In the mornings, my preschooler is ready to go before my coffee does its magic. By observing his activity levels, I also know that the mornings are his prime time to learn. However, his energy level does not usually match my energy level, so I needed a way to capitalize on his focus that didn’t require me to be functioning on all cylinders. Say hello to my little preschool morning basket.
A preschool morning basket doesn’t require a big investment if you have been homeschooling for more than half a second. I built mine from things I already had around the house plus a few inexpensive items from Walmart. I reload on Sunday evening in preparation for our new letter each week.
At the beginning of our preschool year, I disassembled several of my alphabet puzzles or games and put each letter it its own sealed plastic bag. I took apart a few different flashcard sets as well. Each letter bag also includes one or two worksheets and small toys or magnets that match the letter. I empty each week’s bag into my morning basket.
I also have items to be used each week that stay in the basket. These include mini clothespins that spell my son’s name, a miniature clipboard for him to practice writing his letter on, a small pencil box with just a few colors to pick from, and the phonics toy magnet base (the letters are sorted into the previously mentioned bags).
Depending on what other skills my son is working on at the moment (such as cutting and gluing, lacing, tangrams, etc.), I put the necessary tools in his basket too. These items stay in his basket until he masters the skill or his interest wanes. This is also a good way to add holiday or seasonal activities to your basket.
Lastly, I add some small easy readers that target our letter. I get these from the library and try to stay a week ahead so I am not without books for his basket. Now that we are halfway through his phonics book, I plan on adding a few books from my BOB Book collection.
Preschool baskets are fun to make. They don’t have to be expensive or elaborate and it’s a way to keep things interesting for your learner as well as keep your job easy. I have learned, however, that the more thought I put into the preparation of the week’s basket, the more interesting it ends up and the more it grabs my son’s attention.
What do you keep in your preschooler’s morning basket?
Need more preschool ideas?
Check out this great preschool online learning option from Global Student Network!
Lindsay Banton is a caffeinated mother to three great kids. She never expected to homeschool, but has found that it is a wonderful addition to their lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world. In addition to homeschooling, Lindsay works alongside her husband in campus ministry at a large university in Connecticut. She grew up in Virginia but has settled into life in New England, learning to love the long winters, cool springs, green summers and gorgeous autumns- and has built a boot collection to meet all the demands. She is currently blogging at www.lindsaybanton.com.