If you’re looking for morning meeting activities that actually engage your third graders (and don’t just feel like another thing to squeeze into your day), you’re in the right place.
Morning meetings can be a great way to build a positive classroom community, help students ease into learning, and set the tone for the rest of the day. Plus, when done well, they encourage social skills, teamwork, and even academic discussions—all without feeling like extra work.
So today, I’m sharing some of my favorite fun morning meeting games, discussion prompts, and activity ideas that will keep your students engaged the entire year. Whether you’re just starting a morning meeting routine with your class or looking for fresh ideas to keep it fun, you’ll find plenty of activities here!
How to Set Up a Morning Meeting That Works
The first step to making morning meetings successful is having a structured routine. This doesn’t mean scripting every second of it, but your students should know what to expect each day. (Knowing what to expect each day can help ease those morning butterflies some students have when arriving at school.)
A typical whole meeting structure includes:
✅ A morning message (to set the focus for the day)
✅ A greeting (to build a sense of community)
✅ A short activity (to encourage active participation)
✅ A discussion or morning meeting questions (to spark thinking and collaboration)
One of the best things you can do is set up a meeting space where students feel comfortable and included. Try to make your space feel welcoming! You can use your classroom rug, designate a spot near the whiteboard, or have your students gather in a circle.
And if you teach older students (like third, fourth, or fifth graders), don’t assume morning meetings are too young for them! They just need a mix of fun morning meeting games, meaningful discussions, and activities that match their level.
Morning Meeting Greetings to Start the Day Right
A good morning meeting routine starts with a greeting. Something simple like making eye contact, saying good morning, or even a fist bump can go a long way in building connections.
Here are a few fun different greetings to try:
👋 Fist Bump & Share: Greet a partner with a fist bump, then take turns answering a simple question (What’s one thing you’re excited about today?).
🎤 DJ Greeting: One student pretends to be a radio DJ and says, “Good morning, [class]!” while the class responds with excitement, mimicking how the first student said it. (This is extra fun if you have a toy microphone!)
🎭 Character Greeting: Each day let students choose a themed greeting to pass around the circle. Ideas: superhero pose, robot handshake, or whisper greeting.
These greetings don’t just wake students up. They also encourage social skills, help any new students feel included, and set a positive tone for the day. (Can you just hear the giggles now?)
Engaging Students with Fun Morning Work
After greetings, it’s a perfect time to ease students into thinking mode without overwhelming them. That’s where my Wacky Animal Facts Morning Work comes in!
This resource is an excellent way to spark curiosity while reinforcing reading and writing skills. Each Wednesday (or whichever day you choose), students will read a fun animal fact, like:
“Did you know an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain?!”
Then, they’re given a list of other facts about the animal so they can write their own informational paragraph.
You can use this resource to:
🐙 Learn more about various animals
🐊 Practice writing informational paragraphs
🦓 Rewriting facts in their own words
This keeps the whole class engaged while sneaking in writing practice first thing in the morning.
Morning Meeting Questions That Spark Discussion
Morning meeting questions are one of the easiest ways to encourage conversation and help students develop self-control when taking turns.
You can write a question of the day on chart paper or a whiteboard, then let students discuss their answers in small groups or as a whole class.
Some great different categories of questions include:
🤔 Would You Rather – “Would you rather have wings or breathe underwater?”
💡 Opinion Questions – “What’s the best invention ever made?” (Check out tons of opinion prompts you can use as questions here.)
🎯 Goal-Setting – “What’s one thing you want to do better at this week?”
Not only do these questions get students thinking, but they also help them connect with each other, building the sense of community we need in the classroom.
Incorporating Writing into Morning Meetings
Another great way to start meaningful conversations is through writing. And what better way than with positive affirmations?
My Positive Affirmations Cursive Handwriting Practice is a fantastic way to build students’ confidence while also practicing cursive.
Each day, students trace and then copy an encouraging sentence like:
💙 “My teacher believes in me.”
⭐ “I can learn from my mistakes.”
You can use these as part of your morning meeting routine. Some ideas:
✏️ Having students read the affirmation aloud and discuss what it means.
📝 Using it as a quick group activity, where students talk with each other about how to have a growth mindset.
💜 Plus they’re great at helping students stay encouraged the rest of the day.
This not only supports handwriting skills but also reinforces positive thinking and emotional well-being—something we ALL need in the classroom!
Fun Morning Meeting Games That Keep Kids Engaged
Sometimes, you just need a fun morning meeting game to get students energized. Here are a few favorites:
🔥 Pass the Clap: Stand in a circle and try to pass a single clap around as fast as possible.
🔍 Mystery Student: Give secret clues about a student, and the class has to guess who it is.
💬 One-Word Story: Go around in a circle, and each student adds one word to a story.
These are quick, easy to implement, and require zero prep!
Ending the Day with Closing Circles
While morning meetings set the tone for the day, closing circles can be a good way to wrap everything up.
At the end of the day, you can:
✔️ Let students share their favorite thing they learned.
✔️ Do a quick reflection, asking, “What went well today?”
✔️ Have students compliment a classmate for something kind they did.
Bringing things full circle helps maintain that positive classroom community and encourages reflection on personal growth.
Check out the cursive and animal facts resources from this blog post!
