We begin each morning with Soft Starts in my 4th grade classroom. They are a nice way for students to come into my classroom each morning. We rotate different types of soft starts throughout the year. We begin the year with games students can play in order to get to know one another.
This week we will be changing to dinosaur/fossil themed soft starts. We are studying fossils in science, so these soft starts give students a chance to learn some things about dinosaurs, play dinosaur card games, explore fossils, and do some fun artwork using tracing plates, stickers, and stamps.
The Soft Starts packs in my tpt store have labels for containers, items to get, and rules for kids to follow. You can also just put a different soft start item at each table. I have soft starts with STEM, dinosaurs/fossils, words, and squishy things. I am working on adding more! Click here to see my Dinosaur Soft Start Pack.
My students spend the first 15-20 minutes each day on the soft starts. I put up a timer when they have 5 minutes left and they know it is time to begin cleaning up. I store everything in shoebox tubs and bring them out each morning.
What things do you do in the morning as your students come into your classroom?
Smart Chick Teacher's Blog 
What a great idea to start the day!!