The Complete Guide to Morning Meetings in 1st Grade
- Valerie McBride-Taft
- Jul 24
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 24
If you’re wondering what a Morning Meeting is, how to make it work in a 1st-grade classroom, and why morning meetings are one of the most effective ways to build your classroom community, you’re in the right place.
Starting the day with a Morning Meeting routine has been one of the most impactful things I’ve done to create a calm, connected, and kind classroom. Whether you're new to teaching, new to first grade, or just looking to refresh your routines, this post will walk you through everything you need to know to get started using Morning Meetings in the classroom—especially in those crucial first weeks of school.
Changing Classroom Culture with Morning Meetings
I have been using morning meetings in my own classroom for over 10 years. My journey with morning meetings started out as a requirement from our building principal. She had recently attended a training through Responsive Classroom and knew that morning meeting was something she wanted to bring back to our building and practice building-wide.
I originally thought, “This will be a smooth transition; we already do a calendar routine.”
Morning Meeting is NOT a glorified calendar routine. It is not a quick “say hi” and let's dive into our learning.
Morning Meetings are a routine. They are intentional. They are linked to learning.
They build a classroom community.
After conducting morning meetings for a few weeks, I quickly realized that my students were more connected to each other than they had ever been. They had empathy for each other. They listened to each other. They had a deeper level of care and concern for each other than I had ever witnessed in my entire career.
Morning Meetings changed the culture of my classroom and built community in a way that I had never seen.
I haven’t stopped doing Morning Meetings since. Today I want to share with you everything I have learned about using Morning Meetings effectively in 1st grade!
Tips for Teaching 1st Grade
Morning Meeting is just ONE of the strategies that I use to teach 1st grade like a boss. I love teaching 1st grade, and I know that there are so many daily small moves that help teachers succeed in 1st grade.
Are you new to teaching 1st grade? Or maybe you have taught for years and are looking for new ideas? No matter where you are in your teaching journey, I would love to share tips, resources, and lesson ideas with you.
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What Is Morning Meeting?
Morning Meeting is a daily routine that helps students feel welcomed, connected, and ready to learn. It is a way to help students get ready for the day, enter into the classroom, and a routine that helps students settle into learning.
It’s a core component of the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching and behavior, and it focuses on building classroom community through structure, consistency, and care. Morning Meetings have the power to connect students together as a classroom community and teach many of the social skills that students need to be good classmates, like listening, empathy, turn-taking, and more.
Morning meetings are structured and create a routine that students can count on.
A Morning Meeting typically lasts about 15–20 minutes and follows this 4-part structure:
Greeting – Everyone is greeted by name in a friendly, respectful way.
Sharing – Students take turns responding to a simple prompt or telling about their lives.
Activity – A short, interactive game or task that promotes teamwork and fun.
Morning Message – A written message from the teacher that gives a warm welcome and a peek into the day ahead.
These components work together to support both social-emotional learning and academic readiness—and that’s exactly why it’s so effective in the primary classroom. After just a few days of Morning Meetings, my students look forward to starting the day with this effective routine—they love morning meetings!
The Benefits of Morning Meetings in the Classroom
Like I mentioned earlier, I originally had to do Morning Meetings because I had a principal who required them. She so passionately believed in the power of the morning meeting, our entire building had to start their day this way.
Now, I choose to continue starting my day with Morning Meetings because I passionately believe in them as a teacher. Morning Meetings build classroom communities in a way that I could have never predicted—it is magical.
The benefits of Morning Meetings extend past the 15-20 minutes we share in our Morning Meeting circle each day.
Some of the biggest benefits include:
Creates a safe, inclusive classroom climate where every child feels seen and heard.
Supports social-emotional development by teaching skills like turn-taking, empathy, and respectful listening.
Boosts classroom management by starting the day with calm routines and shared expectations.
Builds academic confidence through structured speaking, listening, and reading opportunities.
Promotes joy and connection, which helps reduce behavior issues later in the day.
In short? A strong Morning Meeting helps your classroom feel good and run better.
The 4 Components of the Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting
Like I mentioned before, a Morning Meeting is NOT a glorified calendar; it is intentional, well-planned, and follows a specific structure.
Let’s break down each part of the Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting, and I’ll share examples and tips specifically for first-grade teachers from my own classroom.
1️. Greeting
The Greeting is the first component of Morning Meeting and sets a warm, inclusive tone for the day. Each student is welcomed by name through a structured, friendly activity that helps build a sense of belonging and connection within the classroom community. Greetings may include a wave, handshake, movement, or chant—always adapted to be age-appropriate and inclusive for all students.
The goal of the greeting is to make sure every child is seen, heard, and acknowledged. It encourages students to practice respectful social interactions, learn names, and start the day with a smile. The greeting should be brief (2–5 minutes), clearly modeled, and enjoyable!
What it is: A friendly, structured way for students to acknowledge each other by name.
Why it matters: Greetings build connection, respect, and a sense of belonging.
Examples for 1st Grade:
Wave and say “Good morning, [Name]”
Ball toss greeting (gently toss a soft ball and greet the receiver)
“Mystery Motion” greeting (do a silly action as you greet someone)
💡Teacher Tip: Keep it simple the first few weeks! Model how to make eye contact, smile, and speak clearly.
2. Sharing
The Sharing component gives students a chance to speak and listen in a respectful, supportive environment. Each day, students respond to a simple prompt that encourages self-expression, builds connections, and helps classmates learn more about one another.
In primary grades, sharing is typically done as a quick “go-around” where each child responds with one or two sentences. Students can also “turn and talk” with a partner when time is limited. Over time, this builds confidence, listening skills, and a strong sense of community.
What it is: A chance for students to share something about themselves and practice listening to others.
Why it matters: Sharing builds empathy, strengthens relationships, and gives children a voice in the classroom.
Examples of Prompts:
“What do you like to play at recess?”
“What’s your favorite animal?”
“Who lives at your house?”
💡Teacher Tip: Use a talking piece to take turns. Offer sentence starters like “My name is ___ and I like ___” to build confidence.
3. Activity
The Activity is a short, playful group task that promotes teamwork, cooperation, and a sense of fun. Activities may include movement, games, partner work, drawing, or quick team challenges.
In primary grades, activities should be simple, fast-paced, and inclusive of all learners. They reinforce social skills like taking turns, problem-solving, and supporting others.
💡 Teacher Tip: Choose activities that are easy to explain and model. Keep it short (5–10 minutes), and focus more on the process than the outcome.
What it is: A quick group game or movement activity that builds energy, teamwork, or focus.
Why it matters: Activities help build cooperation and classroom community while giving kids a chance to move and laugh.
Examples:
Name games (like syllable claps)
Simple partner movement (high-fives, mirror games)
Recess charades or teamwork tasks
💡Teacher Tip: Keep it short (5 minutes or less) and model each step clearly.
4. Morning Message
The Morning Message is a short written note from the teacher to the class, displayed where all students can see it (e.g., on the whiteboard or easel). It welcomes students to the day, previews the schedule, and often includes a question or sentence related to the day’s learning or theme.
The message helps develop literacy skills, reinforces routines, and gives students a predictable way to settle into the day. Many teachers read it aloud together or have students help fill in missing words, sounds, or punctuation.
What it is: A written message from the teacher that welcomes the class and previews the day.
Why it matters: The Morning Message reinforces literacy skills, introduces the day’s routines, and helps students settle into the school day.
Ideas to Include:
A kind greeting (“Good morning, first graders!”)
What’s happening today (“We have P.E. and a read-aloud!”)
A question or wordplay (“What rhymes with ‘bug’?”)
💡Teacher Tip: Use predictable structure and read the message together. Make it interactive by leaving blanks or questions students can help fill in.
Using Morning Meeting in August (or Your First Month)
In the first month of school, your focus should be on:
Modeling each component step-by-step
Choosing simple, inclusive activities
Repeating greetings and routines so students know what to expect
Prioritizing connection over perfection
To make this easier, I created a full 21 days of August/Back to School Morning Meetings slides for 1st grade. They include 21 ready-to-go greetings, sharing prompts, activities, and editable morning messages—perfect for those first weeks of school.
Quick Tips for Success
Be consistent: Use the same format each day so students know what to expect.
Keep it short and meaningful: 15–20 minutes is just right.
Practice voice level, turn-taking, and listening behaviors daily.
Celebrate participation and kindness during the meeting.
And most importantly—make it fun! Morning Meeting should feel like a warm, joyful start to the day, not just another task.
Planning Morning Meetings
Morning meetings are a powerful tool to build community, create safety, and teach students important social skills. But, in order to maximize the benefits of morning meetings, they also require intentional planning. It is hard to plan effective morning meetings on the fly.
When I am planning for the upcoming week, I like to also plan my morning meetings too. This gives me time to intentionally plan activities that match our curriculum. I can plan to celebrate a student's birthday during the morning meeting if I know there is one coming up. I can also use my morning activity to practice or talk about an unusual disruption in our schedule.
You can also peek at our Morning Meeting slides for different times of the school year over on the Bear and Bug Teacher’s Pay Teachers store. Each month contains 20-22 daily morning meeting slides—each includes a unique greeting, seasonal/themed sharing prompt, an activity (both fun and academic-based), and an editable slide for a customized morning message. These slides are ready to use and a huge time saver for teachers!
Building a 1st Grade Community that Lasts ALL Year
It is so important from day one to build a community of learners and risk-takers. This comes from intentionally planning and designing a space where students feel loved, safe, and can take risks. Morning Meeting is one tool that can help build this strong foundation from the very beginning of the school year.
Strong routines and procedures and strong classroom management are also key pieces to building a solid learning foundation from the very beginning. As you prepare to welcome sweet firsties into your classroom, check out our blogs on our 10 Proven Classroom Management Tips that Will Make Teaching 1st Grade Easier and our 50+ Routines and Procedures to Teach the First Week of School.
Also, look for our upcoming blogs on how to establish literacy and math centers that run smoothly and morning meetings guaranteed to start your day off strong!
When Teachers Feel Supported, Students Thrive
I love teaching 1st grade and I love collaborating with other 1st grade teachers! I redesigned this blog to share all things 1st grade, from my classroom to yours. If you are looking for great 1st grade ideas, I check out some of our other blog posts.
You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter, The Bear Necessities. You’ll get weekly tips, lesson ideas and resources right to your email. You’ll also get our FREE 1st Grade checklist and skills bundle for both math and reading when you sign up!
Morning Meeting on Day 1
As I begin to plan for the new school year, one thing that I know I will jump into right away is Morning Meeting. My students will participate in our very first morning meeting on day 1.
We will learn about each part, practice greeting each classmate by name, share something about ourselves, and participate in a team-building activity where we can see who else likes the same things we do. Then, we will close with a warm message, welcoming each new friend into our space.
I know this precious 20-minute routine will become a special part of our everyday life that we all will look forward to. That is the power of morning meetings.
Whether you're brand new to Morning Meetings or just looking for fresh ideas, starting each day with connection and intention can transform your classroom.
The Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting helps 1st graders feel safe, seen, and supported—all before the first lesson even begins.
If you’ve been wondering what Morning Meeting is, or if you’re searching for ways to start building classroom community from day 1, I hope this post gave you the confidence and tools to get started.
Valerie
