7 Terrific Tips to Fit Morning Time into Your Day

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As homeschool moms, we only have so much time in our days. There’s cleaning to be done. Children need to learn to read, write, and calculate. So just how does morning time fit into the day?

How to fit morning time into your day.

1. Keep Morning Time Short

Morning time is a beautiful way to begin the day. You can certainly fill the time with prayer, poetry, memorization, Latin, grammar, Plutarch, nature study, science, history, great literature, and art.

But there’s much to be said for keeping morning time short. Begin with prayer, poetry, a read-aloud, and a looping subject.

Looping subjects is a method by which you list all the subjects you’d like to complete during the morning time. Then you work down the list. When you reach the bottom, begin again at the top. You’ll make consistent progress in all subjects rather than learning a huge amount of history but never touching the study of music.

Don’t plan on spending 2 or 3 hours a day in the morning time. Instead, aim to begin with 20 or 30 minutes.

Keep morning time short with prayer, poetry, a read-aloud, and a single looping subject.

2. Over Breakfast

Instead of trying to squeeze morning time into the day between math and grammar, try doing morning time over breakfast. After all, both breakfast and morning time can begin with a prayer. Recitations can happen around bites of bacon.

The best way to get started is to find a sturdy binder and fill it with page protectors. Slip each of your planning pages into one of the page protectors to protect it from jam. Start breakfast with a prayer, light a candle, and read aloud to the children while they eat.

As kids finish eating, clear the table and set out the supplies for the subject of the day. Layout the art study, plop a pine cone into the middle of the table for nature study, or complete map work for geography.

Once breakfast is over, everyone can help clean the kitchen together before heading off to begin their independent schoolwork.

3. At Lunch

Lunchtime is my favorite time for morning time. Kids of all ages wander into the kitchen hungry around noon. I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my kindergartner while the other children make their own lunch. It’s also an excellent time for recitations.

Once everyone is sitting and eating, I begin the read-aloud. There’s something pleasant about stopping in the middle of the day to enjoy some relaxing studies together.

Once the read-aloud is over, we work on the subject of the day. Since I have a busy high school teen and a wiggly kindergartner, I like to keep our morning time short with recitation, read-aloud, and that single subject.

4. Afternoon gathering

Morning time is more of a catchphrase for group study time. This means that many families do their group study time, or morning time, at other times of the day than just in the morning.

If the morning doesn’t fit into your schedule, try having ‘morning time’ in the afternoon.

There’s usually a stretch of time after lunch that’s a perfect time to fit morning time into the day. Another time that often works is that block of time just before dinner.

Sit down with the children an hour or so before dinner. Complete your recitations and read-aloud. Then get the children started on an art project or map work while you begin dinner preparations.

5. Evening Family Time

Turn morning time into a true family time by holding it in the evenings after dinner. The entire family can enjoy recitations and read aloud together instead of going separate ways or watching television.

Encourage the kids to complete puzzles or quiet hobbies while listening to the read-aloud. Hold long family discussions into the night. Pull out one or two subjects to study as a family.

Homeschooling in the evenings turns education into a true family affair.

6. Consolidate Subjects into Morning Time

Often you can consolidate quite a few subjects into your morning time studies. Art can be studied as a family rather than everyone completing their own art studies.

Read Story of the World aloud to the family, complete a few projects, and encourage teenagers to complete extra studies on their own.

Nature study lays a marvelous foundation for science in the later years. Grammar can be taught to the family during the morning time.

Reduce the length of your school day by consolidating subjects into morning time. You’ll find it easier to fit morning time into your day.

7. Make Time

Morning time is a time to add beauty to the school day. To fit in those subjects such as poetry memorization or fine art study tends to slide through the cracks in the normal routine.

If morning time calls to your soul. You can almost taste the benefits it will bring to your family, you’ll have to make time.

Enjoy morning time at odd times of the day. Consolidate subjects together. You may even need to reduce the number of good subjects you’re studying to make time for the best.

If morning time is truly important to you, you can fit morning time into your day using these terrific tips.