Here’s a Morning Meeting greeting idea from 80 Morning Meeting Ideas for Grades 3–6, by Carol Davis:
Secret Handshake Greeting
Creating secret handshakes taps students’ creativity and builds community.
How to do it:
- Students pair up and take a few minutes to create and practice a secret handshake and a greeting that includes each other’s names.
- On your signal, all students begin doing their secret handshakes and greetings with their partners.
- On your signal, students find new partners and teach each other their handshakes.
- Repeat once or twice.
Tips for Success:
- Brainstorm and model creating a safe and friendly handshake quickly and greeting a partner with it.
- Reinforce positive behaviors. For example: “I saw and heard lots of cooperation as you worked with your partners to create secret handshakes.”
Skills: creative thinking, cooperation, sequencing
Variations:
- Invite partners to do their handshake in the center of the circle one pair at a time.
- Challenge students to create their biggest, smallest, fastest, slowest, or most complicated handshake.
