Morning Basket Ideas

Do you have a morning basket routine in your homeschool? This is a time when everyone in the family gathers together to work on certain subjects together—regardless of any age gaps. A morning basket does not need to be a physical basket, although that is a handy way to keep everything together in one spot. What does a morning basket look like? What might you find in one? Continue reading to find out if this is what your homeschool needs to help smooth out some edges in your homeschool day. Listed below are several themed ideas. Pick a theme to use each year, month, or week. Or pick several themes and combine them into one. The basic idea is to fill your basket (or bin, bookshelf, drawer, etc.) with items that you will work on as a family. It is often worked on first thing in the morning to encourage family-time first and foremost, then everyone can work on their own age-specific work.

Picture Book Basket

A picture is worth a thousand words. Some picture books are appropriate for children of all ages with a timeless tale. Younger learners can be exposed to quality literature while enjoying the pictures while your older children can dive deep into the underlying themes of the author. Take Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree for example. A young learner will love the simple and intriguing artwork while older students can appreciate the lessons learned from this thought-provoking story.

Chapter Book Basket

One of my favorite morning basket ideas is to include a chapter book that we are reading together as a family. When I say that we are reading it together, I mean that I am reading it aloud to all of my kids, regardless of their ages. At times, I might purchase several copies so the older children can follow along or even read a page or two at times. From the entire Little House series to Black Beauty to The Bronze Bow, our family has fond memories of reading these stories together. At times, we just read with no additional activities required. At other times, I will add in a unit study that goes along with the book. Loving Literature Through Chapter Books has a variety to choose from as does the award-winning curriculum Moving Beyond the Page.

Lapbook Basket

If you are a hands-on family, then adding lapbooks into your morning basket will keep your kids excited to do their schoolwork. Homeschool in the Woods provides a variety of topics for an affordable price as does SchoolhouseTeachers.com. As a member, you have access to multiple lapbook-themed courses including Lapbooking Through the Ages.

Journaling Basket

Journals can be used in your homeschool in several ways. Having a specific journal that your child is working on monthly, or several a month, can help them express their creativity while learning at the same time. Here are a few journal ideas to play around with.

• Nature Journal
• Bible Memory Verse Journal
• Prayer Journal
• Daily Poem Journal
• Field Trip Journal
• Creative Writing Journal
• Art Journal

Bible Basket

This can include the version of the Bible that you prefer, a kid’s version, and/or a devotional. Another addition to this basket that works well for homeschooling families is Bible Study Guide for All Ages. This goes through the Bible giving your children lessons on the same Bible verses, simplifying for younger children and providing more challenging content for the older ones.

Speed Skills Basket

Do you have specific subjects that you want to work on with your children? Use morning basket time as an opportunity to practice skills that may have fallen through the cracks. Do your children need to brush up on their states and capitals? Add it to your speed skills basket. How about learning the names of all the presidents? You can include quick skills that you can go over once a day for a week, month, or several months. Other skills could include

• Planets
• Parts of a flower
• Multiplication tables
• Parts of the body (systems)
• Months of the year (Including numbers of days in each month)
• Skip counting
• Address and phone number

Adding a morning basket into your homeschool helps to unify your family and can help create a special bond. I love to use this time to work on something light together such as reading a book together along with sharpening skills. One time I wanted to work on their writing skills by allowing them an opportunity to free write. I said that each day we would have a topic and should only have to write several sentences (more for older children and less for younger). One of my children asked if we could turn it into a contest. I decided to go for the idea and said that their father would judge the entries each night. Whoever won could pick the next topic. This has proven for some creative and entertaining writing to say the least! What is something you have in your morning basket?