Here are a couple aspects of your morning routine that you should consider for your special education classroom. 

1. Breakfast Morning Routine

Do your students eat breakfast at home? 

If your students eat breakfast at home, consider how long it has been since they had breakfast. Many of my students have up to a 45 minute bus ride before the school day. That means they may have eaten an hour or more before school has started. Consider adding a snack time in the morning before lunch if your students have a long morning bus ride.

Do your students eat breakfast at school?

If your students eat breakfast at school, take it as a learning opportunity. You can work on manners, cleaning up their breakfast, eating in a certain area, or eating at an appropriate pace. Keep track of how much they’re eating for breakfast on a daily basis. They may also need a snack before lunch time if they are only eating part of the school breakfast. 

For example, I have a student that only drinks the school juice and will not eat the breakfast provided. I will give that student a 10:00 snack to supplement until lunch time. 

If you can’t tell, making sure my students are properly fed is important to me. I have seen enough students display negative behaviors because they were hungry. Such a basic morning routine to include!

Virtual tip- Plan a time in your Google Meet or Zoom call to eat breakfast or lunch together!

You can choose to do 1:1 breakfast sessions with your students to eat, or whole group sessions to not single any student out.

2. Bathroom and Hygiene Use in the Morning Routine

Do you have students that use diapers or pull ups?

If you have students that need support in toileting, make sure that they are not soiled when they come to school. Similarly, they may have had a long bus ride to school and need to be changed. Schedule this as part of their morning routine to help maintain cleanliness. 

Do you have students that need support grooming?

Mornings can be a busy time for parents. They may not have the time to be able to get through the entire hygiene routine with their child. Consider adding a grooming schedule in your student’s morning routine. 

Previously, I’ve had students that showered at school in the mornings in the school’s locker room. I have also had students brush their hair and teeth when they got to school. Peers can be cruel, do what you can to help support our students. Help make hygiene an acceptable morning routine.

Virtual tip- Plan a time in your daily Google Meet or Zoom call to take a bathroom break (with no video) or practice brushing your teeth together over video chat!

You can choose to do 1:1 sessions with your students, or whole group sessions. How fun would it be to brush your teeth together?

3. Morning Work for your Morning Routine

Are your students ready to work in the morning?

Get them to work! Work can be defined in different ways in my classroom. 

Jobs

Work for some students may mean a daily job. Some of my students have jobs to do after they unpack their backpack. For example, I have a student that checks the dryer and if there are dry clothes, they will fold all the clothes and towels from the day prior. 

Do you have a student that likes to move around in the morning? I have another job where a student checks staff mailboxes first thing in the morning. I’d love to hear some of your classroom jobs in the comments!

Virtual tip- Set a job of the week for your students to do at home

Some ideas: wash dishes, make your bed, vacuum the floor, wipe the table, or set the table

Binder Work

Binder work is a great way to start a student’s day if they are ready to sit and do activities. There are a variety of skills that can be addressed in binder work. Hint- it is a great time to do IEP data!! 

Identification and writing for:

• Name
• Numbers
• Letters 
• Shapes
• Personal information
• Calendar
• Weather 
• Feelings/emotions check in 

Matching or sorting

• Colors
• Shapes
• Numbers
• Alphabet 
• Favorite characters/ animals 

Virtual tip- Find some amazing digital activities to do every morning with your students

Check out my favorite matching activities below!

Puzzles

I have some students that are not ready for academics in the morning and jobs are just too busy for them. I have them work on puzzles. This helps get their brain thinking without the work being too stressful. They need to focus on their task, but have fun while doing it. Morning routine can be fun!

4. Quiet Time in your Morning Routine

Are your students NOT ready to work in the morning?

I have some students in my classroom that come to school not ready to learn. That is okay. I make sure that I address their basic needs first. If they need to have a sensory break or quiet time when they arrive, I make sure that it is consistently in their day.

Previously, I had a student that would take a 10 minute break in a tent (pictured below) when he came to school. He would be able to close up his tent and I set the timer. After those 10 minutes, he learned that he was then expected to work. On more difficult mornings, he may have had 12-15 minutes in the tent by himself. This gave my student a quiet time to be alone and get ready for his day. By the end of the school year, that tent was removed and he was able to sit at a desk by himself away from others. Still served the same purpose, but allowed for a more socially appropriate break. 

Thank you for reading this blog! I hope you feel more confident in your morning routine after reading!

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