8 Morning Work (Bell Ringer) ideas with freebies! Part 1

Ahhh...the first 20 min. of school after you have happily greeted all of your darling cherubs.  We want them to be busy, independent, learning, and calm.  I want my morning work to help set the tone for the day.
I don't know how you feel,  but as a teacher, I really don't want morning work to be something that I have to later grade, so I have a few ideas for morning work (or bell ringer work) that doesn't involve worksheets or a whole lot of planning! This post is the first in a 2 part series.  Today are ideas 1-4!
This post does contain affiliate links.  If you use the link I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support.

Morning Work or Bell Ringers are things that the kiddos in my class do after they are finished with their A.M. Business.  

My kiddos have a procedure that they follow when they come into my room every day.  They turn in any notes for me, make sure that they have 2 sharp pencils, choose a partner, use the restroom and get a drink, then start on their morning work!  Here are some things that I like to do in my classroom during the first 20 min of class when I am trying to sort through notes, take attendance, and get ready to start our day.

1. My Favorite Idea for Morning Work: Read!

I love using that time in the morning when the kiddos come in to have them read to themselves or with a partner.  My kiddos can read out of their book boxes, choose new books, or read from our "theme" bookshelf.  They can choose a fun spot in the room to read and share books.  This is also one of my student's favorite morning work activities.  Sometimes I pair it with:

2. Book Shopping

 I have a few kiddos who would spend all of Reading Workshop shopping for books if that was a choice, so having the kiddos bookshop when they first come into the class is another activity that my students really enjoy!  This also makes sure that they have books to read during Reading Workshop.  They love to shop with a buddy as well, which gets them talking about books!

Book Shopping Challenges!

I occasionally love to do Book Shopping Challenges as well!  Sometimes when the kiddos come in, I have a book shopping challenge on the board!  They love showing me something new that they discovered in our classroom library!

Looking for more fun Classroom Library Challenges?  You can find them by Clicking on the pic below!

3. My Students Favorite Morning Work: Morning Missions

My kiddos LOVE Morning Mini-Missions.  This one does include making a few copies, but it gets your kiddos out of their seats and working together!  There are all sorts of mini-mission tasks such as: 

Collecting Data and Graphing the Information Found.

Finding out your friend's favorite colors.

Decorating a Christmas Tree together (each child draws their own ornament).

Writing a story one sentence at a time.

Creating the perfect play date.

The activities all have the kiddos getting up to talk to one another!  They are perfect for creating and keeping a sense of collaboration and classroom community among your students!  Want more info?  Click the pic to see an entire set in the preview:

4. Math Games (Work Places)

So, last year our school district adopted Bridges Math.  If you know anything about Bridges math you know that Work Places are a big part of the program.  Why not have your kiddos practice their math skills during morning work time?  If you aren't doing Bridges Math, then any type of math game works during this time!  My kiddos LOVE the dice game TENZI (affiliate link).

I have a few math game freebies if you are interested:

I do have more ideas to share with you!  You can find Part 2 of this series HERE!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Don't lose these ideas!  Pin the image to read later.  Sharing is caring!

Never miss a freebie!  Sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date with everything Primary Planet!