Kindergarten Morning Routine

Well, it’s almost here, Back to School time! The start of your school year and the school day is so important not only for yourself but for students as well! It sets the tone for the whole day. It’s kinda like breakfast, you can’t skip it! A set Kindergarten morning routine is crucial for those first few weeks, but I tend to keep these routines around all year. If it’s not broken, then why fix it?! Besides the routine has been so ingrained in them, they really rely on these constant morning routines. Check out an example of my Kindergarten morning routine below and start the school year and the school day off on the right foot.

1. Morning greeting

One of the most important parts of my Kindergarten morning routine is to greet my students each and every day. This teaches them life skills such as saying hello and looking an adult in the eye and responding. It also builds a sense of community in your classroom. I always give the students the option too on how they would like to greet me. Depending on what you feel comfortable with, create a list of greetings and post it by the door. They can choose an option each morning, and it’s so much fun cuz as we know, kids love choices! These have always been my 3 choices:

• handshake
• hug
• high 5

Click on the image below to grab this Good Morning sign for free!

2. Question of the day

The next step in my Kindergarten morning routine is, “Question of the Day.” After the students enter the room and get their things (coat, folders, backpacks, etc) put away, I have them check-in by answering a question of the day. I have their names printed on laminated paper in a pocket chart. They then read the yes/no question of the day (or get some help from me or my assistant) and decide their answer. They put their name either in the yes column or the no column. For example, some questions may be:

• Do you have the letter s in your name?
• Do you like pizza?
• Are you wearing anything that’s purple?
• Do you have a pet?

The questions can be topic related to whatever you’re teaching that week, or they can be just completely random. This is a great opportunity for students to practice name recognition, recognize environmental print, and start the beginning stages of reading. It also helps them think for themselves on any given topic. We usually go over the answers during circle time.

3. Morning Work

The next activity in my Kindergarten morning routine is Morning Work. After my students complete question of the day, they will find a spot at the table and complete a morning work activity. I have so many different varieties of activities. Here are a few ideas that are quick to help start the day.

• name tracing/writing practice in a page protector with a dry erase marker
• number tracing/writing practice
• math & literacy centers from the previous weeks – we always do the centers together first in a small group before letting them work on these independently

Morning work doesn’t take long. Maybe 5-7 minutes! I love morning work because it’s a great time to practice old activities. It’s also time for me to do things like take attendance, or any last-minute prepping that needs to happen. It’s also a time for students to enter the room quietly and have a task to do when they sit at their table.

My students love this lollipop/playdough counting activity. It’s a hit in the morning and it keeps them busy and engaged. Click here to check it out in my TpT store!

4. Morning Meeting

The final step in my Kindergarten morning routine is our daily morning meeting. After we have cleaned up the morning work, we all head to the carpet area and start our morning meeting. This is a chance for us to go over our question of the day. We also do the calendar at this time. So much learning can happen at calendar time! Here are some topics that we cover during calendar time:

• days of the week
• the months of the year
• how many days we have been in school
• letter/number of the day
• rote counting
• the weather
• colors
• rhyming words
• adding and subtracting objects

After calendar time in our morning meeting, we practice a song or two to get those wiggles out! That usually leads to assigning classroom jobs, a read aloud, and then a little lesson for the day.

So there you have it, an example of my Kindergarten morning routine that you can use in your classroom to set the tone for the rest of the day. These first few weeks of school we really focus on routines and procedures and how to behave at school. Starting the year off this way allows you to spend more time over the course of the year teaching the core subjects and topics instead of having to take time out of your day to correct behavioral and procedural issues.

For more ways to start your school year off strong check out my blog post: Start the School Year Like a Boss!