Morning work is a great way to start the day in kindergarten classrooms. It provides a sense of purpose for young students, establishes a routine, and gets everyone started on the right foot for the day.
What is morning work?
Morning work is material that students work on first thing when they enter the classroom. It is a great way to help establish a routine for students as they enter the classroom. Whatever the work is, it needs to be something that your students already have basic knowledge of. This is important so they may work independently without asking too many questions first thing in the morning.
Why is morning work important?
There are many reasons morning work is important, and it has benefits for teachers and students. For teachers, the first thing in the morning is always hectic. With all the students coming in, there are always questions and problems that arise that weren’t anticipated.
When students know exactly what to do when they walk into the classroom, it eliminates some of the moving pieces of students milling around the classroom while you’re taking care of housekeeping chores. With a job to do right away, students get right to work.
Having an established morning routine is also extremely helpful when you inevitably need a substitute teacher, as well. When students know what to do first thing in the morning and understand that there is a job to be done every day, it is an easier transition for a substitute teacher to be in your classroom for a day. Believe me, your substitute teacher will appreciate the organization and independence shown by your students!
For students, having routines established is a great comfort and helps to foster independence. It is a well-known fact that humans are creatures of habit, and having a routine is a comfort.
When students know exactly what is expected of them first thing in the morning as they enter the classroom, they can better prepare for their day and be more successful in the classroom. Students, even kindergarteners, can be responsible for themselves.
It helps to foster a sense of independence. For more great ideas, check out my article Fostering Independence in Kindergarten – Morning Routine Tips. It is important to establish routines in the classroom so that students can learn how to function within the kindergarten classroom independently.
Morning Work Ideas for Kindergarten Classrooms
There are so many ideas for morning work in kindergarten, and I’m sure you already have a few tricks up your sleeve. My goal here is to provide my fellow teachers with new ideas and resources you may have not thought of or you have thought of and haven’t had time to implement.
Review
Morning work should always be a review so that students know how to do what needs to be done. Kindergarteners are pre-literate for much of the year, so they are not able to read and understand lengthy directions and function completely independently when presented with new information.
Morning work needs to review material covered in class with simple instructions they have done before. It is more about getting students started on the right foot for the day, but it is also helpful for teachers to hit the ground running and organized.
Worksheets
Kindergarteners love worksheets. There are so many options for morning work to print and leave on students’ desks. Letter Recognition Worksheets are perfect for kindergarten learners to practice letter writing. They will also learn upper and lowercase sorting, beginning sounds, and sentence fluency.
For many worksheets already designed for you and waiting to be printed, check out the Phonics Worksheets and Picture Sorts Bundle. This bundle contains six products to provide great morning work options for your kindergarteners. The beginning sounds, ending sounds, short vowels, long vowels, blends, digraphs, CVC families, vowel teams, diphthongs, and R-controlled vowels worksheets and picture sorts will keep your Kindergarteners busy!
Early Finishers
Yes, you will still have early finishers during morning work in kindergarten. There are always students who are really quick and accurate with their work and those who are really quick and not so accurate. The reward for both types of students is early finisher work.
Early Finishers Activities are perfect when you have extra time for your students to work on something in class. If your morning housekeeping chores take longer than anticipated, your students will have early finisher work to keep busy. If you’re not convinced, please read 5 Reasons Why You Need an Early Finisher System.
Why is morning work a good idea in a kindergarten classroom?
Morning work provides a routine for your classroom. Students enter the classroom and know exactly what is expected of them. This routine benefits students in establishing routine and independence. Which morning work routines have you used in the past? Which ones will you implement this year?
