Homeschool Morning Basket: What is a Homeschool Morning Basket and How to Make Your Own

We all know getting your day off to the right start makes such a difference in the flow of the rest of your day. Having a way to ease into your homeschool day with a morning routine such as a morning basket, is a very effective and pleasant way to get into the day. I wasn’t too sure about this for our family but once we gave it a try I loved how it helped the day flow. Setting the tone for the day so it doesn’t quickly turn to chaos is not such a bad idea haha!

What is a homeschool morning basket?

Once you decide to start homeschooling something you may encounter either through chatting with other homeschooling parents (or through following along with “a day in the life” of a homeschooling family type of post on social media) is the homeschool morning basket. Even if you are a seasoned homeschooler, maybe you want to reset your mornings, or try to find more time to be together as your kids get older. A homeschool morning basket is a simplified, consistent way to start your homeschool mornings together as a family.  

The idea is actually from the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling. Gathering to read together, practice facts or memorizations, and work on “together” subjects are common parts of a morning basket. Basically it’s routine that gives you all a consistent way to start your days together as a family. It can also be a time to make sure to get in all the pieces of schooling that may get pushed aside due to time needed for core subjects like math & language arts.

All ages & can grow with your kiddos

Searching for homeschool morning basket ideas online you’ll likely encounter themes geared toward preschool & younger elementary aged children. While this is a great time to start a routine like a morning basket, the beauty of this idea is that it can easily grow with your kiddos. It’s so adaptable to any age, and can be inclusive of many ages, which is one reason it’s such a great way to start your day.

In the beginning of homeschooling your kiddos (assuming you start when they’re really young – if not, you may still incorporate these ideas, remember homeschool is all about what works best for your family!!) your homeschool morning basket will likely include picture books, daily weather tracking, calendar work, seasonal studies etc. As your kids grow, you can easily change it up and add in what works for their ages. The idea is, you can customize it for your homeschool and your own season of homeschool.

Homeschool basket ideas

As I just mentioned, and as the theme is with homeschool in general, it’s all customizable what you include in your homeschool morning basket. Also, it doesn’t have to be a basket at all  – a bin, box, tote bag, space on a shelf – any place you can keep the morning things together works. (If you need ideas for keeping your homeschool supplies organized even in a small space read this post!)

What to Include in Your Morning Basket

Your morning basket can include picture books, daily weather tracking, calendar work, seasonal studies, letter/alphabet recognition for your younger ages. Sight word practice flash cards, basic math drill flashcards, handwriting/cursive, and any memorization pieces you may be working on like memorizing a poem or geography facts are great add ins for elementary aged kids. Foreign language practice, music and art appreciation readings or even fact review, science reading or again review of facts learned are great ideas for older kids. Nature studies are great add ins to a morning basket for all ages. If you’re growing a garden or flowers, this is an excellent time to track growth or illustrate the plants in a nature journal.

No matter what elements you include, the main component in all morning baskets is reading of some form. Whether it’s for a subject like science or history or part of your family read loud time, having a captive, not burnt out from school work,  audience is a real benefit to a morning basket/routine. I wrote about how we incorporate family read aloud in our school day in a previous post and it has been such a wonderful way to start our school day.

What to do with younger siblings during this time

If you have toddlers or younger ones who aren’t actively participating in “school” yet they will still benefit from this time together. Kids are always listening (except maybe when it comes to cleaning up their bedroom or playroom!) and absorbing the words they hear. Reading rich literature aloud to all of your kids during this time is a fantastic way to help with building pre-reading skills without even realizing it.

Having some coloring pages/books, puzzles, and maybe a snack for the kids to enjoy while you’re reading will help keep their little hands busy and happy. Including them with the activities you have planned during your homeschool morning basket time is a great idea. Thanks to Pinterest there are so many ideas out there for simple activities to go along with almost any subject you’re working on with the other kids.

A no pressure routine

While this idea of including a homeschool morning basket to your morning routine may be an awesome addition for your family, there are some days it simply won’t happen. That’s ok!! This isn’t something to do just for the sake of doing, or so you can cross it off your list of tasks accomplished. It should be a relaxed, fun & happy cozy time for you and your kiddos to start the day.

We all know the rhythms of our days can change, especially with the seasons & different times of the year. The winter months may be a wonderful time to incorporate a bit more hygge into your days and a homeschool morning basket along with tea or hot cocoa can add to that feeling. On the flipside, the warmer months may get you & your kiddos wanting to be outside more, so adding in a morning routine of checking the veggie garden or starting your day in the backyard with sunshine on your faces while reading together, is a great way to include a homeschool morning basket.

It may just be a regular old Wednesday where you have an overtired kiddo who wants nothing to do with school and one who only wants to do art and one who wants to do her school as usual but in her room, and the thought of pulling them all together overwhelms you – guess what, skip the basket! You can easily drop the morning basket when needed and pick it back when you’re ready.

I hope this post helps better explain the elusive homeschool morning basket and maybe gives you an idea or two to try with your mornings 🙂