12 Reasons Why Every Class Needs Morning Meeting

Morning meeting is a daily time to meet with students and help frame the day for success. Sometimes it might be called a daily check-in or morning circle. Whatever you call it, the idea is pretty simple. Educators sit with their students, greet each other by name, talk about topics that matter, and give everyone a chance to share.

Morning meeting is also a technique that can be used across all age and grade levels. For elementary learners, morning meeting would most likely happen the first 10-20 minutes of the day in the regular classroom. For secondary learners, morning meeting could take place in homeroom or advisory. It’s always important to make sure the morning meetings work for you and your classroom.

If you are teaching online, it’s worth mentioning that morning meeting can be practiced virtually online, too. Just like your in-person morning meetings, start with greetings, discuss important topics, and give time to share.

Whether you are face-to-face with learners or virtual through an online program, morning meeting sets the tone.

Here are 12 reasons why all educators should implement a morning meeting:

#1 Morning meeting builds strong relationships. By meeting and talking about things that matter to kids each day, you are helping to build strong relationships and a climate of trust. Not only do educators get to know their students on a deeper level, but students will learn from other students, too. During this time, students will likely share their thoughts, feelings, problems, needs, and hopes for the future. You can use this free printable of 100+ relationship-building questions to ask during your morning meetings.

#2 Morning meeting is the perfect time to teach SEL skills. I developed an entire yearlong set of morning meeting cards that focus on social emotional learning skills. Grab them if you’re looking for a no-prep way to run your morning meetings and integrate these skills! Even if this set isn’t something you want to invest in yet, try integrating SEL skills into your morning meeting times right away. Spend a day talking about skills that matter, like empathy, friendships, coping skills, growth mindset, developing goals, responsible decisions, and more. Talking about these skills directly will make a big difference for your learners. Grab this free printable SEL poster to highlight different skills you can target during your time!

#3 Morning meeting can be an outlet for mental health supports. The goal is that with time and consistency, morning meeting can be a place where students will feel comfortable voicing their concerns, thoughts, and needs. This can create a safe space for all learners. Additionally, morning meetings provide the perfect setting to talk about strategies for managing stress and mental health, such as coping skills, healthy habits, and dealing with tough emotions.

#4 Morning meeting can help learners build confidence. Morning meeting is daily group that gets together to talk about topics that matter, so how can this build confidence? Learners get to know each other so well that they start to feel comfortable stepping outside their comfort zone! They are better able to take risks, share their voice, and feel proud of who they are as individuals. Best of all, these skills don’t just show up in morning meeting. Students who feel more confident might be more likely to succeed in all areas of the curriculum, too.

#5 Morning meeting is a time when kids can just share what is on their mind. This point maybe isn’t obvious, but it’s important. So often, the school day is extremely busy. There aren’t always chances for kids to talk about a new artist they are interested in or the soccer game last weekend. It’s always important to dedicate part of morning meeting to just a share-out time when kids can share what is on their minds.

#6 Morning meeting helps students problem-solve. Let’s face it: kids and young adults deal with some challenging situations from day-to-day. Morning meeting can be a space where learners can ask for feedback or ideas about how to solve problems in their life, like someone being mean on the bus or how to handle a fight with a friend.

#7 Morning meeting is an emotional check-in. A daily morning meeting is a simple check-in time for each student to think about (and share) how they are feeling and what is on their mind. A daily check-in builds self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Most importantly, this can be a big deal for students who might need some extra support.

#8 Morning meeting builds community. This goes beyond just strong relationships with each other. Building a community means caring about each other, having empathy, working together, giving support, and always including others. When you start your day with your group and talk about issues that matter to your learners, it helps build the foundation for that community. Not only does this benefit your classroom by teaching skills for working together, but it also gives the feeling that we’re all in this together.

#9 Morning meeting can teach and discuss academic skills. Morning meeting can provide an outlet to teach skills like studying for a test, getting organized, paying attention in class, and time management. These self-management skills are foundational to academic and personal success. Sometimes, in the busy school schedule, there isn’t always a perfect time for them, which is why morning meeting can be a great solution.

#10 Morning meeting can reduce behavioral challenges. When students feel valued, supported, and listened to, it makes sense that there would be less behavioral challenges. A research study showed that greeting students each day reduced behavioral challenges. Now, just imagine taking 5-10 minutes each day with greetings and discussion. One major benefit to morning meeting is that this time can turn diminish behavior problems before they even start.

#11 Morning meeting teaches that all voices matter. One important aspect to morning meeting is that all students have a chance to share. When morning meeting becomes a daily practice, it teaches all students to respect and listen to one another. Not only is this an important skill for the classroom, but an important life skill, too. Help show that every voice matters by starting with a daily greeting. Download a free poster with daily greetings to build community to start.

#12 Morning meeting increases student engagement. A daily check-in and discussion time can be the perfect recipe to help wake up and engage young minds. Morning meeting focused on social emotional learning can help students become more focused, alert, and ready to go for the rest of the day.

Getting Started

Now that you understand the value and importance of morning meetings, give them a try! You can always start on your own just with greetings, sharing out, and daily activities.

Head over here to learn more about leading morning meetings, setting up your expectations, and how to get started.

If you’re looking for a bit more structure and focus on social emotional learning, I’ve developed a Morning Meeting for Social Emotional Learning for the entire year. If you work with older learners, you can check out this set of SEL morning meeting cards for older kids too!

I’ve added computer-friendly pages to each set to help educators teach virtual morning meetings from a distance. Just share your screen and discuss the questions to get started. Try it out and let me know how it works for you!