How to Make Morning Time Memorable
Morning time has been one of the best things I have ever done for our homeschool. The gentle start to our homeschool day — rather than headlong dive into dreaded subjects like math — has made a big difference in how the rest of the day goes.
What is Homeschool Morning Time?
You may be asking, What is morning time? It varies from family to family, but generally consists of something like Bible time, prayer, read alouds, maybe a game, flashcards, or going over the daily schedule. Often it takes place snuggled up on the couch, still in your pj’s, mom sipping her coffee (or tea in my case), kids snuggling the dogs, sometimes one is upside down hanging off the couch. Relaxed. Our morning time centers around our morning basket where I keep all our morning time supplies handy so there is no scrabbling around to find things.
Need more morning routines for kids? These are some good suggestions for you from Saving Talents.
If you are not doing a morning time routine I strongly suggest you try it out. It can be life-changing… and memorable. Here are some tips for newbies and for those that need a little kickstart to their established morning time.
How to Make Morning Time Memorable
Morning time often includes but is definitely not limited to:
My hope is that these tips and suggestions will help make morning time something that is special and remembered for many years to come, both by your children and yourself!
Tips for Making Homeschool Morning Time Memorable
Put items in a nice basket
If you don’t already have one, designate a pretty bag or handled basket as the place to hold your morning time items. Ours holds things like the Bible we use, our read-aloud choice for the day/week, pens and pencils, a deck of flashcards to practice math facts, and other items that I rotate often. This makes it easy for morning time to move and keep everything at hand.
Have your own quiet time first if possible
I find that it is a lot easier to be patient and relaxed with my kids when I have had my tea and my own quiet time with the Lord first. It has meant waking up 30 minutes earlier than the time their little internal clocks have set and I start off bleary-eyed but by the end of it I am refreshed and wide awake, ready to start the day with the kids. This doesn’t always happen, but I’ve tried to make a habit of it when possible. I designed Mom’s Quiet Time Journal for this purpose!
Use themes to support your topic of study
Include picture books on your topic of study and games with a theme that match. Studying sharks? Include a jar of sharks teeth for the kids to look at while you read. Are you reading Little House on The Prairie? Include a surprise candy, like horehound in your basket.
Take it outside occasionally
One of the wonderful benefits of homeschooling is that when the weather is nice we can take advantage of it. From time to time you can grab your basket/bag/whatever you use and curl up in the hammock or on the front porch and enjoy nature and fresh air at the same time.
Include a surprise
I like to include a surprise at least once a week. It gives the kids one more reason to look forward to morning time! It might be a special snack, a new game, sketchbooks and watercolors, a book they have never seen, or a craft supply we haven’t used in a while. In the winter include a gift of new mittens, when you are ready to put out your Nativity at Christmas time include your baby Jesus or other figurines in the basket, or summer items as your school year comes to a close.
Rotate Items Often
While a few things stay the same every day — Bible and read aloud, for example — other items can and should be changed up to keep it interesting and fresh. An artbook to pour over can be put in place of flashcards, a Scrabble game can take the place of last week’s poetry memorization, or include a Hymn study instead of classical music on Tuesday. Mad Libs are a wonderful language arts activity rather than sentence diagramming for the day. You can include the supplies for a quick science experiment rather than a textbook.
Do something for yourself
While the kids are busy working on things like nature journals or independent reading, do a little something extra for yourself. This is a great time for you to steal a few moments for you. Read a book you have been dying to start, learn a new language, work on a skill you would like to improve, or start a new hobby!
Does Morning Time Have to be in the Morning?
Some people don’t even do the typical morning time activities in the morning, some find it better in the afternoon, or even to end the day after dinner. The principle is the same, it’s just a matter of family preference and what works for your dynamics.
You can make morning time memorable in your family just by finding your very own unique way to share the time together!
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