What is a Morning Basket and is it Worth the Hype?

Morning baskets have become a bit of a trendy tool in homeschool circles but if the term has you scratching your head, you’ve come to the right place.

In nutshell, a morning basket is quite literally a basket of resources you use first thing in the morning. Pretty simple really, but how do you actually make one and are they worth the hype? 

In this post I’ll share my morning basket experiences and suggestions, including:

• The purposes behind using a morning basket.
• A closer look at what we’ve used in morning baskets
• How to build a morning basket and start using it.
• Morning basket ideas for younger children, older children, and mixed ages. 

Morning baskets have become incredibly popular and for good reasons. Read on to find out everything you need to know to start using one with your family.

What is a morning basket?

A morning basket is a basket of resources used at a set time in the day to come together and enjoy enrichment subjects. These subjects may include reading, history, art, language, music, geography, bible studies, yoga, or even science. There are no rules, you don’t need to use a basket, and you may want to even call it by a different name such as circle time. At the end of the day (or start of the day in this case), a morning basket is simply a special time for the family to come together to learn and enjoy.

How much time do you spend with a morning basket?

That is entirely up to you and depends largely on the ages and temperaments of your children. Ours have usually been between ten and forty minutes. For some families they last for up to an hour, and for very small children maybe it’s only five minutes. 

What is the point in using a morning basket?

There are lots of different reasons why you might want to use a morning basket. For us, it’s a way to build that “team time” before we all get caught up on individual subjects. It’s also a way to focus on subjects that can easily be missed while we’re busy doing the things we “need” to do. Finally, it sets a rhythm for our school mornings and helps maintain routine when we’re a bit all over the show, (you know, moving countries, having babies, that sort of thing). 

Other reasons families use morning baskets:

• Starts the day by prioritising beauty, goodness, and enjoyment.
• An efficient way to cover subjects.
• Builds a sense of belonging.
• Introduces structured homeschool to little children.

What do you put in a morning basket?

Our morning baskets have always centred around books, music, and art. Quite possibly because those are some of my favourite things. Another thing to note is that no matter what we’re doing, I always include something to keep their hands busy. This is because morning baskets are really a positive time, and sitting still listening doesn’t come naturally to my children. 

Here are some of the things we’ve included in our baskets:

• Hymns For a Kids Heart (listening to a story while playing and then singing together).
• Artist studies and trying new mediums.
• Sketching lessons.
• Learning about famous landmarks and building them together.
• Dancing.
• A stretching routine and breathwork.
• Books.
• Devotionals.

There have also been times when we’ve skipped the morning basket for a bush walk instead and times when lifes been so busy we’ve been fully unschooling and learning on the go.

Remember: morning baskets should make your days lovelier, NOT more stressful. 

How to build a morning basket and start using it

I really suggest starting with a basket (or box/bag/tray). It’s much easier when everything you need is in one place and you can just grab and go. Once you have the basket you can start filling it with lovely things to share with your children. 

If this is your first basket you could keep it simple with the following items:

• Something to keep their hands busy. 
• Something to listen to.
• Something to foster positive interaction (something to DO together).

I like to link all three items. For example I could have sketch pads with instruction cards to learn to draw dogs, I could read a book about sled dogs in Alaska aloud, and then do stretches with an animal theme (starting with a dog stretch).

You could simplify it even more and stick with one thing. The point is to enjoy the time together so choose what works best for your family.

Morning basket tips for mixed ages

One of the special things about a morning basket is that it is a shared time for all of your learners. If your children are really young you can cater the basket specifically for their age group, likewise for older children. However if you have mixed ages like I do with a seven year spread, you might need to think a little more carefully. 

I have three tips to keep in mind if this is the case in your home:

• Don’t expect a quiet morning time, there is likely to be some level of noise and that’s ok.
• Focus on keeping little ones’ hands busy even if the learning content is above their level (think playdough or snacks). They will enjoy being included in the special time, especially if their special activity comes from the same basket. Remember: they are actually learning so much by watching their older sibling/s. 
• Pick an activity everyone can participate in. Drawing, looking at pictures, talking, stretching, singing; are all activities that are easily shared across ages.

Please join the discussion in the comment section below. I’d love to hear about your morning basket experiences!