Starting the school day with a morning meeting can be one of the most powerful ways to build classroom community, get kids engaged, and sneak in some learning through play. Morning Meeting Games for Kindergarten are especially effective, as attention spans are short and energy is high — which is why incorporating simple games that transition into writing is a game-changer.
Here are three of my favorite go-to Morning Meeting Games for Kindergarten that are fun, quick, and lead naturally into meaningful writing activities.
1. Would You Rather? — A Simple Game with Big Impact
One of the easiest and most engaging morning meeting games is “Would You Rather?” It’s quick to set up, sparks conversation, and gets students thinking creatively.
How to Play: Pose a fun, age-appropriate question to the class like:
- “Would you rather slide down a rainbow or jump on a cloud?”
- “Would you rather eat only ice cream or only pizza for a week?”
- “Would you rather be a cat or a dog?”
Have students move to different sides of the carpet to show their answer — for example, the left side for option A, and the right for option B. Once students choose, invite a few to share why they made their choice.
Why it works: This game supports speaking and listening standards, encourages students to express opinions, and helps them practice decision-making in a playful way. It’s also a great way for you (and their peers) to get to know them better!
Kid-Friendly “Would You Rather?” Questions
Here are more fun and imaginative prompts you can rotate into your morning meeting:
Silly & Imaginative
- Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet unicorn?
- Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?
- Would you rather live in a castle or on a spaceship?
- Would you rather swim in a pool of Jell-O or a pool of marshmallows?
- Would you rather have three arms or three legs?
Food-Themed
- Would you rather eat only cupcakes or only pancakes for a week?
- Would you rather have spaghetti hair or popcorn feet?
- Would you rather eat a banana or a strawberry?
- Would you rather drink chocolate milk or strawberry milk?
Animal-Themed
- Would you rather be a lion or a dolphin?
- Would you rather hop like a frog or waddle like a penguin?
- Would you rather ride an elephant or a zebra?
- Would you rather talk to animals or be able to turn into one?
Extend It into Writing:
After a few rounds, guide students to turn their verbal response into a written sentence. Use a simple sentence frame like:
“I would rather ________ because ________.”
You can model this on chart paper or your whiteboard:
“I would rather be a dog because I could play all day.”
Students can then write and illustrate their sentence in their journals. It’s a seamless transition from talking to writing — and it builds confidence in expressing ideas on paper.
2. Alphabet Ball — A Fun Twist on Letter Practice
Looking for a way to reinforce letter sounds and vocabulary while getting some movement in? “Alphabet Ball” is perfect for that.
How to Play: Gather the class in a circle and start with a soft ball. The first student says a word that starts with the letter A and tosses the ball to someone else. That student says a B word, and so on through the alphabet. If a student is stuck, they can get help from a classmate or say “pass” and keep the ball moving.
You can modify the game depending on your group:
- Try just going through letters A–M one day and N–Z the next.
- Choose a theme: animals, foods, places, etc.
- Instead of words, students can say the letter sound or name a classmate whose name starts with that letter.
Why it works: This game helps students build letter-sound connections, recall vocabulary, and practice turn-taking — all while moving and staying engaged.
Extend It into Writing: After the game, choose one of the words that came up and have the class write about it. For example, if someone said “dinosaur” for the letter D, students can write:
“A dinosaur is big. It has sharp teeth.”
Or offer a simple prompt like:
“My favorite alphabet word was ________ because ________.”
Let them illustrate their sentence or even try labeling their drawing for an extra literacy boost.
3. What’s in the Picture? — A Visual Springboard for Speaking and Writing
Visuals are powerful tools in early childhood classrooms — especially for English Learners. “What’s in the Picture?” is a low-prep, high-impact game that encourages language-rich discussion and naturally transitions into writing.
How to Play: Choose a photo or illustration with lots of detail — it could be seasonal, silly, or related to your current theme. Show it to the class during morning meeting and ask open-ended questions like:
- What do you see?
- What do you think is happening?
- What might happen next?
- How do you think the characters feel?
Let students share their observations and ideas aloud. You can chart some of their responses, especially for your ELD students, to support vocabulary development and sentence structure.
Why it works: This activity gives all students — especially English Learners — the chance to:
- Practice using descriptive language
- Build vocabulary in context
- Develop oral language before being expected to write
- Engage with visual cues to support comprehension
Connect It to ELD Writing
After the discussion, guide students to use their ideas in writing. For example:
Writing Prompts:
- “I see a ______.”
- “The dog is ______.”
- “The kids are at the ______.”
- “I think they are ______ because ______.”
Students can draw a scene from the picture and write a matching sentence. For ELD support, you might provide a word bank or sentence frames, or let students copy from shared class sentences to build confidence.
Example Scaffolding:
- Beginner: Copy a modeled sentence (e.g., “I see a snowman.”)
- Intermediate: Fill in the blanks with help (e.g., “The ______ is ______.”)
- Advanced: Write original thoughts based on the picture.
This game not only builds a bridge from oral to written language — it also empowers all learners, especially those acquiring English, to participate, take risks, and express their thinking in meaningful ways.
Why These Games Matter
Each of these Morning Meeting Games for Kindergarten takes just 5–10 minutes but sets a joyful tone for the day. Even better? They allow your students to transition naturally from speaking into writing — an essential skill in Kindergarten and a powerful tool for ELD support.
By blending movement, visuals, and voice, you’re helping students become confident thinkers, speakers, and writers — all before your first lesson of the day even begins.
