It’s time to start the day, and what better way to do that than with some fun and engaging morning meeting games? With these 10 creative ideas, you can focus students’ attention, review important skills, build class unity, and create an exciting learning environment—all before diving into your daily lesson plans. So grab your coffee (or tea!) for a little boost of energy and let’s jump-start the day with one of these awesome activities.
Morning Meeting Games
Here is a list of the games in this blog post:
- Hidden Object
- Would You Rather?
- Groups of ___?
- Categories
- Stand, Sit, Hands on Hips
- Step In, Step Out
- Buzz
- Line It Up
- Memory Games
- Common Thread
Hidden Object
How to Play: Send 1 student out into the hallway. Have the class decide on an object to hide (like a marker or stapler). Hide the object. Bring the student back in from the hallway. Use “hot, warm, cold” clues to guide them into finding the object. Once found, have the hallway student pick another volunteer to go out and repeat.
Would You Rather Exercise Videos
Okay, so this isn’t quite a game but sometimes, you just need a break from being the cruise director. I love that it gets students up and moving while also sparking some classroom discussion. These videos are my favorite!
- Would You Rather? Workout Ice Cream Edition (This entire account called Fix and Play has a TON of choices)
- Mario Would You Rather?
- Would You Rather? Fitness (outdoors)
Groups of __?
For this game, students will wander around the room. You can play music or not. After a few seconds, bang on the table or other object. Students listen for how many “bangs” there are and form groups of that number. For example, if you bang 3 times, they need to form a group of 3. Anyone left standing who is not in a group of 3 must sit down. Keep repeating with different # of groups until a few students remain.
Categories
This one is simple but can prove challenging! Gather your students and set up a circle. Now, it’s time to choose a category – whether it’s restaurants or colors, the choice is yours! The challenge is on – each person should take turns naming something from the category without repeating any previously mentioned ones. Can you and your group make it all the way around the circle?
Stand, Sit, Hands on Hips
Get your students up and moving while learning with this interactive multiple-choice activity! Each answer choice corresponds to a physical movement that students will make, so they can share their responses through movement. After each question, discuss the results as a class. The first set of questions is all about fun, while the second set includes trivia with answers. This activity is sure to engage and energize your students while they learn! After each question, I like to ask a follow-up or talk about how many people chose each response. For example: “Bobby, you picked play outside, what do you like to do outside?” or “Wow! More than half the class chose ice cream over cupcakes!”. The first set of questions is for fun. The second set is trivia questions with answers.
Step In/Step Out
Gather all the students in a circle and prepare to learn more about each other. Choose one awesome student to share something interesting about themselves, like “I have a brother” or “I love to play soccer.” Get ready to move! If you agree with the statement, take a step forward in the circle. If you disagree, take a step back. Get ready to repeat this fun game 4 or 5 times. This is a great way to build connections and discover new things about your students!
Buzz
Buzz is a super fun, interactive game that can be used in many different ways! First, decide on a set or series for students to recite. Maybe you’re practicing skip counting to 100 or spelling words with the long a sound. Once you’ve decided on what you are practicing, pick something to replace with the word “buzz”. For instance, n the skip counting by 2s to 100 example, you might pick numbers that have an 8 in them. Now, let the fun begin! Encourage the kids to recite the items on the list or the series, replacing the designated number or letter with the exciting word ‘buzz’! So, it might go something like this:
Student A says “2”.
Student B says “4”.
Student C says “6”.
Student D would say “Buzz!” since their number is 8. If they don’t say buzz, they sit down. If someone says “buzz” when they should’ve said a number, they are also out.
Line It Up
Looking for a fun and interactive way to engage your students? Try our awesome Lineup Challenge! This activity will have your students working together to line up, but here’s the twist… they can’t talk! With options like birthdays, height, or shoe size, this challenge is not only educational but also super entertaining. Set a timer for a few minutes and watch as your students creatively figure out the best way to form an accurate line. Get ready for some serious teamwork and laughter in the classroom!
Memory Games
This is one of my FAVORITE morning meeting games because my students are always SO excited to play. Display one of the memory pictures. Allow students to study it for 3-4 minutes. (Some teachers play a song!) Tell students to try to remember as much as they can about the picture. Afterward, display the questions and see how many you can answer correctly. Check your answers by moving the answer circles when you are done! Must use the question page in “edit” mode (not presentation or slideshow).
Try them out for free here.
Common Thread
Put students in groups of 3, 4, or 5. They must chat with each other to figure out something they all have in common. After students discuss, have them share out what it is that connects them! This is the perfect way to initiate conversations about similarities and proudly share newfound connections with the rest of the class.
Need tips to keep your morning meeting highly engaging? Check out this blog post.
It’s important to make sure that the first few moments of class get students in the right frame of mind for learning. With any of these morning meeting games, you can motivate students to think outside the box and engage with their peers in a warm and welcoming environment. Plus, it’s a great way to review important skills while having a blast! So why not give one (or more!) of them a try? And don’t forget—for an extra challenge, have your students download our free memory game! The game will help sharpen their recall skills and ensure that they stay focused throughout the day. Have fun everyone—and get ready for an awesome school year!
