This is a post out of the 31 Days of the Morning Circle. You can find the main page for this series here.

Even though the individual activities might change from day to day or week to week, structure the morning circle in an order that makes sense and that is repeated in the same way daily. Some children need routines to help them anticipate what will come next. This helps reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with not knowing.

I like to structure the circle not only for my son but also for myself. Even if we only spend 5 minutes in the circle, those 5 minutes are predictable and easily executable.

The structure of the morning circle to benefit neurodivergent and disabled children

You can include anything you wish in a morning circle. The sample routine I share here is meant to offer ideas as you structure yours. Sample activities to include in each section can be found in future posts.

Just like a story or a lesson, the morning circle should have a beginning, a middle and an end. I call them: opening activities, main activities, and closing activities.

A sample plan for morning circle

When inaugurating the morning circle for the first time, it’s ideal to have a visual schedule for that child that includes the main sections with one or two indications of what will happen in each section. As you go through the tasks, have the child remove the card related to the activity completed. Keep doing this until the child automatically knows what’s coming next. Often, the end of one song or activity is the indicator.

Opening Activities

• Welcoming words or song
• Meditation/reflection
• Invitation to the story followed by the story
• Discussion about the weather followed by weather songs
• Thematic songs/chants

Main Activities

• Main activities (build on skills the child will use throughout the day or week)

Closing Activities

• Closing chant, song or intention for the day

To make the task easier for you, I’ve created a planner (free to download also by clicking on the image):

What does your morning circle consist of?