January Morning Meeting is the perfect time to reset, reconnect, and bring fresh energy back into your classroom after winter break. Starting the new year with engaging, low-prep activities helps students ease back into routines, rebuild classroom community, and review important skills—without adding more to your already full plate. Whether you’re teaching 1st grade, 2nd grade, or any elementary classroom, these January Morning Meeting ideas will help you start the year feeling organized, positive, and ready to learn.
Snowball Share
Students write something about themselves on a slip of paper. Then, they crumple it up and toss it in the center of the circle. Each student takes a turn picking a snowball. They read aloud what the person wrote and try to guess who wrote it!
January Memory
These Memory Games are an instant attention-grabber—perfect for waking up tired brains after winter break.
Here’s how it works: flash the picture for a few minutes, then flip to the question page and let students show what they remember. It’s fast, fun, and sneaks in tons of thinking. Use them for January morning meetings, brain breaks, or Fun Friday with zero extra planning.
Winter Categories
Sit in a circle. Each student must name a winter-themed object/idea. See if you can get around the whole circle without any repeats. For an extra challenge, try to do it in ABC order. So, the first student says something winter-themed that begins with A, the second student says something winter-themed that begins with B, and so on. Try to make it through the entire alphabet!
Keep 3: Snow edition
Keep 3 is a super fun, and simple January morning meeting activity. Students discuss which 3 they would choose from 6 options. This can lead to great conversations about choices and the reasons behind them. Compare, debate, vote, write—whatever your goal, this super-versatile classroom game wraps it all in a fun winter theme. Grab this activity with 20+ others for January DONE FOR YOU in January Morning Meeting Slides.
Winter Charades
Winter charades is a simple, high-energy way to get students moving and laughing during morning meeting—especially when those after-break wiggles hit hard. One student acts out a winter-themed word or activity while the class guesses, making it perfect for building community, practicing listening skills, and sneaking in some much-needed movement.
Winter charades ideas:
- Building a snowman
- Ice skating
- Sledding down a hill
- Drinking hot chocolate
- Having a snowball fight
Freeze Dance
Get your students up and moving with a freeze dance video! Sometimes, us teachers need a break from facilitating every morning meeting activity. And that’s okay! Maybe you need to submit attendance before you forget, or write an email. Putting on a winter-themed video gives you and your students some much-needed breathing room!
Guess My Animal: Arctic edition
Guess My Animal: Arctic Edition is basically morning meeting… but with a parka on. ❄️
One student secretly picks an Arctic animal, and the class asks yes-or-no questions to figure out what it is. (Is it furry? Does it swim? Would it survive your classroom without a heater?) It gets kids talking, thinking, and actually listening to each other—which is kind of a miracle in January. Use it to spark discussion, build vocabulary, and give everyone a low-stress way to jump into the day without worksheets, glue sticks, or your sanity being tested.
Spot the Sneak: Winter Words
Bring some excitement to your classroom with Spot the Sneak – a versatile, teacher-approved game designed to build critical thinking, listening skills, and teamwork. This is a twist on Pictionary. Choose 3 students to come up to the board and draw simultaneously. Give 2 students the same object to draw and 1 student a different, but similar, object. The students drawing don’t know who has what. The class must figure out which student is drawing the different object. I give students 45-60 seconds to draw. When the time is up, each students who drew picks 1 student from the audience to guess who the “sneak” was (aka the artist who had the different object). Check out winter-themed ideas for this game here.
Snowman Search
Cut out or print a paper snowman. Send 1 student out into the hallway. While they are gone, work together to find a hiding spot for the snowman. Then, call the student back in. They must walk around the room to find the snowman. Use “hot, cold, warm” to guide them. Grab a free snowman printable here.
Hot Cocoa Compliments
This is such a meaningful way to build classroom community and lift students up! Print one hot cocoa mug and marshmallow template (free!) for each student. Pick 1 student for the class to write compliments about. Write a few on the marshmallows and glue them onto the mug. You could do a few students each day, or 1-2 a week. By the end, every student will have a feel-good mug with kind words about them!
Winter Sports Workout
Winter Sports Workout is what happens when morning meeting meets the Winter Olympics—and suddenly everyone is wide awake. ❄️🏅 Students “train” like Olympic athletes by acting out winter sports moves, turning all that post-break energy into something productive instead of chaotic. It’s fast, fun, and secretly great for focus, coordination, and burning off those January wiggles before real learning begins.
Winter Olympics–style moves to try:
- Speed skater lunges
- Bobsled pushes
- Skier jumps
- Snowboarder squats
- Figure-skating spins
- Hockey slap-shot poses
January can feel a little… sleepy, a little wild, and a whole lot in need of a reset—but the right morning meeting activities make all the difference. With a few simple, engaging games in your back pocket, you can turn those groggy, post-break mornings into a smooth, feel-good start to the day. Pick one, try it tomorrow, and let your classroom vibes get back on track. 💛
Ready to plan for February? Check out these ideas!
