The Life-Changing Magic of Morning Meetings [with a Free Getting-Started Guide]
Your complete guide to the what, why, and how of classroom morning meetings.
What is Morning Meeting?
Mornings in the classroom can be 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 you set aside time for daily morning meetings, you'll find your mornings to be infinitely more relaxed, which in turn will set the tone for the rest of the day. But WHAT is a morning meeting?
Morning meetings are a dedicated time to check in with your students, connect with them, and have fun with them.
Why is Morning Meeting Important?
The benefits of morning meetings reach far beyond just a way to manage the chaos of each morning. You'll see your students' social skills and self-regulation improve. You'll see a community begin to form - one that has fun, works hard, has inside jokes, and above all - supports one another. You'll see a group of students who is comfortable taking risks within the safe place you have carefully crafted for them.
But hold on, won't this take time out of your already limited instructional day? Yes, yes it will. And it's worth it, I promise. My favorite principal of all time used to constantly remind her teachers that we must, "go slow to go fast" - meaning that the time we spend building relationships is never wasted and allows us to have a bigger impact on students in the long run.
The Parts of Morning Meeting
There are four parts of morning meetings - greeting, sharing, activity, and message. Here’s a little road map:
1 - Morning Meeting Greeting
We don't know how our students started their day at home, but we can greet each of them by name and make them feel seen and welcome within our classroom.
A daily greeting is a wonderful way for our students to practice the skills of eye contact, a firm handshake, and offering hospitality to new people. These skills will serve them well in the years to come.
2 - Morning Meeting Share
Sharing is perhaps the most impactful part of morning meetings when it comes to building relationships.
At the beginning of the school year, I recommend starting with "around the circle" types of sharing where students each give their answer to a question (ex: what's your favorite color?).
As the year goes on and students are more comfortable, we begin sharing "news" about our lives. 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...." I have a post explaining my favorite no-prep morning meeting share routine here.
You can also use your sharing time to incorporate some academic concepts and give students time to share their answers with a neighbor. I like to use a mixture of all three types of sharing.
3 - Morning Meeting Activity
Sharing might be the most impactful part of our meetings, but activities are definitely the most fun! It's amazing the relationship-building that can take place during these activities. The shared experience of playing a game together as a class is so powerful, and I think you'll start to see the results of this right away.
At the beginning of the year when students are still settling in, consider choosing activities where all students are participating but the focus isn't on one specific student. I've found that some groups of students are "performers" while others are quieter and don't like the spotlight. Choose activities based on the personality of your students during a given year.
This part of your morning meeting will help students feel comfortable taking risks within your classroom - both academically and socially.
Planned-For-You Greetings, Activities, and Shares
Need some ideas for greetings, activities, and shares for your morning meetings? I’ve got you covered. The cards below are included in my FREE morning meeting toolkit. Enter your info in the form below and it will be delivered directly to your inbox!
4 - Morning Message
Last but not least, the message! The part of morning meeting is a chance for you to write a note to your students. This note can be as short or as long as you'd like. It's a great opportunity to reinforce the academic skills that you're currently teaching (ex: if you're working on the 'short a' sound, you could leave a blank for each 'short a' in your message and have students help you complete the words). It's also a good time to build excitement for your day, review procedures, or go over your schedule for the day. This message template slide is also included in my morning meeting toolkit!
How Long is a Morning Meeting?
Before you can dive in and hold your first morning meeting, there are a few things to consider. First, what amount of time do you have to devote to daily meetings? Ideally, you would have 20-30 minutes at the beginning of each day, but a quality morning meeting can be held in as little as 10 minutes if necessary.
Other Things to Consider
You’ll want to consider your space. In the "before times," I'd have said you need a space where students could gather in a circle, but the pandemic has thrown a wrench in things, hasn't it? Is there a way that you can arrange your students so that they can see each others' faces? Finally, consider the signals and procedures you want to put in place for your meetings. For example, my students enter the classroom to music, unpack, then meet at the carpet. They know that they can chat quietly at the carpet until the chime rings, which signals the beginning of our meeting.
Love Morning Meetings but Tired of Planning?
I’ve got you. Click your grade level below for an entire year of prepped-for-you morning meetings.
Download Your FREE Morning Meeting Toolkit
Morning meetings are my JAM, but I didn’t always feel that way. Elementary teachers already have to plan so much to make each day effective, so adding the task of planning a five-part daily meeting can be a little (okay, a lot) overwhelming before you get the hang of it. I’m so passionate about the transformation morning meetings can make in a classroom that I’ve spent the better part of 5 years designing and perfecting morning meeting resources for teachers. i just finished this FREE morning meeting toolkit and I can’t wait to share it with you. What’s inside?
Getting Started with Morning Meeting eBook
Clickable Morning Song Playlists
Editable Morning Message Slide
Weekly Planner
Ready-to-Print greetings, activities, and share ideas
