Creating and using a morning basket is something I only started at the beginning of this year and already I have fallen in love with the idea and concept. It isn’t a new idea and something that is used a lot in the home education community, I found many resources on Instagram and Pinterest, before jumping in. Actually though, despite there being a lot of information out there what I found best (as I do with most things) is to just decide what I thought would work for our family and just dived in from there. You know your family best and I think this is probably going to be my top recommendation – do what works best for you.
What is a morning basket?
A morning basket is, quite simply, a basket of items designed for the morning time, when your child has just got out of bed. Something they can immerse themselves in to begin a slow start to your days. It can include books, toys, flashcards…in fact whatever you think will work for your family. It can be something to start the day slow and easy, something you can go through together or something to keep your child engaged while you sort out your morning coffee or even their breakfast. The most important thing is that it works for you and it’s something that suits your child and your family.
What do I put in ours?
We started doing a morning basket when our daughter was 1 and she has recently turned 2, so definitely keep this in mind when looking at what we put in ours. We enjoy a slow start to our days, I enjoy drinking my coffee and sitting with her while she looks through it. At the moment, at her current age, I add items which I think will be engaging for her and that she will be excited to see first thing in the morning.
- A book (or two).
- A soft toy.
- An “I can see” flash card by Daily play with Amy on Instagram.
- Something that makes some noise.
- Something colourful (like stacking cups)
You can see this fun Instagram reel I created as an example of putting my daughters morning basket together.
Overall, does it work?
You can be as fun or as educational as you wish. Sometimes I do a theme and sometimes I don’t, but I foresee as her and her sibling get a little older I might tie it more into their current interests in our home education journey too. I definitely expect it to change over the years as they grow as well as applying it to seasonal rhythms too.