The 5 Best Back to School Morning Meeting Activities
When I plan my back to school morning meeting activities, my big motivator is choosing games that encourage relationship building while giving me the opportunity for teaching morning meeting routines and expectations.
Students are not always ready to jump right into high energy games, first they need to learn your expectation for what morning meeting activities look like versus indoor recess versus outdoor recess. We can’t just assume they know the difference! Especially depending on their age- they really might not know the difference because they only hear “game”!
So I like to start the year with calm, low movement games that help students learn about each other and my expectations for playing in our classroom. Responsive classroom morning meeting activities are intended to promote social and emotional development in your students. A clear established routine is the perfect way to make sure your morning meeting activities can be effective! To help you establish your routine and expectation I made a freebie of questions to think through!
#1 Take Sides
Take Sides is an activity for students to move a certain direction depending on their opinion. You will say two contrasting statements. If the students agree with the first one they move to the left, if they agree with the second one they move to the right, if they are in the middle or neither they stay put.
This is a great game for students to get to know each other and form connections. It is also a great opportunity to practice safe and appropriate movements during morning meeting activities.
I wrote the contrasting statements for you! Click the button to grab them!
#2 Line Up Freeze Dance
Line Up Freeze Dance is one of these perfect morning meeting activities to integrate into practicing procedures! So you play music and students can dance around the room or in their spot. When the music stops, the students need to quickly, safely, and calmly go line up.
I use this to practice getting into line order. You can use it for any procedure that students need to go to certain spot around the room or back to their seats. It can also be used to practice taking out or putting away materials!
It is helpful to use interactive modeling with the procedures you want to talk about- showing how the task is done correctly and incorrectly so that the excitement of the music won’t interfere with the students knowing exactly what is expected of them!
#3 School Bell Rings
In order to play this game, students should stand in a circle with one student in the middle. The student in the middle begins by saying, “The school bell rings for anyone who likes ____” and fills in something they like. The students who agree with that statement move across the circle to another spot. The last student in the circle without a spot says the next phrase.
This is one of the morning meeting activities that students need to move very carefully showing a lot of body awareness. I use this game to teach and model that.
These three games are from my Morning Meeting Back to School Activity Cards.
#4 Mystery Frogger
Now for some of the fun, silly activities to teach, model, and practice self control. The class stands in a circle, except the student chosen to be the guesser who goes out in the hallway. While they are gone, the mystery frogger is chosen. Then you bring the guesser back into the middle of the circle. The mystery frogger needs to look around the circle and stick their tongue out at someone (while making eye contact) which turns them into a frog. The students turned into frogs should crouch down. The guesser needs to keep looking around trying to figure out who this mystery frogger is who is turning everyone into frogs! They can have two guesses!
I love that this game unites the students to work together to show cooperation and teamwork. This is a really fun one that we play over and over throughout the year!
#5 One Thing You Like To Do
To play this morning meeting game, one student should be chosen to stand up in front of the class and act out an activity they like to do. Students should then raise their hands to guess. Whoever guesses correctly has the next term to act out an activity. This can continue as long as you want to play!
This game is perfect for discussing that everyone will not get a turn everyday during these types of morning meeting activities. We talk about being an encouraging classmate and good sport.
These two games are from my Morning Meeting Activity Cards.
Feel overwhelmed? I got you! I have the whole year planned for you! Start with the 4 weeks of September Morning Meetings and see what you think!
Want to know my top 5 favorite morning meeting greetings for back to school?! Click the picture!
