Morning Time for All Ages

I think my family has entered the golden age of Morning Time. My three kids range in age from 6 to 10. We have no toddlers to disrupt us (though don’t be fooled in thinking things are too quiet) and we have no teens who need to rush away to complete a list of requirements to earn credits.

It is just us, together, learning to love beauty.

I know, though, that most families are operating outside of the golden age. The are dealing with a wide range of ages, the blessed noise of babies, or the hurried departure and awkward scheduling of dealing with a teen. 

Then there are those who only have very young children or only have teens. Or what about the family homeschooling only one child. Those situations bring entirely new challenges to light.

Listen to this post.

These families have a hard time wrapping their heads around what Morning Time will look like,
because so often families in the golden age or the wide-span are held up as models.

Let’s break down what Morning Time might be like in these homes.

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Morning Time with just young children

If all of your kids are under the age of about six, then your Morning Time will look far different than mine. I have moms write me concerned that little kids don’t have an attention span for chapter books or wanting to know which version of Shakespeare should they use. And their oldest is only 4.

Morning Time for littles could include:

• Nursery rhymes
• One prayer at a time
• Children’s songs (those old favorites you learned as a kid)
• Marching and instruments
• Quality picture books
• A good children’s Bible like this or this (not too much in one sitting)
• Finger plays
• A snack

Not Shakespeare, not the Nicene Creed in its entirety, not even Winnie the Pooh or Little House in the Big Woods. When you think attention spans are growing, then try adding a few minutes (not necessarily an entire chapter) from a book on this list, short poems by Hillaire Bellock, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Odgen Nash. Those are the kinds of things that will make your little kid Morning Time a success.

For more information about Morning Time with just littles, check out my podcast with Celeste Cruz.

Morning basket contents for the young crowd

 Read-Aloud Book of Bible StoriesPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin The Child’s Story BiblePinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Wee Sing Children’s Songs and FingerplaysPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Catholic Prayer Book for ChildrenPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin A Child’s Book of PrayersPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin The Real Mother GoosePinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Read-Aloud Poems for Young People: Readings from the Worlds Best Loved VersesPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Melissa & Doug Band in a BoxPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey BusinessPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin CorduroyPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin The Classic Treasury of Aesop’s FablesPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Do You Have a Hat?PinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin The Blizzard’s RobePinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Volcano Wakes Up!PinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin This Is My Home, This Is My SchoolPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin

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Morning Time with teens

At the other end of the spectrum, there are moms wanting to start a Morning Time for the very first time and they only have teens. When you are facing a bunch of teenagers the last thing you might want to suggest is sitting for an hour reading Shakespeare, call and response memorization, or tons of poetry.

For many teens, especially boys, you are going to have to be a little more subtle starting out.

Morning Time with teens should be an invitation. Mom invites a teen for a warm beverage (like tea, coffee, or a latte). If needed Mom also provides a tempting snack to go with said beverage. Maybe something from a secret stash like a scone, biscotti, or a morning cookie (or four if you have boys). Something really tempting.

Then start with material that is interesting to them. Teens love to argue and discuss and explore their views of the world. Begin with logic, current events, and apologetics.

Position yourself as a co-learner in the Morning Time space. Encourage them to choose a favorite poem to memorize and then you do the same. Take turns leading prayer and reading aloud. Let them make some of the decisions about what the time will look like.

Morning Time with teens should include:

• Logic like The Fallacy Detective
• Apologetics
• Poetry of their own choosing and even song-lyrics as poetry
• Book club-style discussions
• Book vs. movie discussions
• Shared ownership and reading aloud
• Current events
• Snacks

If you are working with a bunch of kids who are not used to deep discussions about literature don’t be afraid to use a Shakespeare version that puts the original side-by-side with a modern “translation.”  Be sure to get everyone their own copy so you can all take parts and read.

Also, higher interest books like Fellowship of the Ring, The Giver, Ender’s Game, To Kill A Mockingbird, or A Wrinkle in Time are places to dig into literature with kids who have not had much experience beyond just having to read and answer questions for a class. There is no need to start with War and Peace — really.

Morning Basket contents for teens

 The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad ReasoningPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning SkillsPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Prove It! God: Revised EditionPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin More Than a CarpenterPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Hamlet (No Fear Shakespeare)PinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin No Fear Shakespeare: Henry VPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Much Ado About Nothing (No Fear Shakespeare)PinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin To Kill a MockingbirdPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the RingsPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin Ender’s Game (The Ender Quintet)PinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin The Giver (Giver Quartet)PinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPinPin