When the school year ends and the lazy days of summer stretch ahead, it's easy to let go of any semblance of structure. But I've found that my kids do best with some meaningful intellectual work early in the day. It seems to calm them and prevent the dreaded “I’m bored!” complaints.
This summer, I decided to take a page from some veteran homeschool moms and set up a “morning basket,” a carefully curated collection of books, poems, and activities that we share first thing in the morning after breakfast. It’s been going so well that I thought I would share it with you, too!
Our morning basket isn’t about recreating school at home but about building the kind of family culture where learning is enjoyable and fun for all of us. With kids ranging from 4 to 11, finding content that engages everyone was a challenge, but we’ve hit the sweet spot.
Here are the books I’m reading with my kids right now, and what my kids are working on, too. I don’t read all of these books every day, but by rotating them, we are working our way through them all a little bit at a time.
What I’m reading aloud
Right now, we are going hard on poetry and courtesy in our home. These books have been just right.
Poems Every Child Should Know
We are all really enjoying the wonderful poems in this book! Selected and accompanied by commentary from bestselling author and literature professor Joseph Pearce, this exciting collection of verse contains classic poems that every child should know to begin a poetic ascent towards God.
Ten Keys to Good Manners
This helpful little book teaches children the good manners they need to show respect to others. Saying please and thank you, receiving gifts, behaving at table, and seven other “keys” to being polite are explained with simple language and charming illustrations. We read aloud one “key” each day and discuss how we can work on practicing it.
Saint biographies
Summer is the perfect time to pick up some “just for fun” books, and what’s better than reading the lives of the saints? My son is loving our daily chapter of Saint Francis of the Seven Seas, while my daughter finished Saint Therese and the Roses on her own before the rest of the family because she was so eager to know what would happen next. We’ve also got the classic 57 Saints and Stories of the Saints in the basket to read on saints’ feast day.
What the kids are doing
While I’m reading our poem and a saint story or manners lesson, my older two kids work on their penmanship or a project.
One kiddo is working through The Letters of the New Testament Cursive Copywork. He’s almost done, and I have my eye on Learning Cursive with The Hobbit next.
Another does a few pages of The Good and The Beautiful Handwriting.
When cursive practice is done, they love doing paint by sticker books or puzzles. And my little ones can usually be found playing with our trusty bin of kinetic sand or dried rice and beans!
What we are listening to together
Summer has us enjoying lots of adventures out and about. When we’re driving in the car, I find that playing an audiobook magically keeps everyone calm and happy (and not fighting with their siblings!). These audiobooks are our current favorite listens, and I consider them part of our summer learning.
The Bark of the Bog Owl
My kids are loving this tale of adventure and laughter, mixed with being brave enough to follow your calling. I don’t want to say too much, but it’s a delightful read!
A Little Princess
I love this classic story, and my kids didn’t remember reading it several years ago. This summer felt like the perfect time to revisit it, and we will watch the movie adaptation when we’re done.
What we plan to read next
We are not done learning about manners. (Let’s just say some focused work on manners was needed in our home!) When we finish the current read, I’ve lined up 52 Modern Manners for Kids next.
When we finish our current saint stories, I’ve got Virtues of the Saints: 15 Heavenly Habits for Children lined up to be our next read-aloud book. The short chapters will be the perfect length for a quick daily addition to our morning basket.
For our next fiction read, I’ve got my eye on The Badger Hills Farm Series after a friend raved about how much her kids loved it. My kids love mysteries, and these books are wholesome and filled with positive messages.
After we finish our current audiobooks, I’m planning on The Secret Garden, which is by the same author as A Little Princess and always goes with it in my mind. We are also looking forward to this charming movie adaptation.
A beautiful final suggestion
One of my friends mentioned that she is trying to read the psalm from the daily Mass readings aloud to her kids each day. That struck me as such a beautiful and kid-friendly way to pray along with the liturgical year and engage with the Bible and the prayer of the universal Church. I’m hoping to start this practice after we finish our poetry book.
Getting started with your own morning basket
The beauty of a morning basket is its flexibility. You can adapt it to your family's interests, ages, and schedule. Add books about science, history, coding, chemistry ... sky's the limit!
Start with just one or two books, keep sessions short (10 minutes is great), and don't worry about perfection. The goal is creating a peaceful, enriching start to your day that brings the family together around beautiful ideas and stories.
What matters most is consistency and enjoyment. If something isn't working, switch it out. The morning basket should be a joy, not a burden, for both parents and children.
I hope you enjoy your morning basket, and maybe some of these books, as much as we are right now!
