Class Meetings Greetings Your Students Will Love

Classroom meetings are a great way to build community, and greeting each other may be the most important part. Class meeting greetings allow each of your students to hear their name said in a positive way and to feel welcomed. Studies have even shown that people’s brains are more active at the mention of their own names compared with someone else’s name!

For your meeting, students should sit in a circle. Typically each student greets the person next to them, who greets them back and then passes the greeting until it goes all the way around. But doing the same “Hello” or “Good Morning” can get boring for 2nd graders. So here are some fun ways to jazz up your daily greeting.

Quick greetings

Start with these greetings at the beginning of the year. These are the easiest greetings to use at the beginning of the year because they don't take a lot of explaining. Use these greetings while you're phasing in other parts of your morning meeting that you would like to give more time to.

• Wave/hello greeting
• High five / Handshake / Hug
• Different language

Silly Class Meeting Greetings

Silly greetings are a fun way to mix it up. These are second graders favorite type of class meeting greetings. They get to have fun and act just a tad bit silly!

Robot Voice: Pass the greeting in a robot voice and mimic robot movements.

Formal: Greet each other with a title (Mr., Mrs., Mx.) and last name.

Silly voice: Choose a silly voice to pass the greeting. Some popular ones are squeaky or extra deep voices. *Be mindful of students pretending with accents as it can become insensitive to other cultures or ethnicities.

Wigglies Greetings

These greetings encourage students to move around. 

Good Morning to You: First, choose a student that will start the first move. While the rest of the class chants, the designated student moves to the middle of the circle while pantomiming something they enjoy. For example, playing basketball, reading a book, taking a nap, or running in place. Last, they move back into the circle. In this greeting the greeting is not returned to the passer but rather continues to move around the circle.

• “Good morning <insert student name>, good morning to you.
  I like to do this <student pantomimes something they like to do>, how about you?”

Hit the Floor!: The whole class chants and claps as the student being greeted comes to the middle of the circle and does his/her best move. Although this might seem similiar to Good Morning to You, this greeting is only dance moves!

• “1,2,3,4! Come on <insert student name> hit the floor! We’re so glad you’re here today, Hurray, Hurray, Hurray!”

Choosies Greeties

Build your classroom community by giving your students agency and choice with class meeting greetings.

Handshake, High Five, or Hug: Say “hello” and pass a handshake, high five or hug. The student receiving the greeting chooses which one they would like. (An alternative could be a wave, air five, or fist/elbow bump.)

Different Language: Pass the greeting with a wave but say “hello” in a different language. Have some suggestions ready for students who have difficulty choosing. The student receiving the greeting repeats it in the same language they heard, then changes it as they pass the greeting. As a follow-up, ask students to share which language they chose.

Student Choice: Work together to develop more unique class greetings. After a few weeks, your students will definitely have suggestions for class greetings. You’re practically guaranteed excitement if they get to pass a greeting they created.

In conclusion, setting up a solid meeting routine will help give your students a sense of belonging and community in your class each day. Hopefully, these class meeting greetings are an easy way to get started with class meetings.

Class Meeting Greetings FREEBIE

You can use these greetings easily in your class with these printable and digital greeting cards. They're available for FREE!