4 Morning Meeting Ideas for Upper Elementary

Let’s face it. Mornings in the classroom can be tough. By the time you get to school, you might already be tired and wishing you had a few more minutes of quiet time before your students walk through the door. On the other hand, your students arrive in many different states of mind. Some may be tired and cranky, while others walk into the building feeling safe and happy. It’s your job to get everyone to leave their problems at the door. That’s why you need morning ideas that really do work. Here are four morning meeting ideas for upper elementary classrooms.

Hear this. It is your job to help your students transition from whatever they are dealing with each morning into a happy, productive day in your classroom. How you greet them matters. What you do from the moment they see you each morning matters. You want your classroom to always feel like a safe space for your students. I have tried many different things to achieve this goal. Here are a few of my favorites.

4 Morning Meeting Ideas That Work:

1. Greet with a Smile.

Yes, I know it’s ultra simple, but it’s oh-so-effective. By standing in the doorway of your classroom and greeting every, single child by name with a smile on your face, you are showing your kiddos that you care. You are making a statement that they matter to you. Our students need this more than we can imagine, and that simple smile will mean more to them than you’ll ever know.

Feel like just greeting your students with a smile isn’t enough? Add a secret handshake or greeting that helps to build classroom community. Institute a secret password that does a quick review of a skill you’ve been working on. Have a daily question that students will answer as they enter the room. These questions can help you get to know a little more about your students.

2. Morning Messages

A morning message is a really simple idea to implement in the classroom. You simply write a message on the board, or type it up and project it, for the students to read when they arrive.

The message can be a quick greeting, a note about something funny you saw the evening before, a quote, or some words of motivation. Have students copy the message into a journal and share their own related thoughts or pictures. Or, students can respond on a sticky note and stick it to the board when they are done. It’s a fun twist on traditional writing journals.

Take a few minutes to go over the daily responses. It is a great way to help build classroom community and relationships in the classroom.

Not sure where to start? Download Your FREE Morning Message Idea List. It is filled with ideas, examples, and questions to get you started!

3. Morning Meetings

I know some of you are rolling your eyes right now and thinking “morning meeting is for the primary grades.” I understand . . . but before you dismiss the idea let’s see how it can be used in upper elementary!

In an upper elementary classroom, morning meeting is NOT going to look the same as in a primary classroom. However, the idea of starting the day, reviewing important information and making sure everyone is on the same page is actually a great one. And . . . you can incorporate things like a daily planner to help teach organization skills.

There’s so many things you can include in a morning meeting in the upper elementary grades. Here’s just some ideas: the day’s schedule making note of any changes, upcoming special events, reminders of due dates, current events, reviewing the morning message or daily writing prompt, telling a joke, word of the day, and anything else that would make your classroom more smoothly. You can also incorporate social emotional learning, character traits or your school’s bullying curriculum during this time.

4. Choice Boards

Choice boards are great for so many things. They are perfect for morning meeting ideas because they allow students to get to choose what THEY want to do right off the bat. It also gives students who finish their morning message early something else to work on that is productive and engaging.

I have the perfect Choice Boards for you! They include math, reading, writing, and creating activities. I know you and your students will love them.

Choice Boards can be used throughout the day as part of your classroom management program. Simple provide a place where students can find the choice board and work. You might set up a specific area in your classroom, or you might have students keep a Choice Board notebook. Either way, any time students need something to do they know just where to look!

Find for more great ideas for morning work in this post. They will not only help with morning meeting, but they will also help to streamline the morning arrival time.

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Be sure and save these 4 morning meeting ideas for upper elementary to your favorite classroom Pinterest board. You and your students will love them!

Related Product of Interest:

Projectable Morning Work