Mornings can be rough for everyone. Students and teachers don’t want to wake up for the day, and if the sun isn’t shining, those days can have a slow start. A fun morning meeting is a great way to start the day in any classroom. But with 180 days of school in a school year give or take–coming up with questions to ask can be taxing!
Morning meetings provide the students and teachers with the purpose of the day and give them a sense of direction. It’s a nice way to interact and connect before the academic portion of the day begins.
Morning Meeting Ideas
There are many ways to start a morning meeting, one of which is a morning message. A morning message is a bright, cheery reminder for the students. Many kids love to share what is going on in their world, so morning meeting questions give a controlled way for them to participate.
It might be a fun quote, a silly joke, or a simple reminder to keep kids on task. It creates a classroom community and gets the day started with a smile.
Play a Morning Meeting Game
A fun game is a perfect way to get kids up and moving or thinking before starting math or reading. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to implement games, so students get used to them.
These don’t have to be intricate games, they could be as simple as a get-to-know-you game with a ball or a Simon Says-type activity.
Use Morning Meeting Questions
A question of the day is a fun way to get the kids thinking when you start your lessons. You’d be surprised, but many students report this being their favorite thing they do all day. It’s a great way to connect with one another and express themselves.
A super fun way to get kids involved in the daily questions is to give each of them a sticky note to add questions to your list. As the week (or month) goes on, ask their questions. They’ll feel like part of the community and get some fun questions and answers. It’s a great community-building tool.
Here’s a brief list of morning meeting ideas and questions for kids.
Morning Meeting Questions for Kids
- What do you like most about school and why?
- Who is someone you admire? Tell us why.
- If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?
- Tell us about your favorite book right now.
- What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
- What is the hardest thing you have done in your life so far?
- Where is the best place to do your homework?
- Tell us your favorite color and what you like about it.
- What’s a bad habit you wish to break?
- Do you think social media is good for kids? Why?
- If you could make or remove one school rule, what would it be?
- Tell us about who you live with.
- Who is your favorite cartoon character?
- Tell us about your proudest moment in the last month or two.
- What is your favorite smell?
- What is the best compliment you can give someone?
- What is your favorite kind of music?
- Ask how each student feels.
- What is your least favorite food?
- What is your favorite time of year and why?
- Tell us your favorite way to unwind at the end of the day.
- Give them a social scenario to respond to (bullying, sharing, interrupting, playing outside, etc.).
- What do you think is the hardest part about being a (middle school, elementary school, or high school) student?
- Tell us about your favorite holiday and how you celebrate it.
- Share some special events coming up in your life.
- What is something fun you did over the weekend?
- What is your favorite thing to do with your friends?
- What is something new you learned recently?
- What is your favorite book?
- What is your favorite movie?
- What is your favorite song?
- What is your favorite animal?
- What is your favorite video game?
- What is something you’re looking forward to?
- What is something that makes you happy?
- What is something you’re good at?
- What is something you want to learn?
- What is your favorite food?
- What is something you’re proud of?
- What is your favorite sport?
- What is something you want to do when you grow up?
- What is your favorite subject in school?
- What is your favorite thing about your teacher?
- What is something you did that made you feel brave?
- What is something you did to help someone else?
- What is your favorite thing to do outside?
- What is your favorite holiday?
- What is your favorite thing about spring?
- What is your favorite thing about summer?
- What is your favorite thing about fall?
Fun morning meeting questions like this become great icebreakers for the students in your classroom. If you have a large class, choose a student of the day to answer or just a few to participate each day. It’s best if all students can give their input of course. These questions will easily lead to meaningful discussion among your students.
Morning Meeting Ideas
Many kids do not like speaking up in class or sharing. In that case, you may wish to rotate your morning meeting questions with morning meeting ideas. This is a tip, joke, or something else that the teacher shares, rather than having the kids share.
Here are morning meeting ideas and questions to help you kickstart your day!
Morning Meeting Ideas:
- Share a motivational quote
- Share a fun fact
- Share a positive news story
- Share a joke or funny meme
- Share a video that inspired you
- Share a song that motivates you
- Share a personal story about a challenge you overcame
- Share a book you recently read
- Share an app or tool that you find helpful
- Share a recipe for a healthy breakfast
- Share a stretch or exercise routine to get the day started
- Share a mindfulness or meditation exercise
- Share a travel destination you want to visit
- Share a new skill you learned
- Share a productivity tip
- Share a hobby you enjoy
- Share a favorite quote from a book or movie
- Share a goal you want to achieve this week
- Share a challenge you want to overcome
- Share a positive affirmation
- Share a gratitude practice or challenge
- Share a lesson you learned from a mistake
- Share a fun game or puzzle to get the brain going
- Share a riddle or brain teaser
- Share a trivia question
- Share a motivational speech
- Share a personality test
- Share a creative writing prompt
- Share a journaling prompt
- Share a favorite poem
- Share a famous quote
- Share a favorite movie or TV show
- Share a virtual tour of a museum or landmark
- Share a funny GIF or meme
- Share a recipe for a healthy lunch
- Share a DIY project idea
- Share a charitable cause or organization to support
- Share a nature photo or video
- Share a travel photo or video
- Share a personal photo or video
- Share a social media post or campaign to support
- Share a new technology or innovation
- Share a virtual workout routine
- Share a favorite book or article excerpt
- Share a mental health tip
- Share a historical event or anniversary
- Share a current event or news story
- Share a joke or pun of the day
- Share a motivational speech or quote from a coach or athlete
- Share a personal development exercise
- Share a new hobby or interest you want to explore
- Share a favorite childhood memory
- Share a life lesson you learned from a family member
- Share a lesson you learned from a teacher or mentor
- Share a favorite piece of art or music
- Share a favorite quote from a famous person
- Share a favorite recipe for a healthy dinner
- Share a personal success story
- Share a book or article recommendation
- Share a mindfulness exercise
- Share a personal goal for the day
- Share a funny story or memory
- Share a favorite quote from a philosopher or spiritual leader
- Share a new language word or phrase
- Share a virtual field trip or tour
Pair students up for morning meeting sharing
Especially if you have a large class, it may be beneficial to break your class into smaller groups or pairs to hold their discussions. Do this as part of the daily morning meeting and allow students plenty of time to chit-chat.
Give them morning meeting conversation starters questions and let their discussions take over. Walk around the room and add input as needed and see what they are all saying.
WH Questions
A great way to adapt this for some IEP students is to make your morning meeting questions WH questions. Here is a printable list of WH questions to try.
Classroom Activity Ideas
- 15 Survival Tips for Implementing IEPs in a Busy Classroom (and Keeping Your Sanity Intact)
- How to Add More to Circle Time in Your Classroom (10 Fun Ideas!)
- Morning Meeting Questions for Kids
- 17 Free All About Me Worksheets
- The Autism Classroom: 10 Ways to Make it More Inclusive and Neurodiversity Affirming
