A lot of homeschool moms describe their mornings as chaotic – rushing through breakfast and chores only to start lessons before everyone is ready.
Our morning basket routine has made homeschool days much smoother and I hope it’ll bring that same sense of peace to your days too! In about 15 to 30 minutes a day, you can incorporate read aloud stories, bible study, games, and other activities to create a peaceful morning everyone actually enjoys.
And it works even on those days when time is short – like when you have activities or co-op!
Keep reading to learn about:
- What a morning basket is
- How to set up a morning basket
- Faith-based, educational, creative, and quiet time ideas
- Read aloud book suggestions
- Seasonal morning baskets
- Ideas for specific age groups (toddlers, preschoolers, elementary, etc.)
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I could earn a commission if you make a purchase using them. This comes at no additional cost to you and all opinions expressed are my own.
What Is a Morning Basket and Why Use One?
A morning basket is a homeschooling tradition where a family starts their day together connecting over learning materials that everyone can enjoy.
Fill a basket (or a bin, or a tray, or even a shoe box!) with books, music, and other activities and then move through them together as you begin your school day.
Some fun places to do this could be on the couch, in the backyard, or even wherever you normally do your homeschooling.
Think of it as a homeschool “soft start” – activities that are a low-key, no pressure way to start the day.
Make the most of your space with these ideas for organizing your home:
- Small Homeschool Room Ideas that Work for Any Budget!
- Our Family’s Top 30 Tips for Setting Up a Music Room at Home
How to Set Up a Morning Basket
You really don’t need much to get started besides:
- A container: tote, basket, etc. – choose a container you and your kids will gravitate towards to make it fun!
- A space: couch, blanket on the floor, picnic cloth for the yard, or the kitchen table
- Time: even just 15 minutes works!
- Activities: choose a few items to rotate daily, weekly, or even seasonally
We recommend placing your morning basket somewhere the kids can see it and get excited about it – it’s the girls’ favourite part of our daily homeschool schedule.
What to Put in a Morning Basket
Here are a few favourite items currently in our morning basket:
- Family devotional (Core 52 Family Edition is wonderful!) or Bible story book (we’re working through The Biggest Story right now)
- Read aloud book (we’ve started the Chronicles of Narnia and the kids are loving it!)
- Handwriting workbooks (we’re currently using these ones from the Good and the Beautiful)
- Art books (these ones are a good size and will last a while)
- Pencils
- Pencil crayons (the kids love using these to draw pictures while listening to our read aloud and they’re also useful for our Bible study activities from The Bible Study Kids)
- Games (Math Island and The World Game are wonderful)
Faith-Based Morning Basket Ideas
Starting your day in God’s Word is a wonderful thing. Here are a few of ideas:
- Kids’ devotionals (I like that Core 52 has done for you plans for 5 days of the week)
- Bible study sheets (we use The Bible Study Kids and take a photo of the day’s activities to print off a copy for each of the kids to complete while we do our readings)
- Scripture memory cards (we have these ones)
- A special hymn of the month (you could print lyrics for each student and play it softly on a portable speaker)
- Prayer journals or gratitude lists
Literature & Read-Alouds
We’ve recently added a read aloud story to our homeschool days. Some days, it’s a chapter book, other times, it’s a picture book about music.
If you’d like to make the theme of your morning basket a literature based one, consider:
- Classic picture books
- Family chapter book read-alouds (I’ll add a list of suggested family favourite read-aloud books soon)
- Poetry collections (this is a classic collection of poems we adore)
- Audiobooks from Audible or Yoto Player (our girls really enjoy Abide Kids Bedtime stories when it’s time to go to sleep)
- Classic books or fairy tales
You could also start our kids reading challenge and incorporate this as part of your morning basket time (there’s room for 100 books!).
Arts and Science (Music, Nature, Art)
If you’ve started a new monthly theme or unit, or have a special interest in a topic like music (like our family does!) you could add a relevant game, puzzle, or other activity to your morning basket. Consider the following:
- Composer of the month (listen to a piece and color a portrait)
- Musician of the month (listen a song and draw a picture of the artist)
- Music picture books (focus could be on a musician, a specific instrument, or the orchestra)
- Artist study (show a print and ask the kids about the things they notice most in it)
- Nature guides, science picture books (my youngest is really into Usborne pop-up books like this right now while the oldest enjoys guides, and DK anthologies)
- Trivia or fun fact books
- Puzzles or brain games
Creative & Quiet Time Activities
This is a great place to add activities that keep hands busy and ears listening. A few ideas you could try are:
- A blank art book – my oldest loves to draw what she feels at the moment
- Watercolor art or drawing prompts – this could be better for kids who are new to art during read-alouds
- Copywork and handwriting pages (we’re close to launching our own music themed Bible verse copywork pages – stay tuned!)
- Handcrafts – finger knitting or simple sewing could be fun things to try
- Wooden toys or quiet bins for little ones
A few supplies we like to keep in stock are Play Doh, watercolor paints, art books, and sketching pencils.
Seasonal Morning Basket Ideas
Make the changing seasons fun by creating a morning basket that embraces them. It’s a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about each season as well as the local traditions that come with them. Here are some ideas according to season.
Fall
- Apple and pumpkin-themed books
- Local nature guide
- Fall-themed read-aloud books (Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn and Pumpkin Soup are fun ones)
- Apple unit study (tasting activitiy, puzzle, journaling, etc.)
- Composer or artist study: (Vivaldi’s Autumn, Van Gogh’s fall landscapes, etc.)
Winter
- Cozy holiday read-alouds (we really enjoy Saint Francis and the Christmas Donkey during the Holidays!)
- Advent devotional or storybooks
- Snowflake crafts and hot chocolate
- Winter watercolor prompts
- Classical or Christmas music (Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker – this is a really beautiful picture book that plays Tchaikovsky’s music)
- Winter themed poetry
- Knitting or sewing activities
Spring
- Garden, rain, and flower books
- Butterfly and insect life cycle studies
- Resurrection devotionals or picture books (the Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross is a favorite in our home)
- Copywork of spring-themed Bible verses (“He makes all things new”)
- Watercolor flower painting
- Bird identification cards
Summer
- Beach and ocean-themed books
- Simple nature scavenger hunts
- Summer poetry
- Shell classification book or beach-themed nature study
- Work on a summer bucket list together as a family!
Morning Basket Ideas by Age
The best part of morning baskets are that they bring all ages together.
For toddlers and preschoolers, you could focus on board books, activities, and songs while elementary students enjoy picture books, handwriting practice, and games. For older kids, independent work like creative or art journaling or daily family discussion prompts could work well!
If you’re homeschooling multiple ages like we are (currently, grade 3 and preschool), choosing a few items everyone can enjoy together (like a read-aloud), and then rotating age-specific materials works really well. We like to do our Bible Study first up so the kids can work on their worksheets while I read the passage – sometimes my oldest likes to read as well.
After that, it’s Read-aloud and handwriting practice or art time.
Here are some other age-specific ideas:
Toddlers & Preschoolers
- Board books
- Songs with dancing or hand motions
- Sensory bin or quiet play toy
- ABC cards (my youngest has been loving these Eric Carle cards for years)
- Puzzles
N is really enjoying this pattern block set right now! We use it during morning basket time as well as during my oldest’s math lessons to keep N entertained when she’d rather join us than have free play time on her own.
Early Elementary (K–3)
- Picture books
- Devotionals
- Copywork
- Nature journals
- Poetry
- Art book
- Math Manipulatives
I purchased these math cubes when my oldest daughter needed a better explanation of what’s happening when we work with numbers in the ones, tens, and hundreds places. I can honestly say it made all the difference for her visual learning style.
I really like that the set includes other activities she can do during our morning time as well!
First year homeschooling? Here are some ideas for homeschooling Kindergarten:
- Basic Kindergarten Homeschool Schedule
- 10 Fun Kindergarten Homeschool Ideas to Make Your First Year Great!
- An Honest Review of the Good and Beautiful Kindergarten Curriculum
Upper Elementary & Middle School
- Chapter book read-alouds
- Discussion prompts
- Independent workbook
- Creative journal (could be for writing or art)
Tips to Keep Mornings Simple
Start small – your morning basket doesn’t need to include a dozen activities!
Just choose three to five items to get started. They could be a read aloud book and a blank art book for each kid – when it doubt, this is still our go-to favorite. You can continue with the same chapter book day to day or use a loop schedule to rotate books and activities over time. It’s a matter of seeing what works for you and your family!
Invite your children to help choose new themes or read-alouds too. They’ll love having a say in what’s included.
And most importantly, be flexible. Morning time doesn’t need to happen every single day. Because sometimes field trips, activities, and play dates are the main event and boy, are those memories special for everyone!
Final Thoughts: Using a Morning Basket to Create a Routine Everyone Loves
Even just 15 minutes of morning time together can transform your homeschool day.
Believe me, I’ve been guilty of rushing to check the boxes day by day too but I’ve found so much more peace and joy in watching the lightbulbs turn on and creating special memories with the kids during these slow mornings.
Since embracing a more intentional morning rhythm, our days feel so much lighter. Textbook time goes more smoothly, and instead of frustration, we’re finding more patience—and more joy—in our homeschool journey.
So, like I said before – start small.
Even if that means choosing just one idea from today’s list.
Happy homeschooling, friend!
– Nikki
