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Opening and Closing Activities for K-2

10 Activities

More from this collaborator

Grades K - 2

2 Hours

Overview

This playlist of opening and closing activities encourages youth to explore their big and small emotions while sharing positive thoughts about themselves and their friends. The opening activities offer simple strategies to help them feel calm and prepared for the day, gently setting the stage for a strong and centered start. Closing activities invite students to reflect on moments of kindness, connection, and courage through song, movement, gratitude, and reflection. Whether mimicking animals, writing thank-you notes, or sharing songs from home, they’ll consider what made them feel seen, strong, or calm. Each experience helps them carry something positive forward until they gather again next time!

Quality Instructional Practices

Building Spaces & Strategies for Sharing for Grades K-2

The Wonderful World of Feelings

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

The Wonderful World of Feelings

K - 2

20 Minutes

In this opening activity, students will explore their emotions and feelings by using a worksheet with pictures. This activity is a great way to start the class, as it helps understand the emotional state students are in when they arrive.

Discover Activity

The Wonderful World of Feelings

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

Feelings and Words

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Feelings and Words

K - 2

10 Minutes

In this opener, you will help students identify their feelings using words on the wall. Developing vocabulary and attaching words about feelings is the gateway to emotional intelligence. Students do not have to share why they feel the way they do; they only share how they feel. We let the students have these feelings without judgment. We just let them learn how to say them aloud. Of course, if they want to share their "why" about the feeling, encourage them to express themselves.

Discover Activity

Feelings and Words

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

What is a Quality?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

What is a Quality?

K - 2

20 Minutes

The goal of this activity is to help students understand and identify positive qualities about themselves and others. When children recognize their strengths, they learn to value themselves and understand that they are capable of doing wonderful things. It also helps them appreciate the good qualities in others, which leads to better friendships, cooperation, and kindness. Knowing and focusing on positive qualities helps children become more aware of how to be good friends, solve problems peacefully, and treat others with respect.

Discover Activity

What is a Quality?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Nice to Ya!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Nice to Ya!

K - 2

10 Minutes

The goal of this activity is to support students in building kindness and empathy skills. Empathy is the key to connection and emotional intelligence. As children get older, they will use their emotional intelligence in several areas of their lives to become happy and productive people.

Discover Activity

Nice to Ya!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Get Centered!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

Get Centered!

K - 2

15 Minutes

In this ice breaker/opener, students ground themselves and learn how to use their breath to calm themselves down and self-regulate.

Discover Activity

Get Centered!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

Jingle and Mingle

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Jingle and Mingle

K - 2

15 Minutes

In this closing, reflection activity, students are invited to share songs from their cultural backgrounds. The activity aims to explore both the richness of diversity and the common threads that bind us together. This cultural exploration isn't just a celebration of traditions—it's a strategic approach to fostering better cultural awareness and emotional connection, using music to explore perspectives and experiences of others.


Discover Activity

Jingle and Mingle

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Say Thanks!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Say Thanks!

K - 2

20 Minutes

In this closing activity, students identify an act of kindness they witnessed and create a letter or picture of thanks to share with the person who was kind.

Discover Activity

Say Thanks!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

One Thing

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

One Thing

K - 2

20 Minutes

In this closing, reflection activity, students think actively about doing something positive before the next time they meet. When students can think about kindness without prompting, and it becomes second nature, they are displaying positive character qualities and building empathy skills. Empathy encourages kindness, cooperation, and sharing, and it helps youth learn how to support one another. It also promotes emotional intelligence, allowing them to manage their own feelings better and respond to others in caring, thoughtful ways.

Discover Activity

One Thing

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

In the Shape of ...

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

In the Shape of ...

K - 2

20 Minutes

In this closing, reflection activity, students will select an animal they relate to or feel connected with and then act out the animal to help calm their energy. This fun and engaging activity encourages students to connect with their emotions and recognize their positive qualities in a playful and meaningful way.

Discover Activity

In the Shape of ...

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

What Kind of Day Did I Have?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

What Kind of Day Did I Have?

K - 2

15 Minutes

At the end of program time, use this reflection activity to help students think critically about the day and what they learned. In this activity, students practice reflection by identifying and exploring something that was a challenge for them that day. Students can share, journal, or draw it out. In the second part of the activity, they will develop and provide solutions for each other to show that there are ways to navigate difficult things.

Discover Activity

What Kind of Day Did I Have?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

Opening and Closing Activities for K-2

More from this collaborator

Opening and Closing Activities for K-2

Grades K - 2

2 Hours

Overview

Quality Instructional Practices

Building Spaces & Strategies for Sharing for Grades K-2

The Wonderful World of Feelings

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

The Wonderful World of Feelings

K - 2

20 Minutes

In this opening activity, students will explore their emotions and feelings by using a worksheet with pictures. This activity is a great way to start the class, as it helps understand the emotional state students are in when they arrive.

Discover Activity

The Wonderful World of Feelings

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

Feelings and Words

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Feelings and Words

K - 2

10 Minutes

In this opener, you will help students identify their feelings using words on the wall. Developing vocabulary and attaching words about feelings is the gateway to emotional intelligence. Students do not have to share why they feel the way they do; they only share how they feel. We let the students have these feelings without judgment. We just let them learn how to say them aloud. Of course, if they want to share their "why" about the feeling, encourage them to express themselves.

Discover Activity

Feelings and Words

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

What is a Quality?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

What is a Quality?

K - 2

20 Minutes

The goal of this activity is to help students understand and identify positive qualities about themselves and others. When children recognize their strengths, they learn to value themselves and understand that they are capable of doing wonderful things. It also helps them appreciate the good qualities in others, which leads to better friendships, cooperation, and kindness. Knowing and focusing on positive qualities helps children become more aware of how to be good friends, solve problems peacefully, and treat others with respect.

Discover Activity

What is a Quality?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Nice to Ya!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Nice to Ya!

K - 2

10 Minutes

The goal of this activity is to support students in building kindness and empathy skills. Empathy is the key to connection and emotional intelligence. As children get older, they will use their emotional intelligence in several areas of their lives to become happy and productive people.

Discover Activity

Nice to Ya!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Get Centered!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

Get Centered!

K - 2

15 Minutes

In this ice breaker/opener, students ground themselves and learn how to use their breath to calm themselves down and self-regulate.

Discover Activity

Get Centered!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

Jingle and Mingle

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Jingle and Mingle

K - 2

15 Minutes

In this closing, reflection activity, students are invited to share songs from their cultural backgrounds. The activity aims to explore both the richness of diversity and the common threads that bind us together. This cultural exploration isn't just a celebration of traditions—it's a strategic approach to fostering better cultural awareness and emotional connection, using music to explore perspectives and experiences of others.


Discover Activity

Jingle and Mingle

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Say Thanks!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Say Thanks!

K - 2

20 Minutes

In this closing activity, students identify an act of kindness they witnessed and create a letter or picture of thanks to share with the person who was kind.

Discover Activity

Say Thanks!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

One Thing

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

One Thing

K - 2

20 Minutes

In this closing, reflection activity, students think actively about doing something positive before the next time they meet. When students can think about kindness without prompting, and it becomes second nature, they are displaying positive character qualities and building empathy skills. Empathy encourages kindness, cooperation, and sharing, and it helps youth learn how to support one another. It also promotes emotional intelligence, allowing them to manage their own feelings better and respond to others in caring, thoughtful ways.

Discover Activity

One Thing

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

In the Shape of ...

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

In the Shape of ...

K - 2

20 Minutes

In this closing, reflection activity, students will select an animal they relate to or feel connected with and then act out the animal to help calm their energy. This fun and engaging activity encourages students to connect with their emotions and recognize their positive qualities in a playful and meaningful way.

Discover Activity

In the Shape of ...

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

What Kind of Day Did I Have?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

What Kind of Day Did I Have?

K - 2

15 Minutes

At the end of program time, use this reflection activity to help students think critically about the day and what they learned. In this activity, students practice reflection by identifying and exploring something that was a challenge for them that day. Students can share, journal, or draw it out. In the second part of the activity, they will develop and provide solutions for each other to show that there are ways to navigate difficult things.

Discover Activity

What Kind of Day Did I Have?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Health and Wellness

Grades K - 2

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Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.

Library

CategoriesCollaboratorsExploreAll ActivitiesAll Collections

Community

Our StoryTeam MizzenEventsThe Mizzen Minute

Engage

NewsroomContact Us

Account

Sign InCreate an AccountMizzen for TeamsPrivacy PolicyTerms of Use

Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.