Morning Rituals: The Art of Intentional Beginnings
PC: @garyschapman
Morning time, a cherished priority of mine, might appear unplanned to an outsider, a fly on the wall. But don't be mistaken, it's a carefully curated symphony of moments, each one intentionally chosen by me. The truth is, I'm acutely aware of the fleeting nature of these mornings with my children. Each one is a gift, a precious time capsule that I’m determined to fill with memories and lessons.
Mornings might not resonate with everyone, and that's okay. We could still be friends, I assure you. However, with only four mornings a week to treasure that are not bound by a school rush (my children attend hybrid school giving us a 4-day weekend every weekend), I'm committed to making each one count. Over time, our mornings have naturally evolved into a rhythm, a comfortable routine that we no longer need to consciously craft. It's fascinating, really, how a simple observation of your own family's mornings can reveal so much about the dynamics of your daily beginnings. A caveat is when family visits or we are traveling or even when my sons are fully immersed in some creative pursuit, but because of these engrained routines, we can easily pick up our schedule when normal life resumes.
I thought I’d share our morning time.
Our morning hours are a sacred time, a collective investment in togetherness. This usually unfolds around the breakfast table, where a hearty meal and a pot of tea keep us anchored, engaging in conversations that meander from one topic to another. Hearty meal means I wake a little earlier to prepare it, but it’s my best trick to get them to stay longer at the table. Sometimes, we'll bake a treat, adding a sweet note to our morning collective. This breakfast table ritual, often stretching for an hour or more, is the cornerstone of our day. If all else goes to pot, I am content knowing we had this time together.
If breakfast gets a bit too chaotic, with syrup spills and toast crumbs painting a familiar mess, we shift to the sofa in our adjoining living room. Here, the dynamic changes. My younger son, age 5 having reached his sitting limit, might bring his legos into the mix or engage in creative pursuits with his math manipulatives. He's also fond of drawing on our windows (with erasable markers of course), adding his touch to the morning light. Meanwhile, my eldest son finds solace snuggled next to me under a blanket. He's always been more of a still listener, absorbing stories and discussions with a quiet focus.
Our mornings, while not strictly scheduled, typically include a blend of spiritual, educational, and creative elements. I find that together these three “buckets” fill us up with wholesome nuggets to start our day.
Our Schedule at a Glance
Here’s how we start our mornings which on some days starts at 6am and other days doesn’t begin until 8:30am. Again, fluidity and flexibility are cornerstones here. Sometimes the boys wake up super early, sometimes a lego boat needs a motor, sometimes mommy exercises outside the home etc.
Reading the Bible or engaging in a devotional
Memory work, which could be a verse, a poem, a hymn, or a song
Diving into the colorful world of picture books
Losing ourselves in the chapters of a read-aloud book
Spanish study - minimum 15 min.
Alternating between art appreciation and music exploration
And a future aspiration of mine: incorporating handcrafts while I read
In-Depth Breakdown
Bible Readings // I've been using the Brighter Day Press Morning Time Volume 1 since last fall, focusing on the Bible readings in Volume 1. To enhance our learning, I read the week's stories in advance and develop a few comprehension questions. For me, this effort stems from our lack of involvement in a church with a strong catechism program and my own unfamiliarity with these stories growing up. I aim to understand and convey the significance of each story, its moral or values, and its relevance to our lives right now.
We use these two books for our daily readings (Best for Ages 5+)
The Gospel Story Bible by Marty Machowski
The Children’s Bible by Golden Books (Thrifted series of 12)
The Ology by Marty Machowski
When the boys were younger this was the bible I clung to (Best for Ages 2+)
The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes (Thrifted)
After exhausting the morning time volumes I can see us transitioning to a family devotional like this (Best for Ages 7+)
Indescribable by Louie Giglio
Catechism // Found this incredible app. this year, I believe created by Tim Keller called The New City Catechism. Together, you read and sing the principles of the Christian Religion. Sounds kind of silly, but my boys love to sing and dance to these and by singing them we truly have learned them.
Memory Work // While many people would argue that memorization isn’t necessary during our age of information where everything is available with the click of a mouse, I disagree. It enriches vocabulary, enhances retention, and strengthens brain patterns. I practice daily memorization with my children, choosing topics based on seasons, their interests, or relevant verses for behavior improvement. Weekly, we reinforce the memorized pieces through handwriting copy work.
This school year we’ve memorized:
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too a poem by Shel Silverstein
1 Corinthians 13 “Love is”…
The Little Drummer Boy a cherished Christmas song
John 1:1-14
Psalm 141
PC: @garyschapman
Picture Books // Typically themed around the seasons, or what we’re learning in other subjects but also highly dependent on what the boys pick out at the library (trains, bridges, the Titanic seem very popular right now)
Chapter Books // I take recommendations from everywhere on these. We love to read aloud so typically we have 2-3 going on at a time. One is usually illustrated. One we go more in depth with comprehension questions, character studies, learning to summarize, and the third we read cover to cover for fun.
Spanish Study // At some point I’d love to share a separate post about all the ways we are learning Spanish. Currently I have the boys do 15 minutes every morning including the days they go to school. We may play a game, read a book, or use an online learning game like (Duolingo, Dinolingo)
Music Exploration & Composer Study // We study 3-4 composers per year and use the Morning Time Curriculum as a jumping off point. We read one picture book about the composer’s life and one biography-style book that includes timelines and maps to aid in learning. We listen to a spotify playlist of their work and “paint the mood” of the piece for fun over the course of the month. I ask that my older son write, illustrate, and narrate what he learned about the composer. I also add in 1-2 unit studies during this time about music in general.
Art Appreciation and Picture Study // We study 3-4 artists per year using the Morning Time Curriculum again as our baseline. For each artist we read a picture book about their life and then a more in-depth book about their life’s work. We also have learned this year how to do a “picture study” which is a lovely way to learn about all kinds of art work. As time allows, I include random unit studies I find about art appreciation - learning the self portrait, reproducing a favorite picture from the studied artist etc.
For both the composer and artist studies I have come to love these biography-type books called Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers/Artists
Each morning is unique, a canvas we paint anew with our interactions and activities. In these hours, we're not just preparing for the day ahead; we're paving the way for memories to be made and learning vital lessons that will, I hope, stay with my boys long after they've outgrown our morning table.
As I reflect on these moments, my cup of gratitude overflows. Morning time is more than a routine; it's a celebration of being together, learning together, and growing together. And for that, I am so very thankful.
