First off, what is a morning basket?
A morning basket was a concept popularised by Charlotte Mason, an English educator from the early 1900s. Her philosophy was that education should be child-centred, inspiring and inclusive of good books, nature, art and handicrafts. Whilst we don’t follow a wholly Charlotte Mason approach, I do take inspiration from some of her ideas and include the things I think would work well for my kids, the morning basket being one of them.
Typically, a morning basket is a thoughtful selection of materials – books, crafts, activities or resources, designed to be pored over regularly. It provides an opportunity for the whole family to sit together and complete a range of activities as a group. Personally, I prefer to provide a good range of materials, enabling us to pick and choose a few each day.
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The benefits of a morning basket:
Personally, I find a morning basket a bit of a no-brainer. It acts as a no prep, easy way to start our mornings on the right foot and to get the children engaged and ready for the day.
- It’s a super convenient way to incorporate work like writing, maths, logic, art or any other skills you want to practice.
- The basket is easy to transport anywhere. Be it the kitchen table, patio or even the park!
- It gets the family all together and I find it to be a great time to bond.
- You can easily switch up resources to suit the season, level or stage of life you’re currently in.
- My kids find it enjoyable and often get started with the quieter activities whilst I finish up making breakfast.
What do I put inside a morning basket?
Morning baskets don’t need to be complicated. All you really need is a container (a basket, box or tote bag will do) and some good books. Despite the name, morning baskets don’t need to be reserved for just the morning. If the afternoon suits better, roll with it There are no hard and fast rules. Make the morning basket work for you. For us, the morning basket often comes outside with us, we’ll sit out on the patio or trampoline to work through the chosen materials.
How to structure a morning basket:
Here is a simple plan you can follow to put together your very own morning basket. Include 1 or 2 items from each category for a well rounded basket.
- Read aloud / Chapter book
- A few picture books to compliment whatever you’re currently studying
- Practice or review work – Think flashcards, reading practice, maths worksheets etc…
- Handicraft, game or hands-on activity
- Journaling – An opportunity to get creative, consider gratitude, nature journaling or a creative writing prompt
Even more morning basket ideas:
A few well selected books may be enough, however I find it a great opportunity to include family subjects, as well as something fun to kick start the day with. My goal is for our morning basket to be something we all look forward to. With younger children, even if all we manage that day is the contents of the basket, then I’ll consider it a win! Below are some options to help inspire you.
Activities/ daily work:
We love to include some basic daily work in our morning basket. My children are still young, so for us this looks like reading, writing, drawing, simple maths and reviewing our Spanish vocabulary.
- Morning menu – This includes many foundational skills I want my children to practice, the pages can be switched out as the child grows. I have a whole blog post on how morning menus can simplify your home-school routine.
- Spanish posters and flashcards – We’re learning Spanish as a family, so a simple review of new vocabulary with flashcards is a quick and effective morning basket addition.
- Maths workbooks – We bounce around a few options from wipe clean books to practice worksheets.
- Maths resources – At the moment, these include a learning clock, play money and manipulatives (which are just wooden buttons from the pound store).
- Reading practice – Currently we’re using a combination of ‘Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons’ (which has been revolutionary for us) and an early readers book-set.
- ‘I can draw’ books – We have both the larger Usborne step by step guide for my older daughter and the simpler animals and people drawing guides. The guided picture instructions are great for young children to follow independently.
- Nature Journal – We often include our nature journals in our morning routine. We pick a page or two and take some time to journal, often in the garden if the weather permits.
- A white board – These are so versatile, I highly recommend a magnetic one if possible. We have both smaller and larger ones and we use them for everything from handwriting to math sums or even just as a display.
Games:
Whilst we may not play games every day, they do make for a fun addition to our morning when we have some extra time. I suggest some simple, quick games that can be played by everyone in 15 minutes or under.
- Yoga dice – Movement is ESSENTIAL for young kids, these help them manage to sit and complete the rest without getting too distracted or fidgety.
- Dobble/ Spot it! – Recommended for ages 6+, but we’ve played this successfully since our oldest was 3! A cleverly designed game where every card has 1 matching picture with every single other card in the deck. The first person to find the matching image in each pair wins!
- Uno Junior – With different levels, even younger siblings can get involved. All you need is to be able to match animals, colours or numbers.
- Memory matching games – I’ve made several of these games, they are simple to play and put your memory to the test. You can tailor them to your current studies or interest. We’re currently using our Ocean set. Choose to match either picture to picture, picture to word or picture to description.
- Story cubes – Great for encouraging creativity and imagination, throw some or all of the dice and create wild and wacky stories with the pictures you’ve rolled.
Books:
Depending on the age and stage of your children, books can range from simple board books for younger children up to much longer chapter books, encyclopaedias or spines. A mixture of educational and fantasy books make for a winning combination in my eyes.
Chapter books:
See my blog post Enchanting Read Alouds – The Best Chapter Books For Children for some great chapter book options that the whole family can enjoy. At the moment, we’re reading Pax by Sara Pennypacker.
Poetry books:
Integrating poetry makes for a great opportunity to discuss emotions, gain exposure to new vocabulary and explore a new approach to language. Plus it’s beautiful both to read and listen to. There are many lovely poetry books that contain 1 short poem for every day of the year. Tiger, Tiger Burning bright and I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree are a couple of fabulous options.
Factual books:
Additionally, factual books are another great option. Including just a page or two a day to learn something new. We love:
- The Anthology of Intriguing Animals – Ben Hoare – Learn about the world’s most interesting animals. The mixture of illustrations and photography is beautifully done and the book feels exclusive with its golden spine. My kiddos adore this and we often read about a few animals at a time.
- The Children Illustrated Atlas – DK – Explore the animals, landmarks, produce and fun facts from all around the world. An atlas makes for a great conversation starter and springboard towards other geography topics.
- Britannica’s Encyclopaedia Infographica – I’ve been wanting to get my hands on this one for a while. Covering everything from sea to space, this encyclopaedia is full of knowledge that the whole family can benefit from.
Themed books:
Alternatively, include books to compliment your current studies. If you are studying a unit on the ocean for instance, consider including books on ocean creatures.
On the other hand, seasonal books that explore nature themes you will witness in your current season work well too.
Tips for engaging younger siblings:
Completing any kind of quiet activity can be a challenge if you have younger siblings (or even just active kids in the mix). However, I’ve found resources such as these can make life a little easier and keep little hands busy whilst they listen to read alouds.
- Play dough
- Colouring
- Etch a sketch
- Water wow ‘painting’ books
- Magnetic tiles (these are so well loved in our home)
- LCD drawing tablets
Now it’s the fun bit. It’s time to plan and prep a basket full of fun, engaging activities for you and your family! I’d love to hear any other suggestions that you have below in the comments!
Other blog posts you may enjoy:
How to Integrate a Morning Menu For a Simplified Home-school Routine
Unlock The Benefits of Nature Journaling – Enhance Your Home-school