Morning Basket Starter Guide

What Are They?

I'm sure, if you have littles at home, that you have heard of the term "morning basket", but what exactly is a morning basket? A morning basket is simply a collection of books and activities used to start the homeschool day. This concept originated from the Charlotte Mason approach as it encourages independence, fine motor skills, logical thinking, and hands-on learning.

Benefits

Morning baskets can work very well for a variety of ages, but I've found that it is most beneficial to those in preschool through 4th grade. There are tons of benefits for including a morning basket in your daily routine, such as;

• building a routine/rhythm

• allowing for multi-age learning

• gently easing into the school day

• great way to incorporate "extras" (art, poetry, music, and character studies)

What's Inside?

Morning baskets should cater to your student's current interests and studies. You can make them themed (outer space, bugs, the ocean, etc.) or you can simply toss in some random pieces that you think your little would love to engage with. Below is a breakdown of examples of what can be placed in morning baskets for students in preschool-4th grade.

• Preschool/Kindergarten (3-6)

  • finger puppets

  • crayons and paper/coloring books

  • dot sticker activity books

  • name practice sheets

  • seasonal/themed fiction books

  • flashcards

  • wooden puzzles

  • pattern cards and manipulatives

• 1st/2nd Grade (6-8)

  • beginner chapter books

  • joke/world record books

  • writing prompts

  • math flashcards

  • mazes, dot-to-dot, puzzle pages

  • madlibs

  • journal and pencil

  • bookmark crafts

• 3rd/4th Grade (8-10)

  • gratitude journal prompts

  • current events for kids

  • chapter books

  • cursive writing practice

  • math games

  • escape room challenges

  • STEM challenge cards

  • multiplication/division fact flashcards

How to Implement?

Incorporating a morning basket into your daily routine is fairly simple, but does take a little time and preparation. Please, do not feel as though you have to go out and purchase all new items for this basket. The majority of the things we use in our morning basket are toys and activities that my children already had. Below are the steps to successfully implement your morning basket.

1. Choose a Basket/Container: the basket, or container, does not have to be giant, just big enough to fit some books and activities in comfortably with easy access for your little. The basket can be something you already have lying around the house or a nice little container from the dollar store.

2. Pick a Time & Place: decide on a specific time of day that works best for your family to incorporate the basket time. We tend to choose the first 30 minutes after breakfast each day as my children have been awake for a little while and are now fed and ready to begin the day. Choose a place where the morning basket resides. This should be a place that is easily accessible for the parent to retrieve and put away the basket, but not necessarily somewhere the student has access to all of the time.

3. Simple Start: when you first incorporate a morning basket, try not to overload it with a ton of items as this can be a little stressful for your student if they are given too many choices at once. We tend to keep 4-7 items in our basket to provide variety without an over-abundance of choices.

4. Rotate Items Weekly or Monthly: ensure that you are rotating those items on a regular basis to keep your student engaged and interested. We tend to rotate our items every month. The items that I take out, I put in a tote in the basement so they become "forgotten about" and are exciting "new" toys to play with when I bring them back up after a few months of using other items.

   
   

Tips for Success

• Keep expectations realistic: when implementing anything new, there may be hiccups that need to be worked through. Start simple and understand that not everything may work for your student. Finding the things they are interested in may take some time and practice.

• Be consistent, not rigid: in order to create a routine with your morning basket, consistency is key. Try to bring out the basket around the same time every day so that you and your student know what to expect each morning. On the other side of that is ensuring you are not being rigid, but rather allowing flexibility while being consistent.

• Let your littles lead sometimes: allow your littles to choose morning basket items on occasion! They will enjoy having some control over their morning and what they do with their time while also instilling independence.

• Start small and build overtime: as stated above, please do not feel like you have to provide 10-15 items in your morning basket every week or month. We have enough pressures and tasks as adults already, this does not need to become another chore. Start your basket off small with 4-7 items and gradually build up over time, if you choose to.

I have created a Pinterest board with some morning basket inspiration along with some purchasable morning basket content, worksheets, activities, manipulatives, and more!

https://pin.it/5ytQGJSg7