The morning is an important time to reconnect with the class and get settled into the classroom routines for the day. It’s the ideal time to incorporate meaningful morning meeting questions that encourage thoughtfulness and build classroom community.
Clever Morning Meeting Questions to Ask Kids
The morning can be a chaotic time in the classroom. Students enter at different times, hang their backpacks and coats, as you get organized, finalize the day’s plans, and chat with other teachers.
Having morning meeting questions ready each day shows students you are prepared for the school day and eager to learn about them. Having questions ready to ask students as they enter the classroom will help you start your day right.
Why, When, & How to Ask Questions
Determining the correct way to ask questions isn’t rocket science. There are tons of great opportunities to ask questions during each school day.
A question of the day will get students thinking and sharing as they start their day. They are easy to display and answer using printable cards, post on the board, or ask as they enter the room. Once everyone has responded, students can discuss, or the teacher can share responses.
Why should questions be asked?
Asking students questions is beneficial for many reasons. For starters, it gets them thinking about scenarios in the world. While asking and answering questions, students practice conversation skills. Asking them questions also lets them know that you care and want to learn more about them.
When should questions be asked?
Questions should be integrated into all parts of the day. Students should be using math talk to solve equations. They should also be asking and answering questions about stories to learn more about the topics.
The morning is a great time to ask personal questions to get kids acclimated for the day. It opens their brains to receive information and gets them settled before academics begin.
How should questions be asked?
The morning time is the perfect time to ask questions. These questions are easily incorporated into the morning meeting or displayed on a pocket chart or bulletin board for kids to answer when they enter the room.
Students answer the questions by moving their names to their responses. It’s easy to see reactions and check them out as a class later. It’s also a great way to take attendance!
Questions to Ask Kids During a Classroom Morning Meeting
During your morning meeting time, you may want to have pre-prepared questions or activities to get the day started. Instead of scrambling for something each day, use these ideas below.
Get to Know You Questions
- What is your favorite
- holiday
- food
- thing about yourself
- color
- animal
- movie
- TV show
- thing to do for fun
- joke
- thing about the person to your left
- What is one thing you could not live without?
- If you could be any animal, which would you choose and why?
- What do you want to be when you grow up?
- If you could eat one food every day, what would it be?
SEL Questions
Social-emotional questions are fantastic for getting students to think about experiences they will encounter in their daily lives. They can draw from past experiences or “what if” scenarios to determine what they would do. While fantasy-type questions are fun, these set them up for success with peers, family members, and their personal lives. All of them are included in my SEL Morning Meetings Cards.
What Would You Do
What would you do questions are a great way to get students thinking about scenarios they may or may not have encountered. They prepare students for real-life situations so they can be socially and emotionally aware.
- What would you do if
- your friend didn’t want to play with you outside?
- you forgot your lunch at home?
- a friend was sad and missed home?
- you didn’t feel well once you got to school?
- your friend yelled at you and it hurt your feelings?
Brainstorm & Discuss
These questions allow students to really think about their answers and provide noteworthy answers. They aren’t one-word responses, and students should be able to give their reasoning and compare their answers to their peers. They are great for partner work or for a group discussion.
- What are three positive words to describe yourself?
- What are your three favorite emotions?
- Tell us your three favorite holidays.
- Describe the perfect day to a friend.
“Think-Pair-Share”
Use these questions to get students thinking together about a topic. Allow kids to think about the question on their own first, find a partner, and then share their thoughts with one another.
- What would you do if someone teased you about your name?
- What would you do to show your friends you care?
- Tell us a classroom rule. Why do we follow it?
- Discuss what RESPECT means.
- What do you think of yourself when you look in the mirror daily?
- Share something you are grateful for.
- Talk about tattling. Is it a good thing? What can we do instead?
Tell Us About a Time
These questions draw from experiences and encourage students to share things they have witnessed or been through. Students will learn lessons from the experiences of others, as well as their own reflections.
- .. you saw a lot of garbage on the ground or in the water.
- .. you had a hard time focusing at school? What would help next time?
- .. you felt scared and weren’t sure what to do.
Asking your students questions each day will help them settle in, connect with peers, and provide structure to their daily routines. Question and answer time focuses the class before moving on to academic tasks and allows students to share personal experiences. These sharing moments are so crucial for their development.
Questions to get Your Morning Started
Free Question of the Day Materials
Try a question of the day in your classroom with this FREE Morning Meeting resource! They will make your mornings easier and provide purpose to your morning meetings.
Click the image below to grab a copy.
Morning Meeting SEL Bundle & Question of the Day Bundle
Try the Morning Meetings Slides and Question of the Day Resources by Proud to be Primary to encourage conversation and build community in your classroom.
Each resource includes everything you need to start each day of the year with an insightful question. The questions are easy to ask with partners, as a whole group, or individually.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL MORNING MEETING BUNDLE
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