Morning Routines

It’s important to implement your classroom routines on the very first day of school and to be consistent with them for the rest of the year. Of course if a routine isn’t working it’s okay to change it but make the change with careful consideration. Think about what didn’t work in your previous routine when planning out the change.

At the end of each summer vacation I plan out my new classroom routines. I review what worked and what didn’t work the year before. Then I can tweak my routines for the newest bunch of littles. Of course after the first few days you will quickly see if any of your routines aren’t working and then change them to suit your students. There is no one size fits all approach with classroom routines which is why they often change from year to year (even if it is just a small piece of the routine that changes).

Here are my top 5 morning routines that get us off on the right foot and promote a positive learning environment:

1. Make sure students are lined up quietly outside before they enter the building. You can start the day off right by creating a culture of respect and calm by having students in a straight and quiet line before they enter the building. They must walk down the hall to class quietly as well. We spend a lot of time in the first few days just going over this routine. Line up. Finger to the lip. Walk quietly. Repeat. 

2.  Students hang everything up where it needs to go (hooks, cubbies, etc.). We have baskets for their hats, mittens etc. to go in. This is an important part of the day. Students can not enter my classroom until their belongings are hung up and put where they belong with their outdoor shoes tucked up against the wall. 

4.  While I go through notes from parents and agendas students need a quiet activity to work on. We use my Morning Work packs as a regular routine. Students know that the first thing they do before sitting down is get their Morning Work books and begin working on the days activities. Early finishers know that they grab a book as soon as they’re done. At the end of each month I send the whole packet home for parents to see. Each month covers various ELA and Math concepts.

5. As soon as I am done reviewing agendas, looking at notes, and solving problems (“I can’t find my shoe Mrs. S” or “I can’t tie my shoe Mrs. S” or “He stole my shoe and put it in the toilet Mrs. S”), I walk around and check the progress on everyone’s morning work. If needed, I give them a few extra minutes to complete the page. If a concept was particularly challenging for most students then I review the concept. Then we are ready to begin our day. I call students to the carpet and we review the schedule for the day. I find this helps students to be prepared for the day and it eliminates the questions, “What are we doing next”. It helps to set them up for success (especially the very routine oriented children who like to know what’s coming up). I post my schedule on the white board so it’s easy for students to see. 

So there you have it, that’s how my morning goes at school! What routines do you have in place to help set your students up for success?

If you want to check out my morning work packs, CLICK HERE!