Phew! Is that lap number 6 with your little one? How long have you been chasing her? An hour? Give those tired legs some rest, quick, while we tell you something that will give you a blessed few hours of free time while your little one stays engrossed and entertained.
No, we aren’t making this up, and yes, it is something that will keep them entertained – it all rests on one brilliant idea that can be twisted and tweaked to suit a different need every single day.
What is it? It’s called a Morning Basket – a revolutionary concept that’s bound to make you fall in love. The best part? You create it. For every day of the week.
What Is A Morning Basket?
Morning baskets have been taking the homeschool world by storm! If you want to be a little fancy, you can also call it Morning Time or Circle Time!
Whatever suits you and your home! Now, a Morning Basket can be a fun mix of things with the main objective depending on whether you want to make it fun, or keep it about learning, or make it a mix of both – fun and learning!
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Why Use A Morning Basket?
- A Morning basket consists of assorted items presented in an exciting new way that kids will love!
- To make it more exciting, place the basket in a living or study space where your child will not miss seeing it and run to check out what’s new in their basket today!
- Instead of tiring their eyes using electronic gadgets or crying for your attention, kids will have something specific to focus on.
- While you have some me-time, kids will benefit from independent play and learning.
- It’s a great tool to use during summer vacations, filling it up with snacks, storybooks, a colouring sheet and even their favourite toy!
What’s The Right Age For A Morning Basket?
The lockdown left many parents stressed about their children spending time on electronic gadgets. Asha, a mother of a 2- and 5-year-old, was worried about her children too, who used to spend their day glued to screens. The worried mother wanted to engage her kids in some sort of activity and make the best use of their time. Thankfully, morning baskets came to her rescue and offered her some down-time too!
Asha introduced her kids to a morning basket soon after learning about it. Ideally, a morning basket can be introduced once your little one is around 18-20 months of age. At this age, you can add simple sensory toys or brain development activities to their Morning Basket. Once your baby is about 2-2.5 years old, you can include more learning and hands-on activity books.
What To Add To A Morning Basket?
If you look forward to incorporating this morning basket concept for your kids this summer vacation, you might wonder what to include!
Don’t worry; you are not alone in asking us what to include here. Even Asha had no idea how to make a perfect morning basket for her kids at first.
All you need to do is grab a paper and a pen and jot down subjects and activities your kids will love to do, depending on their age. Like a 5-year-old will love to read rhymes and do a fun activity like papercraft. Don’t try to squeeze everything in a day but divide the subjects according to weekdays. Consider how much time each subject will take, and then plan it according to your child’s age. A morning basket can be around 30 minutes to 1 hour long, honestly depending on how long you want to keep your child occupied.
Here is a checklist of things Asha kept in her son’s morning basket, keeping in mind his short attention span:
- A book with big letters!
- A colouring book + crayons set
- Multicolour dominoes
- Stuffed toys
- Snacks like cookies, dry fruits, etc.
- DIY craft activity kit for toddlers
Here is a list of other things you can keep in a morning basket, depending on your kid’s age, and make their summer vacation more awesome and educational.
- Read Aloud Books: A morning basket is a perfect time to do reading. You can include storybooks, historical books, and nature study books that are fun to read.
- Poem Recitation: Recitation is simply remembering things, and it is an excellent activity for building up your brain cells. You can include beautiful age-appropriate poetry books for recitation purposes.
- Picture Books: A picture book is a great addition to a morning basket if you have a little one who is too small to read right now but love looking at attractive pictures.
- Vocabulary Study: This one is a must-have for every morning basket as it will help hone your child’s vocabulary skills.
- Foreign Language Books: A child’s mind is capable of comprehending new things easily. Adding a foreign language book will help the child remember and understand the meaning of a new word every day.
- Calendar and Map: A calendar can help kids learn about dates and days of the week, and a map can be an excellent addition to teaching children about the names of different countries, continents, and oceans.
- Doodle Books: These books are great for building up your child’s motor skills and working on those creative artistic abilities.
Does A Morning Basket Need To Be Used In The Morning?
No, you can create a morning basket for any time of the day! Asha created a bedtime basket for her daughter that included one writing activity, one bedtime story, and one ‘thank you for a beautiful day’ poem and good night prayer. How thoughtful!
A Morning Basket is an excellent way to teach your kids different subjects and activities, especially during the summer vacation. Your children will love doing these sessions with you while learning in a fun way.
Like this article? Share the link and let your mommy friends know about how to use a morning basket this summer vacation.
Also Read: Teach Your Child How to Write a Book this Summer
