Morning Time a.k.a. Circle Time, Morning Routine, Morning Meeting, Morning Basket, or Morning Madness (You know it’s like that some days) is a good way to get your homeschool day started. It’s a way of transitioning from “get ready time” to “school time” and can help your kids get into learning mode.
Morning Time is also an opportune time to put God first in your homeschool because you can pray, thank God, do some religious readings, or all of the above.
You can also use Morning Time to get your kids into a good mood with something fun like jokes or comic strips. Being in a positive mood facilitates learning which makes your job of teaching them easier.
When it comes to activities for a homeschool Morning Time, there are tons of possibilities. Below are some suggestions organized into categories. Don’t try to do all of them unless you want your morning time to last until dinner time. 😉 Instead think about what your goals are, what your children are currently studying, and what interests your family.
You may want to do one particular type of activity one year and then choose a different one the next. This will give your family something fresh and new each year which can help prevent burnout.
You may also want to have a single activity that is unique to each child especially if your children have different tastes and talents.
Some of the items listed below are actually skills like learning math facts. For these, you’ll want to have flash cards, posters, games, or some other kind of item that can be used for practice.
One thing that is not included in the lists below is the schedule for the day. Morning Time is a good opportunity to prepare your kids for the events of the day, so take time to tell them what you have planned.
*This post contains paid links. I earn a small commission from the sale of products purchased via these links. Please see my disclosure for details.
Homeschool Morning Time Activities
Religious and Inspirational
- Prayers
- Daily Thanks
- Bible readings
- Bible stories
- Memory verses
- Quotes
- Inspirational reading or devotional
Fun
- Jokes
- Puns
- Tongue Twisters
- Riddles
- Funny stories
- Comic strips
- Short, funny videos on Youtube
Language Arts
- Stories (Check out my Homeschool Story Time series for short stories)
- Poems
- Magazine articles
- Alphabet practice
- Phonics or sight word practice
- Greek or Latin roots flash cards
Math
- Counting practice
- Number ordering
- Skip counting
- Math facts
- Fractions
- Counting money
- Telling time
- Pattern recognition
Miscellaneous
- Calendar
- Weather and seasons
- Sing songs
- Listen to classical music
- Look at works of art
- Do simple drawing
- Practice states and capitals or other geography facts
- Look up This Day in History
- Practice foreign language vocabulary
If you’re looking for more ideas on implementing your homeschool Morning Time, you might want to check out Pam Barnhill’s ebook, Your Morning Basket. It includes helpful tips on what types of activities you can do, why do them, how you can do them, where to do your Morning Time, and more. She also explains how to make this important time of the day into something meaningful, spiritual, and beneficial for your homeschool. It’s a really great read!