If you’ve been homeschooling for more than a couple of minutes, you’ve probably heard about Morning Time or one of its many variations. You may have even tried it, and if you’re like me, you abandoned it because it was just too much.
I liked the idea of a lovely Morning Time with the children gathered round the table learning all sorts of artsy things, or an Afternoon Tea Time with pretty teacups and shiny faces hanging on my every word, but when it came to actually implementing these things, I couldn’t make it easy enough to stick.
What I didn’t realize was that I WAS DOING MORNING TIME ALREADY, just in a very simplified form!
Morning Time for Busy, Tired Moms
When you are dealing with morning sickness or a newborn or a crazy life in general, Morning Time feels like “one more thing” you have to do, and 9 times out of 10, you won’t want to do it. This is where a very simplified version of Morning Time comes in – the one I did for years without giving it a name!
Here’s what it looks like:
Super Simple Morning Time
- Read the Bible or storybook version of the Bible.
- Read a chapter in a Read Aloud.
THAT’S IT!
{see, I told you it was super simple}
Some of our favorite Story Bibles:
Hurlbut’s Story of the Bible (1932 edition)
The Jesus Storybook Bible
Mighty Acts of God
Gospel Story Bible
Where to find Read Aloud inspiration:
The Read Aloud Family
Honey for a Child’s Heart
Give Your Child the World (Geography based book list)
Various Curriculum Book Lists
Also, check out my post on How to Make Read Aloud Time More Peaceful or listen to the PODCAST!
Now, what if you want to up your game a bit, and add in something else? Go for it! BUT…
Don’t overdo it!
Add in a little bit at a time, keep it low key, and don’t get overzealous! Here are a few ideas to get your wheels turning in the right direction…
Simple Morning Time Examples
Sarah Mackenzie – She has only 3 things on her Morning Time list, and 2 of those are done every day.
Homegrown Learners – She also has only 3 things on her list – Devotions, Memory Work, and an alternating schedule between Art and Music Appreciation (which is a great way to get one more subject in there!)
However, my favorite simple Morning Time plan is one that has been done for me! That’s why I use The Homeschool Garden Morning Time (I have the full year membership).
Each month, you have access to a complete Morning Time with Art Study, Nature Study, Poetry, Folksongs, Hymns, Art projects, Tea Time and more! And it is laid out in a very easy to follow schedule! This took a huge load off of me since I had been trying to plan a Morning Time based on the Charlotte Mason method using Ambleside Online, and couldn’t seem to keep everything straight!
Learn more about The Homeschool Garden here >>
Related post: The Homeschool Garden Morning Time Review
However, if you prefer to make up your own Morning Time plans, yet still want to keep it simple, here are my suggestions…
Do It Yourself Morning Time Plans
First of all, take a look at my post on Morning Time with Multiple Ages. Even if you don’t have a family as diverse in ages as I do, you’ll find some good ideas on how to set up a Morning Time. Personally, we use The Homeschool Garden and add in a couple of extras like Shakespeare and Foreign Language once a week. This method is just the right balance for us. (Again, you can check out The Homeschool Garden HERE.)
Related post: High School Shakespeare Made Easy {not just for high schoolers}
Your best bet for keeping Morning Time simple when you are putting together your own, is to use a Loop Schedule. Sarah Mackenzie is the first place I heard about this way of managing multiple subjects, but I really like how the Proverbial Homemaker gives you even more practical help with loop scheduling. (You can even take her Loop Scheduling Workshop and learn how to make it work for all facets of your life!)
Basically, you want to keep your Morning Time manageable with 2-4 topics/subjects per day, with a total of 4-6 topics/subjects per week. NO MORE! Remember, you can always do a different subject next semester!
Here is a list of subjects to help you build a Morning Time:
Bible Study
Art Study
Music Appreciation
Nature Study
Shakespeare
Foreign Language
Handicrafts
Art projects
Poetry
Church History
Geography
Vocabulary
Missionary Studies
Hymn Study
Folksongs
Folk dance
Philosophy
Character Study
Science
Logic
Worldview/Apologetics
Read Aloud
and just about anything else you can think of!
Epilogue…
What Is Morning Time Really?
I think we homeschool moms get hung up on the “right way” to do things, and assume there’s only one right way, and anything we do that doesn’t look exactly like that right way is wrong or less than. But, Morning Time isn’t really a set of rules or a certain grouping of subjects. It’s WHATEVER you want it to be. It can look like everyone on the couch listening to you read from the Bible. It can look like everyone gathered around the table doing an art project. It can look like singing a timeline or geography song in the car at the top of your lungs on the way to Grandma’s house! It doesn’t have to be in the morning, it doesn’t have to involve tea, it doesn’t have to be long or well-planned or perfect because the common factor is that everyone is together. Homeschooling is about the family, and that’s the best of Morning Time!
Reggie says
We do Bible/family devotions either during or shortly after breakfast. We do this year round, however, we only do what we call “Together Time” during the cold months or months that typically have unpleasant weather which keeps us indoors. Our together time includes poetry, foreign language, Bible memory and an alternating schedule for Science, History and Geography. That sounds like a lot, but because it’s done simply, it typically only takes 15-20 minutes, sometimes longer if we get into our History, etc. Also, I stopped trying to do it first thing in the morning and instead we get seatwork out of the way, have a recess of sorts, and then come back together for our together time. Just switching the seatwork and together time has made a HUGE difference in simplifying and streamlining our morning routine.
Amy says
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Reggie!
ZAINab says
Do you have a good resource that has a variety of audiobooks for an age range of 2-12?
Amy says
We like Adventures in Odyssey, Jonathan Park, Heirloom Audio, and the Brinkmans!
Amy says
Look on Librivox. They have a huge selection!