MOVING THE MORNING MEETING

There is a limit to the time that children can sit and pay attention, but this idea might help spark interest in your morning routine as you build skills. Think about having older children stand and walk around the room to face the flag, calendar, word wall, and classroom alphabet. As children stand and walk around the room you can engage them in some of the songs, movements, and interactive activities suggested.

My World
What? flag, US map, poster of handshakes, classroom rules

How? Sing a good morning song, say the pledge, do a handshake, review rules, etc.

Math/Science
What? calendar, weather chart, hundreds chart, daily schedule

How? Sing songs about the days of the week or the month, review your daily schedule. Sing the weather song and have a “meteorologist” report. Count, add boys and girls, think of equations that equal the date, etc.


Word Wall
What? word wall, flashlight, pointer, fly swatter

How? Sing, dance, clap, and cheer words. Make sentences with words, play games, spotlight words, spell words with sign language, etc.

Alphabet Wall
What? class alphabet, pointers

How? Sing alphabet songs and play letter recognition games. Clap on consonants and jump on vowels. Do Karate writing where children punch up high for tall letters, punch in front of them for middle letters, and give a little kick for letters with a tail.



Hint! Even if you don’t want to do all of the above activities, it’s important to get the children up and wake up their brains with a song or movement activity.