Are you ready to kickstart your day with a burst of enthusiasm and foster a positive classroom environment with Morning Meeting Activities? We’re diving headfirst into the wonderful world of morning meeting activities. We’ll explore creative and interactive ways to start your day on a high note, ensuring that both you and your students are energized and ready to conquer the day ahead. Here are my top 10 Engaging Morning Meeting Activities.
Morning Meeting Activity #1 – Deserted Island
Deserted Island is an engaging classroom game that sparks creativity and problem-solving skills among students. In this game, the teacher decides if the student can be on their deserted island depending on what the student suggests to bring.
For example, my rule – which the kids don’t know ahead of time, might be things that have a short /a/ in the word. So if a student suggests bringing a cat to the deserted island then they can come and I write their item on the board. If the student suggests bringing a dog they could not come since dog does not have a short /a/ in it. So that word would not be added to the board. You play until someone is able to guess the specific rule. This is a great morning meeting activity for tying in phonics skills!
Morning Meeting Activity #2 – Word Creator
Word Creator is fun and also academic! Students create as many words as they can using the letters given on the board. The tricky part is that the letters must be touching! I always challenge my class to see if they can beat the number of words that they came up with the last time. This is always one of their favorite morning meeting activities.
Morning Meeting Activity #3 – Digit Place
Digit Place is a great Math Morning Meeting Activity. This helps students build number sense and work on their math skills. This game can be played whole group, small group, or with a partner. Click HERE to see how to play.
Morning Meeting Activity #4 – Quick Draw
This is always a class favorite! For Quick Draw, students have 2 minutes (you could change the time) to draw the item you tell them to. I have my students use white boards and then share their drawing with a partner or their table. This activity can be tailored to a certain theme (for example, Halloween themed in October) or certain things you’re learning about in class.
Morning Meeting Activity #5 – Just Like Me
Just Like Me is a great community builder game and one I like to use often the first month of school. Here’s how you play…
- Class sits in a circle.
- 1 student stands in the middle.
- Student in the middle share something they like. For example – “I like Legos.”
- Students who also like Legos stand and say, “Just like me.”
- The student in the middle sits back down in the circle.
- Then, a different student comes into the middle and the game repeats until everyone has had a turn.
Morning Meeting Activity #6 – Story Starter
This activity is a great way for students to be creative with their writing. Students begin their story with the story starter and can then take it wherever they want! I love seeing them use their imaginations and try to choose fun and silly story starters. Afterwards, students can share their writing with a group/partner.
Morning Meeting Activity #7 – Wordle
Wordle is a captivating and educational online game that can be incorporated into the classroom setting. This word-guessing game provides an opportunity for students to increase their vocabulary, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. By trying to guess a five-letter word within six attempts, students engage in deductive reasoning and process of elimination. Wordle can be adapted for various subjects, such as vocabulary in language arts or exploring concepts in science or social studies.
Morning Meeting Activity #8 – I’m Going on a Trip
This is a great memory game. I also play this game with categories telling students it needs to be an animal, a food, or something we’re studying. First person says, “I’m going on a trip and I’m bringing a bear with me.” The next person repeats and adds on – “I’m going on a trip and I’m bringing a bear and a sea turtle.” This continues on and on until every student has had a chance to participate.
Morning Meeting Activity #9 – I’m Thinking of a Number
A student or teacher thinks of a number within certain parameters (0-100, 0-1,000, or whatever finds your class level). Once they have it they tell the class “I’m thinking of a number between 0 and 100.” Then, the other students have to guess. Sometimes I have them make a number guess and then the person who’s leading the game has to tell them higher or lower. This teaches strategy and also shows who is paying attention. I’ve also had them play where they have to ask questions. Does it have 3 digits? Is it between 400 and 500? Is there an 8 in the hundreds spot?
Morning Meeting Activity #10 – Noggle
Noggle is just like Word Creator above, but with numbers! For this activity, students create as many number sentences as they can with the given numbers. Just like Word Creator – the numbers must be touching. They can use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division. They can also create multi-step problems, which can add a nice challenge.
Grab FREE Week of Morning Meeting Activities
If you’d like to try a sample of my Morning Meeting Activity Slides, I have a free week for you to try HERE. This FREE week includes 5 different morning meeting activities to give you a taste of the Morning Meeting Fun. CLICK HERE TO GET THIS FREEBIE!