Calm & Connection: End of the Day Teaching Tips & Routines

The end of the school day can sometimes feel rushed and chaotic—

but it doesn’t have to be.

Those final moments before dismissal are a powerful opportunity to slow down, reflect, and reconnect. By building consistent, calming routines at the end of the day, you help students transition out of the classroom feeling safe, seen, and settled.

Here are my five simple, meaningful tips for how to establish peaceful and connected end-of-day practices that support your students’ emotional well-being—and make your classroom a place they look forward to returning to tomorrow!

NOTE: Our-of-the day CALM & CONNECTION actually begins AFTER we’ve packed up; the classroom gets tidied/swept by students in charge of those particular jobs for the week while everyone else gathers their belongings neatly at their tables (no actually going out into the hallway to pack bags just yet; We simply make sure we have all of our sweaters, water bottles, and communication bags/folders handed out and ready at their spots).

1. CIRCLE TIME: Then comes our first routine-circle time. This is a short and sweet moment where we gather on the carpet for a story, song (see below!), or reflection. I like to choose one of the first two circle time options for the rest of the week and save our weekly reflection for Fridays. This is when we complete a whole group “check-in” using one of the reflection page templates 👇

I love this because not only do we get to briefly revisit our learning for the week, but focus on all of the positive experiences we’ve had to really activate that dopamine in our brains! After doing this together, it becomes one of our Quiet Time Choice Board activities (see below) that students complete independently before choosing their final calming activity.

2. READ ALOUD: Like many elementary school teachers, I am book-obsessed plus, with increasing curriculum demands, I don’t think we make enough time to JUST READ to kids anymore. So I make it a priority to read to my students at the end of EVERY day. Whether you pick a different picture book or work your way through a high-interest novel, making this a 5-7 minute part of your end-of-day routine is one of my favourite ways to wind down.

3. BUILD EXCITEMENT: This part of our routine takes no more than 30 seconds! The idea is that it gives students something to look forward to, which can ease anxiety about transitions and foster a more positive attitude toward school. This simple routine also reinforces that learning is ongoing, exciting, and worth coming back for.

Some examples might be: showing them a math manipulative we will be using, announcing tomorrow’s Handy Helper (teacher’s assistant), showing them a new read aloud or craft we will complete, or just by saying “tomorrow is a library day!” Don’t overthink it. BUT, if you do feel like you don’t have anything “fun” to share about what’s happening tomorrow, then it sounds like you need to find a way to add more FUN into your day!!! 😉

4. GOODBYE SONG: Singing/chanting offers a gentle, predictable cue that the day is ending. Not to mention that songs engage both the body and brain, which makes them memorable and comforting! When we sing together, we’re not just signalling the end of the day—we’re building community, practicing language, and reinforcing a positive classroom culture.

5. QUIET TIME CHOICE BOARD: This doesn’t have to be a pretty, complicated, TPT-purchased visual cue; Just having your quiet time choices written on the white board is all you need for this simple but effective part of the end-of-day routine.

Students can select ONE of the activities to sit with for the duration of quiet time. I like to set a visual timer on my SmartBoard (search for “calming 10 minute timer” on Youtube). With firm expectations and practice, this becomes a totally silent, independent chunk of time that really helps rest and reset even the busiest of bodies.

On that note, for the success of this routine, try your best to ensure your Choice Board has options that realistically accommodate all learners in your classroom; i.e. you likely won’t have “monkey bars” as an option for those high-energy, kinesthetics bodies, but you can have play dough/sticky tack/therapy putty available instead.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER: The suggestions listed above are not necessarily consecutive. Do what works for you and your students, trial and error, and play around to get the most comfortable FLOW. After getting the routine down, the whole thing takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes in my classroom from the start of the routine to the end-of-day bell. For my first grade class it looks like this:

Begin by packing up with calming music playing (“calming ambiance” YouTube search) and a visual check-list of items to remember.
Whoever is done tidying and packing up, moves to their Quiet Time choice. If it’s Friday, they sit at their tables and complete their reflection journal page (I prefer one of the half-page options so the activity doesn’t feel overwhelming) before making their Quiet Time choice.
When time is up, we gather on the carpet for the afternoon’s read aloud. (If it’s Friday, we will complete our whole class version of the reflection page before the read aloud).
Finally, I share a little something about tomorrow, we sing our Goodbye song, then grab our gathered belongings and head to the hallway to pack up.

A little note (mostly to admins 😉): If you feel like that’s 20-30 minutes of wasted instruction time, I encourage you to focus on the benefits of supporting happy, healthy, well-rounded children; this time is actually a critical part of developmentally-appropriate teaching for first graders especially. At this age, students are still learning how to self-regulate, connect socially, and process their day. These routines directly support key academic and social-emotional learning goals by:

Reinforcing literacy skills through meaningful read-alouds and discussions.
Developing self-regulation and executive functioning through mindfulness and calming strategies.
Building a positive classroom community that increases engagement, trust, and emotional safety.
Strengthening communication and listening skills during reflective conversations and shared routines.
Supporting smoother transitions from school to home by helping children end the day feeling settled and secure.

When littles leave school feeling calm, connected, and confident, they are far more likely to return the next day ready to learn. These routines are an investment in long-term academic success, not a detour from it.

And that’s all there is to it! Keep in mind that, like most things, establishing an effective routine takes time…and tweaking! Be consistent but also be flexible; some days may need a little less connection and a little more calm, and others may need just one simple activity to end-cap the day. As always, do what feels and flows best to you and your students 💛

OH! Don’t forget to grab your FREEBIES before you go!