safe for little ears. Click the image below to snag some FREE morning songs.
2. MORNING MESSAGE
As students are chatting at the carpet, I have a morning message pulled up that has a "question of the day" - I've made these for the ENTIRE YEAR ahead of time, so all I have to do is pull it up and go. I'm all about that no prep life! We discuss the prompt and move on to housekeeping!
I also create a slide within this document for each day of the week that includes the date, the helpers of the day, and daily lunch choices. Want to give these messages a test drive? Subscribe to The Vault to snag a week for FREE (K-2 options currently included).
I also use this opportunity to go over our visual schedule for the day and talk about any important schedule changes. This is so helpful for the students who are constantly asking, "... but what are we doing next?!?!"
3. GREETING & ACTIVITY
After attendance and lunch count, we greet each other. This can be as simple as giving a handshake or saying good morning, or as complex as a greeting song or game! I've compiled some of my favorite greetings and activities - snag it for FREE by entering your email below!
Don't feel like you have to think up a new greeting and activity every day. I spend some time at the beginning of the school year testing out greetings and activities, and then we stick with our favorites on a rotation! My kids love the predictability as much as I do!
4. SHARES
Sharing our lives with others is a huge part of building a community that trusts one another. Some people choose to guide their morning shares with a prompt, but I have found that sharing our WOWs and POWs has been much more powerful for my students.
A WOW is something great that has been happening in our lives
A POW is a not-so-great thing that is happening
At the beginning of the year, we talk about what is appropriate to share with classmates and what needs to be kept to themselves (or shared with a trusted adult).
Two students share each day. When a student shares a WOW, they hold Huey, our light up chameleon (he matches the color of whatever object you place him on!). When they share a POW, they hold Mr. Grumpy Cat.
After each student shares, they are able to take two questions, comments, or compliments from the group. We work really hard in our classroom to keep the focus on the share-er. This is a great social skill for young students who often want to say, "One time my brother did that and...."
The best part about these shares? They require no prep and very little guidance from me, but are so meaningful for my students. I've also found that ending our morning meeting with shares has a calming effect on my kids, and we're able to start our learning off on the right foot!
I hope that you're able to add one of these routines to your morning to simplify and streamline your day.
Interested in snagging some morning meeting messages for FREE? Head over to The Vault for more details!
