Should Morning Circles Be a Requirement?

20 five-year-olds, 2 teachers, and 1 bunny make for an interesting classroom experience. By 8:15 the children are shuffling on the carpet for morning circle, except there isn’t much morning circle time. After a bilingual good morning song, the question of a day, and a short story it’s time to wrap up and head into breakfast. Seeing this made me wonder…how important are morning circles and what should be included in them?

Morning circle routines vary between classrooms throughout the world. They are commonly found within in early childhood education centers and elementary schools. It is the time in the morning for a class as a whole to talk about classroom business, expectations, and the overall theme of the day. Morning circles are actually very beneficial for the class.

Benefits

  • Socialization Skills
  • Builds Friendships
  • Routine Practice
  • Solves Problems
  • Sense of Belonging
  • And more!

Morning circles can vary from classroom to classroom, but they still hold a lot of the same core ideas.

Ideas

  • Classroom Hello
  • Calendar
  • Songs
  • Weather
  • Rules Chant
  • And more!

Ariel Villano, a preschool teacher, has found the idea of adding  I have  mindfulness into her routine. In return it has helped her students start the day out calm and refocused.

Overall, morning circles are a valuable piece of the classroom schedule. They give children the opportunity to get focused on the day and know what to expect. Classrooms are a community and needed to be treated as such.

Villano, A. (2020). Mindful Morning Meetings. Teaching Young Children, 13(3), 12–13.