Start of the Day Activities

Start-of-the-day activities are a great way for children to consolidate specific skills, like times tables, and develop their thinking skills. They can also be used for retrieval practice, reviewing their learning and readying them for the next step.

How do you manage Start of the Day Activities?

There are several options when it comes to organising the start of the day. Some classes use a “menu” of learning activities that children can select from; others allocate activities to specific groups on a timetable or have a different activity for everyone, depending on the day of the week. Finding what works for you and then sticking to the basic structure is helpful for children so they know what is expected and can get on independently. It also allows adults to welcome children and talk to parents, knowing the rest of the children are calmly occupied.

What kind of activities can be used at the start of the day?

Once you have decided how you will manage your activities, the next step is to find activities that the children can access and complete independently. For the first few days, keep the activities straightforward and focus on establishing the routine so children become confident. Once that groundwork has been completed, you can try a greater range.

Early Morning Activity Packs

Try ideas from one of our popular Early Morning Activity Packs: These easy-to-use packs are packed full of activities that are ready to display on the board or print out as cards.

• Early Morning Activity Pack
• Early Morning Activity Pack 2
• Early Morning Activity Pack 3

We have collected some of our favourite early morning activities below:

Thinking Skills:

• Use our Odd One Out Pack or make your own. Give the children four words, images, or numbers. Which one is the odd one out? The more creative the answer, the better! There are no wrong answers; the children just need to be able to explain the reason for their choice.
• Download our Thinking Skills Pack for lots of activities that can be used at the start of the day.
• Pose a “Would you rather?” question, and ask children to justify their choice. (The Thinking Skills Pack has a ready-made PowerPoint for this)
• Anna Kim shared this idea with us: I usually give my pupils a few quizzes to do on the board, like guessing the word. I noticed that they now come to the classroom earlier and start to “warm up” this way themselves, inviting me to join their game, too!
• Give the children a statement such as “Mobile phones should not be allowed in lessons” and ask them to write a list of arguments for and against it.
• Mismissigt05 shared this great idea: As a bell ringer assignment, my kids love it when I give a Mind Trap Question. I call it critical thinking. They take little note sheets that I’ve cut from recycled paper from a designated location (usually near the board where the question is posted), and I tell them that if they talk, I won’t accept their response. When the timer goes off (or when I walk forward to begin class), their answer has to be in the designated location, or else it doesn’t count. I read the question aloud and each student’s response aloud. They really love hearing me announce their name with their response (this usually takes about 1-2 minutes). When this is done, I say, “The students who responded by stating……. are correct!” They celebrate and laugh afterwards. I give those students classroom bucks, or sometimes I just let them put their response in a little box and randomly pull someone’s name at the end of each week for a small treat or incentive. They love it, and it lets me know that their brains are in critical-thinking mode!
• This idea was submitted by Laurie D: I provide critical thinking activities – a question, a puzzle, riddles, or putting a painting on the smart board and ask questions that require observation and critical thinking. They write these in their journal. When they are finished, then they are to read silently.

Learning Review and Retrieval:

• Review a piece of work from the previous day. Can you see anything that could be improved or that you missed out? Compare your work with someone else’s and incorporate their ideas.
• Write quiz questions based on the previous day’s learning.
• Create a mind map of learning from the week. What can you remember?

English:

• Write a six-word story about something. These free picture prompts may be helpful.

• Find five words in a dictionary and use them to write sentences.
• Create a word search with this week’s spelling words.
• Practise your spelling on Spooky Spellings.
• Work with a friend and test each other on this week’s spelling words.
• Use one of our Images to Inspire; each image has ready-made writing prompts and ideas!
• Display a “word of the day” and challenge the children to use it in a sentence. Our Wonderful Words Pack has a ready-made set to display or print out.

• Display a root word, such as “appear”. How many other words can you make by adding prefixes and suffixes?
• Display a word linked to your current learning, such as “triangle”.How many words can you make using only the letters in it?

Maths:

• Download our Number of the Day Display Pack for ready-made Maths resources.
• Create or complete a number pattern.
• Write out a times table.
• Use the Corbett Maths 5-a-day materials for KS2.

Science:

• Pose a science question, such as “Why does the moon have phases?” and ask the children to write a response. We have some free ‘Science Question of the Day’ posters if you plan to display them.
• Write all the key vocabulary for the current topic. Can they write definitions, or draw related diagrams, too?
• Based on your current learning, ask the children to make lists under given headings, such as insulators and conductors or mammals and birds.

Computing:

• Use a device to find five facts about a given topic.
• Play a free maths game on MathsFrame.
• Use Transum to code a simple shape.
• Use a trusted program to practise skills such as times tables or spelling.
• Create a presentation about a given topic.

Design Technology:

• Design a gadget to solve a problem. For example, design a machine to pick up litter in the playground.
• Make a list of different types of technology or products, such as types of bridges or communications devices.

Art:

• Display an image on the board and ask children to draw their own version.
• Ask children to create a doodle and colour in different spaces in different colours.

Music:

• A visitor to our site contributed this idea; I work in a rural preschool centre where the children love singing to popular music. We put music on, mostly bought in from the children’s home, and the favourite songs are played and sung repeatedly for a good 15 – 20 minutes. It is their choice. Our early group of 3- and 4-year-olds love hopping up on their little chairs and singing to their hearts’ content at the top of their voices. Their favourite song of the moment is “Just the Way You Are” from the Glee CD. This singing together allows the children to get active as they hop up and down on the chairs throughout the song. It also gets them involved in a group activity and sets the mood for the day.
• Put on a piece of music and set out drawing materials. Ask the children to draw what the music makes them think of.

Geography:

• Give a list of locations (or clues to locations) to find on Google Maps.

History:

• Put events from your current topic in order. For example: The London Underground opened, “On the Origin of Species” was published, Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone, Queen Victoria died.
• Write a news report or social media post about an event linked to your current history topic.

Physical Education:

• Put on an exercise video for the children to follow.
• Design a new game or activity based on a given criteria, such as being playable indoors or using two balls.

Languages:

• Set out flashcards for children to learn vocabulary.
• Give children a picture and a vocabulary bank. Can they label the image?
• Give children a few words and ask them to write or say a simple phrase or sentence using them.

PSHE:

• Write a note to a friend, thanking them for something that has happened this week.

Some of our wonderful followers have also shared the following ideas:

Lara Savory:

We have four activity starters on the board, a selection from:

• Jumbled up letters,
• A number (make it in different ways),
• An unusual shape (what could this be?),
• A word to find synonyms for,
• A word to find rhymes for,
• A subject to make an alphabet list for,
• A picture of a character (what questions would you ask?),
• A thunk (a la Ian Gilbert),
• An answer to think of questions for,
• Alternatively, they can read,
• At some point in the day, we share our favourites.

This image shows one way of presenting these activities:

Andy260:

We have a wake-up and work circuit, just 10-20 minutes at the start of the day with year 1,

• Mon – Learn the lyrics to a new song, which is good for improving reading skills.
• Wed – Word off, competing against other classes to create as many words as possible from a phrase… e.g., ‘world cup is coming’, you could make RING. Good for vocabulary and spelling.
• Thurs – Idea shower- one word in the middle of the board, e.g. space, and they post what they know about that subject and stick it on the board. This is really good for AfL on what you have been doing.
• Fri – Learning a new dance. This links to wake-up shake-up and really keeps them active on the last day of the week.

The children have now embraced this rota and come to school earlier, so they get this fun 10 minutes in. So boosted our attendance. 🙂

Mrdoctorwhomad:

A mixture, depending on what day it is, or what the first lesson is

• MON – No wake-up activity until Homework is completed. Usually Brain Gym (Dancing)
• TUE – Wall of Words. Create a “wall of words” out of one subject. i.e. Positive Words
• WED – Paper Games (played on mini whiteboards) Hangman, X and Os etc
• THUR – Singalong. Gather Years 1-3 and Years 4-7 to sing popular songs.
• FRI – No wake-up activity until a Spelling Test is completed. Using the netbooks (Mathletics).

Rachel:

EYFS – I always start the day with a caption challenge (phase 3 sentence), a writing challenge (phase 2/3 CVC words and a sentence), a maths challenge with repeating patterns/missing numbers from sequence/ addition and subtraction sums/ what is the name of this 3d shape, and a body challenge “Can you do this? and a picture of a child either rolling his tongue, spreading his fingers, etc, somewhere in the provision (and children choose to do it or not). Children love sharing their attempts at the challenges in morning diary time, and it lends itself to talking about what they think they might need to practise that day!

If you have any other ideas or suggestions, please leave a comment below…