Special Education Morning Routine
How to set your special education day up for success by having a special education morning routine!
Morning entry is a really crucial time in your classroom. It’s the time that you get to set your day up for success. It can be the difference between a calm and productive day, and a chaotic, crazy day.
That’s not to say that having a change or two in your morning entry routine can ruin the day completely. However, I am a firm believer in trying to start your day with the best intention possible.
I have a very specific morning entry routine with my class that has literally stayed the same for 3 years running- it must be good if its worked this long! I will say that all my students arrive at the same time, so we do the entire routine as a class. To give some context, I have 6 students with myself as the teacher and two amazing paraprofessional supports. We run the class as a team, fully. Yes, I know- I’m beyond blessed with them!!!
Our Morning Entry Routine:
1st- Students get out of their cabs/busses and walk to their cubby area. They take off their gear and hang up their backpacks
2nd- Students put their communication folders in the communication folder bins
3rd- Line up for the washroom
4th- Do a movement break choice/ Obstacle course (this incorporates movement right away)
5th- Choose a free choice bin and complete the activity
6th- Transition to morning meeting
Of course our morning routines may be slightly different because we have different students on our case loads but you can follow my blue print for a successful morning routine in your class.
The first step is to keep it predictable! Whatever you do, try and tweak one thing and stick to it for a couple of weeks. Don’t make daily changes trying to figure out what works best. Work SLOWLY and change one thing at a time to see what will truly work with your classroom.
The next thing that I highly encourage you to do is incorporate movement in some way during your morning entry routine! Whether it be a free choice movement, a video, or an obstacle course like mine, do try and get your kiddos moving. Often times, they are in a bus and cab for extended periods of time and need to release that pent up energy!
Finally, find some way to incorporate choice, as choice really does promote independence and allow students voice and opinions to shine through. I love the idea of allowing students to be as independent as they can throughout the day, and choose what makes them happy. Students are more likely to follow through on tasks when they are given a choice to do so.
Let me know if this blog was helpful by finding me on my socials and having a chat! My DMs are always open!
