Morning Meeting for Low Energy Students — K-2

Teacher Says

Reach your arms way up high like a tall tree. Stretch side to side. Now look at your neighbor, smile, and say 'Good morning, sunshine!'

Teacher Says

Pat your legs like a drum — start slow, then go faster and faster! When I say 'stop,' turn to a friend and say 'Hello!' with a big smile.

Teacher Says

I'll clap once and look at the person next to me. That person claps and looks at the next person. Pass the clap all the way around the circle. Let's see how fast we can go!

Teacher Says

Let's wake up like animals! First, stretch like a cat and say 'meooww.' Now flap like a rooster and say 'cock-a-doodle-doo!' Turn to your neighbor and say 'Good morning!'

Teacher Says

Follow me! Snap, snap. Clap, clap. Stomp, stomp. Now say 'Good morning!' Let's do it all together, faster this time!

Teacher Says

Stand up! Walk around and give five different friends a high-five. Say 'Good morning!' each time. Sit down when you've done all five.

Teacher Says

Stand up and jump five times! Every time you land, say one word: 'Good — morn — ing — to — you!' Now high-five your neighbor and sit down.

Teacher Says

Simon says touch your toes! Simon says wave your arms! Simon says turn to a friend and say 'Good morning!' Simon says sit down with a big smile.

Teacher Says

I'll say 'Good morning, friends!' and you echo it back. Ready? Now I'll say it louder — you echo louder! One more time, even louder!

Teacher Says

Stand up and twist your body left, then right, then left again. Now face your neighbor, give a big wave, and say 'I'm awake and ready!'

Teacher Says

Reach up high like you're trying to touch the sun! Stretch your fingers wide. Now slowly bring your hands down and wave them at your neighbor. Say 'Rise and shine, friend!'

Teacher Says

Let out your biggest yawn and stretch your arms out wide. Now turn that yawn into a big smile! Wave at your neighbor with floppy, sleepy arms and say 'I'm waking up! Good morning!'

Teacher Says

Tap your toes on the floor — left, right, left, right. Start slow, then go a little faster. Now tap your toes against your neighbor's toes and say 'Good morning, tappy toes!'

Teacher Says

Tap one finger on your palm like a tiny raindrop. Now add more fingers — pitter patter! Make it rain louder and louder! Now stop and say 'Good morning!' to your neighbor with a splash sound.

Teacher Says

Start with one slow clap. Then another. Now a little faster. Keep going faster and faster until we're all clapping super fast! Now stop and say 'We're awake! Good morning!'

Teacher Says

Hold up your flat hand like a pancake in a pan. Flip it up in the air and catch it! Say 'Flipping good morning!' to your neighbor. Flip your pancake three times while saying 'good-morn-ing!'

Teacher Says

Move your arms back and forth in front of you like windshield wipers. Swish, swish, swish! Now wipe the sleep away from your eyes and say 'I can see you! Good morning!'

Teacher Says

Pretend you're a little bear waking up from a nap. Stretch your arms and legs out big! Yawn like a bear — raaahh! Now pat your bear buddy on the back and say 'Morning, bear friend!'

Teacher Says

You're a robot that's powering on! Move one arm — beep! Move the other arm — boop! Turn your head — beep! Now say in a robot voice 'Good-morn-ing-friend!' and give a stiff robot wave.

Teacher Says

Pretend you're a balloon being blown up. Start crouched down small. Slowly rise up as I blow air — whoooosh. When you're all the way up, float over to a friend and say 'Good morning!' in a floaty voice.

Teacher Says

Squeeze your fists as tight as you can. Squeeze your whole body tight! Now let it all go — flop like a noodle! Shake your arms out and wave to your neighbor. Say 'Ahh, good morning!'

Teacher Says

Copy what I do! Touch your nose. Touch your ears. Pat your tummy. Now wave at your neighbor — did you copy that too? Say 'Good morning, copycat!'

Teacher Says

Put your arms down low. Slowly raise them up like the sun coming up over the hills. When your arms are all the way up, wiggle your fingers like sunbeams and say 'The sun is up! Good morning!'

Teacher Says

Shake your right hand ten times. Now your left hand. Now your right foot. Now your left foot. Now shake everything at once! Stop and say 'Good morning! I'm all shaken up!'

Teacher Says

Walk your fingers up your arm like a caterpillar — slowly, slowly. When your caterpillar reaches your shoulder, it turns into a butterfly! Flap your arms and say 'Good morning, butterfly!' to your neighbor.

Teacher Says

Let's do the slowest wave ever. Raise your hand up very slowly, like you're moving through honey. Now wave it side to side, nice and easy. Look at your neighbor and give them your slow-motion wave. Now whisper 'Good morning.'

Teacher Says

Stretch your arms up high like you're reaching for the ceiling. Hold it. Now stretch to one side. Now the other side. Shake your hands out like you're flicking water off your fingers. Now turn to your neighbor and say 'Good morning, I'm awake now!'

Teacher Says

I'm going to whisper 'Good morning' to the person next to me. They whisper it to the next person. Pass it all the way around the circle as a whisper. When it gets back to me, we all say it together — out loud this time! Did the message make it?

Teacher Says

Curl up small in your chair like a sleeping seed. When I say 'sunrise,' slowly start to grow. Uncurl, stretch up, reach your arms wide open. Now look around and say 'Good morning, sunshine!' to the person next to you.

Teacher Says

Tap your desk softly with your fingertips — like a quiet drumroll. Start very soft. Get a tiny bit louder. Now stop! Wiggle your fingers in the air. Turn to your neighbor and give them a gentle wave. Say 'Good morning, friend.'

Teacher Says

Cup your hands around a pretend mug of hot cocoa. Smell it — mmm! Now blow on it gently to cool it down. Take a tiny pretend sip. Warm? Now pass the mug to your neighbor and say 'Good morning — here's some cocoa for you!'

Follow-up Question

Who would you eat it with?

Follow-up Question

What do you like to do there?

Follow-up Question

Do you like the sound rain makes?

Follow-up Question

What would you do first with that power?

Follow-up Question

Where would you go?

Follow-up Question

What does it feel like?

Follow-up Question

What part do you like best?

Follow-up Question

What would you see there?

Follow-up Question

Where were you when you felt it?

Follow-up Question

What do you think its fur or skin would feel like?

Follow-up Question

Does that smell remind you of a person or a place?

Follow-up Question

Who would come with you?

Follow-up Question

Can you hum or whisper that sound?

Follow-up Question

Do you like to hold it or lay on it?

Follow-up Question

Would you add any shapes or pictures up there?

Follow-up Question

Did the clouds move fast or slow?

Follow-up Question

What would you look at from up high?

Follow-up Question

Do you like quiet or does it feel strange?

Follow-up Question

What would you use as a pillow?

Follow-up Question

Can you close your eyes and picture that color filling up the whole room?

Follow-up Question

Can you show your partner your brave pose?

Follow-up Question

Would you teach it to someone else?

Follow-up Question

What would you do first with your superpower?

Follow-up Question

Your partner gets to decide what happens next!

Follow-up Question

Can you think of something warm you could do for someone else?

Steps

1. Stand up tall like a giraffe! Stretch your arms way up high.
2. Now stomp like an elephant. Big heavy steps!
3. Jump like a frog! Three big jumps!
4. Flap your arms like a bird flying across the sky.
5. Sit back down and take one big deep breath. Your body is awake!

Steps

1. Pretend you are a sleepy cat on a sunny rug.
2. Stretch your arms out wide. Bigger! Even bigger!
3. Open your mouth and do a big yawn. A real one!
4. Stand up and stretch up to the ceiling like the cat is climbing a tree.
5. Shake your whole body out. You are awake now, kitty cat!

Steps

1. Wiggle your fingers. Wiggle wiggle wiggle!
2. Now wiggle your arms. Now wiggle your shoulders.
3. Wiggle your hips side to side like a wiggly worm.
4. Wiggle your legs and stomp your feet a little bit.
5. Now wiggle your whole body at once! Shake it all out!

Steps

1. Sit up tall. Take a big breath in through your nose.
2. Now hum like a bumble bee as you breathe out. Bzzzzzzz!
3. Feel the buzzing in your lips? Do it again! Big breath in.
4. Bzzzzzzz! Can you make the buzz last even longer this time?
5. Three more buzzy breaths. Feel the tickle in your face!

Steps

1. Stand up. Clasp your hands together and let your arms hang like an elephant trunk.
2. Swing your trunk up as you breathe in through your nose. Reach up high!
3. Swing your trunk down as you blow out through your mouth. Whoooosh!
4. Again! Trunk up, big breath in. Trunk down, big breath out.
5. Three more times. You are a big strong elephant!

Steps

1. Close your eyes. We are going to be sound detectives.
2. Listen for fifteen seconds. What can you hear?
3. Open your eyes. What sounds did you find?
4. Close your eyes again. Can you hear something far away?
5. Open your eyes. Give a thumbs up if you heard something new!

Steps

1. Hold your hands out in front of you.
2. Rub your hands together really fast. Go go go!
3. Feel how warm they are getting? Keep rubbing!
4. Now press your warm hands on your cheeks. Aahhh.
5. Do it one more time. Rub rub rub, then press them on your eyes. Warm!

Steps

1. Touch the top of your desk. Is it smooth or bumpy? Cold or warm?
2. Now touch your shirt. Is it soft or scratchy?
3. Touch the bottom of your shoe. What does it feel like?
4. Touch your hair. Is it different from your desk?
5. You just woke up your fingers! They can feel so many things.

Steps

1. I am going to say a group and you think of things in it. Ready?
2. Things that are round. Think of as many as you can! A ball, a cookie, the sun...
3. Now things that are cold. Ice cream, snow, a popsicle...
4. Things that make noise! A drum, a dog, thunder...
5. Last one: things that are smaller than your hand. Go!

Steps

1. We are going to play the opposite game. I say a word, you think of the opposite.
2. Hot. What is the opposite? Cold! Big? Small!
3. Up? Down! Happy? Sad! Fast? Slow!
4. Now a tricky one. What is the opposite of quiet? Loud!
5. Your brain is all warmed up now! Great job thinking fast.

Steps

1. Let's build a stretch train! Start by reaching your arms way up high — that's the engine!
2. Now bend down and touch your toes — chugga chugga — there's the coal car!
3. Twist your body to the left, then the right — those are the passenger cars connecting!
4. March your feet in place, faster and faster — the train is picking up speed! Choo choo!
5. Slow your march down and stop. The train has arrived. Stand tall and take one big breath.

Steps

1. Curl up as small as you can in your seat — tuck your head, hug your knees. You're a tiny caterpillar in a cocoon.
2. Start to wiggle just a little. The caterpillar is waking up!
3. Slowly sit up and stretch one arm out to the side, then the other. Your wings are growing!
4. Stretch your arms all the way out wide and lift your chin up. You're a beautiful butterfly!
5. Gently flap your butterfly wings up and down, slower and slower, until you're still.

Steps

1. We're going to launch a rocket ship! Sit up tall and put your hands together over your head like a rocket.
2. Countdown time! Breathe in deep… breathe out and say FIVE. Breathe in… out and say FOUR.
3. Keep going — breathe in… THREE. Breathe in… TWO. Breathe in… ONE.
4. BLAST OFF! Push your hands up as high as you can and blow out all your air! Whoooosh!
5. Your rocket is floating in space now. Slowly lower your arms and take one quiet space breath.

Steps

1. Close your eyes and put your listening ears on. I'm going to make three mystery sounds and you have to guess what they are!
2. Here's sound number one. (Clap your hands three times.) Keep your eyes closed — what was that?
3. Here's sound number two. (Snap your fingers.) Think about it — what did you hear?
4. Here's sound number three. (Stomp your foot twice.) Eyes still closed! What was that one?
5. Open your eyes! Let's see who figured out all three. Did your ears wake up? They should be super sharp now!

Steps

1. Sit very still. We're going to be body detectives! Your job is to notice what feels warm and what feels cool.
2. Think about your hands. Do they feel warm or cool right now? Don't touch them — just notice.
3. Now think about your ears. Are they warm or cool? What about the tip of your nose?
4. Check your feet inside your shoes. Warm or cool? What about your cheeks?
5. You just did a whole body temperature scan! Shake out your hands and feet and wake everything up. Detective work done!

Steps

1. I'm going to describe something and you have to guess what it is. Don't shout it out — keep it in your brain!
2. Clue one: I am yellow. Clue two: I am long and curved. Clue three: Monkeys love to eat me. What am I? Think, think… a banana!
3. New one! Clue one: I have four legs. Clue two: You sit on me every day. Clue three: I'm in this room right now. What am I? A chair!
4. Last one! Clue one: I'm round. Clue two: I'm up in the sky. Clue three: I come out at night and glow. What am I? The moon!
5. Great detective brains! Turn to a neighbor and hold up one finger if you got all three, or give a thumbs up if you got at least one.

Steps

1. Let's wake up our brains with rhymes! I say a word, you think of a word that rhymes with it.
2. First word: CAT. Think of a rhyme… hat! bat! mat! How many can you think of? Wiggle your fingers for each one.
3. Next word: BALL. Think of rhymes… tall! wall! fall! Give me a thumbs up when you've got at least two.
4. Last word: BEAR. This one's tricky! Think hard… chair! hair! there! Stomp your foot for each rhyme you find.
5. Your brain is all warmed up and ready to learn! Give yourself a round of applause — quiet claps, getting louder, louder, and STOP.

Steps

1. Sit up tall. We're going to make a siren sound to wake up our bodies. Start with a low, quiet hum — 'Mmmmmm' — down in your belly.
2. Now let your hum get a little louder and a little higher. Feel it move up from your belly to your chest. 'MMMmmmm!'
3. Keep going higher and louder! Up to your throat, up to your nose! 'MMMMMMM!' Like a fire truck siren waking up the whole neighborhood!
4. Now bring it back down. Softer, lower — 'MMMmmm... mmmm...' All the way back to a tiny hum in your belly.
5. One more time — low to HIGH to low. Mmmm-MMMMM-mmmm. Feel that tingle? Your whole body is awake now! Give yourself a little shake.

Steps

1. Sit up and put your hands on your belly. You're a woodpecker and your breath is your beak!
2. Peck peck peck! Push out tiny sharp breaths — 'Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!' Feel your belly bounce with each peck. Do ten fast pecks!
3. Now take one looooong smooth breath in through your nose, like a bird gliding through the sky. Fill up your belly like a balloon.
4. Peck again! 'Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!' Even faster this time! Wake up that sleepy body! Ten more pecks!
5. Last glide — one biiiiig breath in through your nose, hold it for three seconds, then let it out slow like a bird landing softly. Feel how awake you are now!

Steps

1. Time for Would You Rather! I'll give you two choices. Thumbs up for the first one, thumbs down for the second. Ready?
2. Would you rather... be able to FLY like a bird — or BREATHE UNDERWATER like a fish? Show me! Look around — what did your friends pick?
3. Would you rather... have a pet DINOSAUR — or a pet DRAGON? Show me! Ooh, tough choice!
4. Would you rather... be as TINY as an ant for a day — or as HUGE as a giant for a day? Think about it... show me!
5. Last one! Would you rather... have SUPER SPEED — or be able to turn INVISIBLE? Show me! Turn to your neighbor and tell them WHY you picked yours in one sentence. Your brain just woke up and made some big decisions!

Steps

1. You're a bear who has been sleeping alllll winter long. Curl up small in your chair like you're in a cozy cave.
2. Spring is here! Start to wake up — do a big, slow, grumbly yawn. YAWWWWN! Stretch one arm out real slow.
3. Now stretch the other arm. Roll your head around. Wiggle your bear paws — your fingers! Wake up those claws!
4. Stand up slowly like a big bear getting on your feet. Stretch your arms way up high and reach for the treetops! Growl a little — GRRRR!
5. You're a wide-awake bear now! Shake out your fur, stand tall and proud, and take a big sniff of that fresh spring air.

Steps

1. You're a tiny little jumping bean! Stand up and do the smallest, teeniest jumps you can — barely off the ground!
2. The beans are getting bouncier! A little bigger now — boing, boing, boing! Swing your arms!
3. SUPER BEANS! Jump as big as you can three times! ONE! TWO! THREE! Get some air!
4. The beans are cooling down. Medium jumps... small jumps... tiny bounces on your toes...
5. And STOP. Land with both feet flat. Stand perfectly still like the bean jar has a lid on it. Take a deep breath. Sit down quietly.

Steps

1. Put both hands on your belly. We're going to breathe like a big foghorn on a ship!
2. Breathe in through your nose and fill your belly up like a big balloon. Feel it push your hands out. BIG breath!
3. Now let it out with a loud HOOOOOOO! Like a foghorn warning the ships! Feel your belly go flat.
4. Again! Big belly breath in — make that balloon as big as you can! And HOOOOOOO! Even louder! Wake up those ships!
5. One more time! Biggest breath yet! And HOOOOOOO! Let it ALL out. Now sit quietly and feel the buzzing in your chest. You're wide awake now!

Steps

1. Time to wake up your body! Use your fingertips to gently tap the top of your head — tap tap tap. Wake up, brain!
2. Tap your cheeks, your chin, the back of your neck. Tap tap tap! Now tap across your shoulders — wake up, shoulders!
3. Tap down both arms — tap tap tap! All the way to your fingertips. Shake your hands out! Now tap your chest like a friendly gorilla — but gentle!
4. Tap your belly, tap your sides, tap the tops of your legs — tap tap tap! Wake up, legs! Tap all the way down to your knees.
5. Tap your shins, tap your ankles, stomp your feet twice! Every single part of you is awake now! Sit up tall and take a big energized breath!

Steps

1. I'm going to start a story, and YOUR brain is going to finish it. Ready? Listen carefully: 'One morning, a tiny mouse found a golden key under a leaf...'
2. Close your eyes. What happens next? Where does the key open? What does the mouse find? Let the movie play in your brain for a moment.
3. The story keeps going — what's the most exciting part? Does the mouse meet someone? Does something surprising happen? Keep imagining!
4. Open your eyes! Turn to someone next to you and whisper ONE thing that happened in YOUR version of the story. Everyone's story is different!
5. Wow — one beginning and so many different adventures! Your brain just made something brand new. That takes a LOT of brain power. Sit tall and proud!

Steps

1. Stand up! You are a superhero and your powers are running low. We need to power you up! Put your hands on your hips like a superhero standing on a rooftop.
2. Power pose number one: reach both arms straight up to the sky like you're about to fly! Stretch as tall as you can. Hold it and count to five with me.
3. Power pose number two: arms straight out to the sides like airplane wings. Stand on your tippy toes! You're flying over the city! Hold for five seconds.
4. Power pose number three: squat down low like you're about to launch into the sky. One, two, three — JUMP up high! Land softly like a superhero landing on a rooftop.
5. Stand tall with your hands on your hips one more time. Take a big superhero breath in through your nose and blow it out strong. Your powers are fully charged!

Steps

1. I'm going to be the leader first. Watch what I do and copy it exactly! Ready? Touch your head, touch your shoulders, clap twice.
2. Good! Now faster: touch your knees, spin around, jump once, freeze! Did everyone get that? Let's try again — knees, spin, jump, freeze!
3. Now I need a volunteer to be the leader. Everyone else, copy exactly what they do. Leader — show us three moves in a row!
4. Great job copying! New leader — pick someone who hasn't gone yet. Show us three brand new moves. Everyone copy!
5. Last round — everyone is their own leader. Do your three favorite moves from today. Then freeze in your best silly statue pose. Take a deep breath in your statue pose and sit back down.

Steps

1. Hold up one hand like you're holding a beautiful rose. Hold up the other hand with one finger up like a birthday candle.
2. First, smell the rose — take a biiiiig breath in through your nose. Mmmmm, that rose smells amazing!
3. Now blow out the candle — breathe out through your mouth in one strong puff! Whooo! Did you get it?
4. Let's do it faster. Smell the rose — in through your nose! Blow out the candle — out through your mouth! Smell — blow! Smell — blow! Four more times, faster and faster!
5. Last one — biggest smell of the rose, biggest blow on the candle. In through your nose… out through your mouth. Put your hands down. Your lungs just got a great wake-up call!

Steps

1. Freeze! Don't move. We're going on a sound scavenger hunt. You don't move your body — you move your EARS. Ready?
2. Hold up a fist. For every different sound you hear, put up one finger. Listen for ten seconds. How many sounds did you find? The clock? The lights buzzing? Someone breathing? Birds outside?
3. Now I'm going to make some sounds. Keep counting. Listen carefully — some will be quiet! Count on your fingers how many you hear.
4. How many fingers are up? Who got five? Six? Seven? Your ears just woke UP! There are sounds all around us that we usually ignore.
5. Put your hands down. Take one breath. Your ears are wide awake now. All those sounds were there the whole time — you just needed to turn on your listening superpower.

Steps

1. We're going to play a pattern game. I'll start a pattern and you tell me what comes next. Ready? Clap, snap, clap, snap, clap, snap — what's next? CLAP! You got it!
2. Harder one. Stomp, stomp, clap, stomp, stomp, clap, stomp, stomp — what comes next? CLAP! Your brain is turning on!
3. Now with words. Cat, dog, cat, dog, cat — what's next? DOG! Easy. How about: red, red, blue, red, red — what's next? BLUE!
4. Trickiest one. Listen carefully: one clap, two snaps, one clap, two snaps, one clap — what comes next? TWO SNAPS! Your brain had to count AND remember. That's hard work!
5. Your brain just woke up by finding patterns. Patterns are everywhere — in math, in reading, in music. Your pattern-finder is ON now. Take a breath and get ready to find more patterns today.

Steps

1. We're going to practice some magic words. Not magic like a wizard — magic because they help you make friends! Ready? Repeat after me: 'Can I play with you?'
2. Great! Now let's practice another one. When someone says no, we can say: 'That's okay. Maybe next time!' Say it with me. Big smile. It doesn't feel great when someone says no, but this sentence helps.
3. Here's another magic sentence for when you bump into someone or make a mistake: 'I'm sorry. Are you okay?' Say it with me. Look at the person next to you and say it like you mean it.
4. One more: when someone does something nice for you, we say 'Thank you! That was really kind.' Practice saying it to the person next to you. Make eye contact!
5. You just practiced four sentences that real friends use every single day. 'Can I play?' 'That's okay.' 'I'm sorry, are you okay?' 'Thank you.' Take a breath. You're ready to be an amazing friend today.

Steps

1. Hold your hands up in front of you. We're going to wake them up! First, rub your palms together really fast. Faster! Faster! Feel them getting warm?
2. Now press your warm hands on your cheeks. Oooh, warm! Rub your palms together again and press them on the back of your neck. Warm!
3. Tap all ten fingertips on your desk like rain falling. Start slow. Now faster! Now REALLY fast like a thunderstorm! Now slow down to a gentle drizzle.
4. Shake your hands out like you just washed them and there are no paper towels. Shake shake shake! Higher! Now lower! Now behind your back!
5. Stop. Hold your hands still in your lap. Feel the tingling in your fingers? That's blood flowing and nerves waking up. Your hands just woke up your whole body. Take a breath — you're awake!