The purpose of this blog is to suggest an additional purpose to the community circle or morning circle, adding activities to help develop language and basic social communication skills in bilingual children, which will later translate into reading and writing success.
A few years ago, we were all trained on the importance of the morning circle (sometimes called the community circle). All teachers were taught that, each morning, we must participate in an activity where we sit in a circle with our students, where we check in on our feelings for the day.
As years went by, each school had its own variation of the morning circle, and each counselor had their own rules and ideas for this morning circle.
But mostly, the teacher needs to sit with the students (so crisscross apple sauce if we’re in Kindergarten), and we need to guide how we are feeling each day.
How Does the Morning Circle Work?
Young children thrive on routine. Starting each day with a morning circle routine gives students a sense of predictability and safety. They know what to expect: we sit together, we greet each other, and we listen to one another. This structure is especially important in a bilingual classroom, where language barriers can make the day feel unpredictable and chaotic. The morning circle becomes a safe harbor where everyone knows the rules and feels included.
Morning circles aren’t just for students. As teachers, we participate too. I always share my own color and explain why I feel that way. This models emotional awareness and open communication. When students see adults expressing feelings and using strategies to move to green, they learn that it’s normal to have a range of emotions and that we can manage them together.
It’s important to remember that sharing in the morning circle is, in its majority, voluntary. Some children need time to feel comfortable before they speak. By respecting their pace, we create a space where students feel safe to open up when they’re ready. The goal is to have even the children with little to no language or the quietest children find their voice over time.
Breathing Exercises
We begin our morning circle by doing a breathing exercise. There are many of those out there, and the children enjoy them.
We breathe to collect our thoughts and calm our minds. We breathe before we do anything else. We do this breathing exercise together, and it shouldn’t take more than a few seconds.
In my class, I teach a different breathing exercise once a week. We then repeat it for two weeks. After we go through all the breathing exercises, we start over in the second semester.
Here are some of the breathing exercises I have in my rotation:
- Bee: We take a breath, and when we exhale, we make a bzzzz sound, like a bee.
- Volcano: We take a breath and raise our arms over us in a triangle, we then exhale as we mimic lava falling over.
- Square: We draw a square with our finger, and each side is an inhale or exhale.
- Triangle: We draw a triangle with our finger, and each side is an inhale or exhale.
- Hand: We extend our hand and we go over the outline of each finger, inhaling when going up the finger, and exhaling when going down the finger.
- Elephant: We pretend our arm is the elephant’s trunk and when we exhale, we make a trumpet sound.
- Snake: We take a breath and when we exhale we move our hand like a snake as we say Ssssss.
- Up and Down: We raise our arms when we inhale and we drop them on the carpet as we exhale.
- Bubbles: We pretend we have bubbles. We inhale as we put the stick in the bubble bottle and we exhale as we blow the bubbles.
- Balloon: We pretend we are going to blow up a balloon and when we exhale we mimic with our hands the balloon growing.
- Smell a Flower: We pretend we are smelling a flower when we inhale, and then we exhale.
- Rain: We raise our hands as we inhale and we exhale as we move our fingers down pretending it’s raining.
You can find the cards with these breathing exercises in my Morning Circle resource. You can find it here.
The Totem
One of the most important aspects of our morning meeting activities is the use of a totem—a special item we pass around the circle. The totem isn’t just a fun prop; it’s a powerful tool for teaching respect and turn-taking. When a child holds the totem, they have the floor. Everyone else listens. This simple act helps children understand the value of listening to others and waiting for their turn to speak, which are crucial skills for both social interaction and academic success.
- Totem use: Fosters respect, patience, and active listening.
- Turn-taking: Teaches children to wait and listen, not just talk.
- Visual cue: The totem is a clear, concrete reminder of whose turn it is.
The totem can basically be whatever you want, but in my classroom, I had an octopus that changed from sad to happy. That’s what I used as my totem. You can find the cute little octopus here.
The Color System (The Zones of Regulation)
Most schools I’ve taught at use a simple color system to help children name and regulate their feelings:
- Red: Angry, wanting to scream or hit.
- Blue: Bored, sick, or tired.
- Green: Calm and ready to learn.
- Yellow: Frustrated or distracted, wanting to play.
When we talk about morning circle routines in bilingual kindergarten, it’s easy to focus only on the emotional check-in—asking students how they feel and what color they are today. But the power of the morning circle goes far beyond just feelings.
It’s a foundational morning meeting activity that sets the tone for the entire day, builds a strong classroom community, and develops essential communication skills that support later success in reading and writing.
Ideas to Development Language during the Morning Circle
Morning circle is one of the most powerful tools we have in the bilingual kindergarten classroom for building communication skills. Over the years, I’ve seen how intentional morning meeting activities can transform not only language development in kindergarten, but also social confidence and classroom community. By embedding language goals into our bilingual circle time, we set the stage for success in reading, writing, and interpersonal relationships.
1. Greeting Practice: Building Social Skills and VocabularyOne of the first things I teach during morning circle is the simple act of greeting. Many young children, especially in bilingual settings, aren’t used to saying “good morning” or making eye contact. I make it a routine: we sit in a circle, we do our breathing exercises, and each child greets the person next to them, using their name. For example, “Good morning, Sofia.” The next child responds, “Good morning, Mateo.”
This simple exchange does wonders for classroom greetings and helps children practice both receptive and expressive language. Over time, I notice even the quietest students begin to speak up and make eye contact, which is a huge step in building social skills.
2. Learning Names: The Foundation for ConversationCalling peers by name is more than just polite—it’s a key part of language development in kindergarten. Early in the year, many children don’t know each other’s names, and some are unsure how to ask. I model the question, “What’s your name?” and encourage students to use it with each other. We practice speaking clearly and loudly enough to be heard. Instead of simply telling them everyone’s name, I let them discover it through conversation. This not only builds vocabulary but also helps children feel seen and valued.
3. Encouraging Complete Sentences: Laying the Groundwork for WritingMorning circle is the perfect time to encourage responses in complete sentences. When we ask questions like, “What’s your favorite color?” I prompt students to answer with, “My favorite color is blue,” instead of just “blue.” This practice is essential for expressive language and sets the foundation for writing skills later on. Sometimes, children need to repeat after me, but I always reinforce the importance of full sentences. This habit carries over into their writing, making it easier for them to construct sentences and express ideas clearly.
Asking simple questions like this during morning circle can also promote community. Suddenly, kids have something in common, and they want to talk about it.
4. Weekly Focus: The Four Magic WordsEvery week, we highlight the “four magic words”: please, thank you, sorry, and excuse me. These words are the building blocks of polite conversation and social-emotional learning. We practice using them in context—using please when asking for something, thanking a friend for sharing, or apologizing if we interrupt.
Even so, the morning circle should not last more than 10-15 minutes—depending on class sizes.
While some schools add “you’re welcome,” I focus on the core four, as they cover the most common social situations children encounter. I say this because kids sometimes aren’t very nice if someone doesn’t say “you’re welcome” to them, and this person is usually the one being helped… why would this kid make someone feel bad because of it? The goal of the magic words is to be selfless, not selfish. Do you know what I mean?
Think about it, this weekly routine not only reinforces language but also supports character development, which many schools tie to monthly SEL themes.
5. Promote School SpiritWhile checking in on feelings is important, morning circle can be so much more. We use it to promote school spirit, too. Everyone wants to belong, and feeling pride in your school creates that feeling of not being alone.
We can discuss the school motto, the school shout, school traditions, share news about the school, or answer simple questions about the school that spark conversation. These activities promote language development, listening skills, and a sense of belonging.
By embedding these elements into our bilingual circle time, we help children build the communication skills they’ll need for reading, writing, and lifelong learning.
6. Not the Time for a Read AloudBy keeping the morning meeting activities dynamic and focused on student participation, we can create a space where children feel seen, heard, and connected, all while supporting their social-emotional learning and language development.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that the morning circle should not be used as a time to read socioemotional learning books. While these books are valuable, reading them during the morning meeting can slow down the routine and shift the focus away from interaction. Instead, I reserve book discussions for language arts time.
But, during morning meeting, we can use themes about books we have read to reinforce socioemotional development concepts through conversation or questions.
Here are a few titles of good socioemotional learning (SEL) books I’ve come across:
- Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
- The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
- The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
- Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
- Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
- When Words Have Power by Lisa Chong
- The Color Monster by Anna Llenas
In conclusion, maximizing the morning circle’s potential means shifting away from passive activities, like book reading or simply asking how students are feeling, and embracing interactive, community-building routines. By doing so, we give our students daily opportunities to practice communication, develop social skills, and feel connected to their peers and school. This approach not only supports emotional development in the kindergarten classrooms but also sets the stage for lifelong success in reading and writing through language development.
Let’s use our morning meetings to build the kind of classroom community where every child feels valued, heard, and ready to learn.
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