How to Make Morning Baskets: Engaging Activities to Start Your Day with Kids

Ease into your day with morning baskets

Morning bins have proven to be a lifesaver for parents seeking to start their days smoothly while keeping their kids happily occupied. To maximize the benefits of morning bins, it’s essential to curate them with a thoughtful mix of activities. In this blog, we’ll explore the guidelines for creating morning bins that include a book, a fine motor activity, and a learning task. Moreover, we’ll show you how mixing the baskets daily can keep the excitement alive and make each morning a new adventure for your children!

Benefits of Mixing Morning baskets

• Enhanced Engagement: The element of surprise in each morning bin keeps your child excited and interested in exploring the contents daily.
• Skill Diversity: By rotating activities, your child will have the opportunity to develop various skills across different areas, promoting holistic development.
• Anticipation and Routine: Mixing morning bins adds anticipation to the morning routine, making it an enjoyable part of your child’s day.

Suggested Guidelines for Morning baskets

1. Include a Book
2. Something Fine Motor
3. Learning Activity

1. Include a Book 

Books are a gateway to imagination and learning, making them an indispensable component of morning bins. Select age-appropriate books that match your child’s interests and reading level. Board books with vibrant illustrations work well for toddlers, while preschoolers may enjoy picture books with captivating stories. By including a book in each morning bin, you foster a love for reading early on and create a peaceful moment to start the day.

2. Something Fine Motor

Fine motor activities enhance your child’s dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and finger strength. Integrate various fine motor tasks in the morning bins to engage your child’s little fingers and boost their motor skills. Some ideas include:

• Puzzles: Offer age-appropriate puzzles with different levels of complexity, challenging your child’s problem-solving abilities.
• Lacing Cards: Provide lacing cards and colorful laces to improve your child’s hand-eye coordination while having fun creating patterns.
• Playdough: Encourage creativity with playdough by offering tools like rolling pins, cutters, and stamps for endless sculpting possibilities.
• Beading: Allow your child to create colorful necklaces or bracelets using large beads and strings, enhancing their fine motor control.

3. A Learning Activity 

Morning bins can be an excellent opportunity for your child to engage in educational activities. Choose learning tasks that are both enjoyable and instructive, promoting cognitive development. Here are some learning activity ideas:

• Counting Games: Provide counting cards, small toys, or buttons for your child to practice basic counting skills.
• Alphabet Matching: Include flashcards or magnetic letters for matching uppercase and lowercase letters.
• Color Sorting: Use colorful items like pompoms or building blocks for your child to sort by color, reinforcing color recognition.
• Shape Recognition: Introduce shape cards and corresponding objects for your child to identify and match different shapes.

Mixing the Baskets

To maintain excitement and keep your child engaged, mix the morning bins daily. Children thrive on new experiences, and a surprise each morning will add a sense of anticipation to their day. Here’s how you can mix the baskets effectively:

• Prepare Multiple Bins: Have several morning bins prepped with different themes and activities. This way, you can easily swap them out each morning.
• Rotate Activities: Ensure that each morning bin has a unique combination of books, fine motor activities, and learning tasks. Rotate the items to avoid repetition.
• Involve Your Child: If your child is old enough, let them be part of the selection process. Together, choose which items will go into the morning bin for the next day.

The wonder of morning baskets

Morning bins are an invaluable tool for parents, offering a stress-free start to the day while fostering creativity and learning in children. By adhering to the guidelines of including a book, something fine motor, and a learning activity in each bin, you create a well-rounded and engaging experience. Furthermore, the excitement of mixing the baskets daily ensures that each morning is full of surprises and joy for your little ones. Embrace the magic of morning bins, and watch your children thrive as they eagerly explore new activities each morning!