Ah, morning announcements: a classic part of the school day. While there’s a rhythm and routine to the pledge of allegiance, the lunch menu, and the rattling off of sports achievements, sometimes it’s nice to mix it up. I have seen what makes for a great school news broadcast in my years as a student and then as a teacher, and I know how important school-wide announcements can be for building or eroding a community. Incorporating new, engagement-boosting ideas into announcements or your school news can be an excellent addition to your student support toolkit.

Here are 10 great ideas to make morning announcements more exciting this 2024-25 school year, complete with educational evidence to support their use. 

Movement Snacks or Brain Breaks 

Even a brief burst of movement (between 30 seconds and 2 minutes) can help adults and kids be happier, more productive, and more engaged during the day. This is probably the most vital recommendation in this list – the evidence behind movement breaks/brain breaks is super strong. Have students stretch, wiggle their arms, dance a little, or jump as high as they can.

As a former teacher, I would recommend putting a movement break just before the pledge of allegiance. Students are used to respecting the routine of the pledge. Going from moving to standing to sitting can help students settle after a brain break and reduce the time needed for transition.

Mission Possible

After the pledge, consider including another “follow-along” announcement for students in the form of your school’s mission statement or core values for student behavior. Sharing values can be part of implementing School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (SWPBIS), which can improve school culture by setting clear expectations for students to follow.

You can use karaoke-style subtitles to show the text on screen as students read.

All the News You Need (The Weather Report)

Cue the Simon & Garfunkel. It’s easy to make a green screen weather report as a part of your announcement video.

This is one way to sneak more science into your school day. Incorporating graphs, sensors, or explanations of weather phenomena is a great way to get students engaged with real-world, messy data that could propel them forward in STEM. 

Daily Dad Joke

Humor in the classroom has been shown to increase positive student-teacher relationships if it is inclusive and does not hurt anyone’s feelings. One easy way to stay lighthearted is to include a groan-worthy dad joke or pun in every announcement. You could even ask for student joke submissions via a box or form. 

Some Time to Celebrate

Consider calling out student birthdays and acknowledging holidays in your announcement videos. You can add a text overlay to a video to show everyone’s birthday at one time. Additionally, celebrating a range of important holidays can increase belonging for students. A sense of belonging is heavily linked to students’ overall well-being. 

Teacher Feature

Knowing more about teachers and staff throughout the school can make students feel more connected. Many students don’t feel they have a trusted adult to talk to at their school. Sharing fun personal facts (information about pets, hobbies, favorite or least favorite things, etc) makes it easier for students to relate to adults in the school community. Try highlighting one teacher, administrator, or staff member per week. 

Mindfulness Moment

A few minutes of mindful breathing can increase academic performance and reduce stress in students. Try having students take three deep breaths during announcements – you can count slowly to help regulate their breath length, or use an animated gif to show when to inhale and exhale.

BookTalk

Exposing students to literature through quick book talks can get them reading more. You could have students give book recommendations they’re excited about or have the library give a few. Make these recommendations brief, engaging, and focused on fun books. You can easily overlay the cover of the book and any key information (title, author, etc) on top of the video of the recommender.

All Aboard the Good News Express

We have some evidence that reading good news really does make people feel better. In the classroom, current event sharing can also increase student engagement, so it’s a win-win situation to share a positive news story in morning announcements. 

Find something exciting happening in your local community, share a moment of sportsmanship, or highlight a great idea by a young person.

Trivia, Polls, and Questions

Gamification is having a moment in schools. Trivia programs like Kahoot! have been shown to positively affect student learning, and a quick poll or daily question can spark classroom discussion. Make morning announcements interactive by having students raise their hands to answer questions. You could use a screencast of a quiz platform like Kahoot to keep the familiar format. 

Make Announcements the Best Part of the Day!

Weaving these fun and research-backed ideas into your morning announcements can make a real impact on the school day. Whether it’s adding a quick movement break or sharing a bit of good news, small changes can boost student engagement and foster a stronger sense of community. A little variety can make a basic morning announcement routine feel new again. 

Ask your students for ideas as well – get the community involved in your announcement creation process. The 24-25 school year is a new chance to bring your school together, to make some awesome videos, and to become known for your amazing editing skills.