Are you looking for ideas to start your day with your kids? Leah McDermott of Your Natural Learner shares ways her family uses creative invitations for kids to begin the mornings smoothly.
Update April 2025
If your kids are anything like mine, they wake up with ALL the energy.
They’re ready to conquer the world, space travel to the moon, and ask 400 questions before your first cup of coffee has even touched your lips.
The good news is that along with that energy comes focus, attention, excitement, curiosity. So instead of trying to calm them down or work against it, you can harness that energy with creative invitations for kids!
You may have heard of this idea before, as it has many names – morning basket, daily bin, provocation, invitation to play/create/learn, etc. Whatever you call it, they have the same purpose – to immediately engage a child early in the morning.
A morning invitation could be any number of things:
- A suggestion to create something with specific materials
- A sensory activity or bin
- An exploration related to a current interest
- A challenge to build something
- The options are endless!
Do you have to do them every day? Of course not! Set up morning invitations anytime you want!
Creative Invitations for Kids
So what EXACTLY do I put in these morning invitations?
The good news is, there really is no WRONG way to do this. Simply create an inviting experience for your child to engage in, and remember that it is supposed to be an open-ended engagement.
There are a few different categories of Morning Invitations to choose from to vary your child’s experiences. Here they are, including some of my family’s personal favorite ways to set them up!
1. Invitations to CREATE
These are open-ended art setups encourage your child to create something and explore materials. For example, you might offer a mix of colorful papers, glue, and scissors for collaging, or set out natural items like sticks and stones with paint for nature-inspired art.
2. Invitations to PLAY
These are invitations that give your child a chance to explore materials in a playful and open-ended way. Set up an invitation with playdough and an assortment of materials and loose parts for your child to play and imagine. Or you might set out animal figures with blocks and fabric for pretend play.
3. Invitations to LEARN
These are the more focused invitations that have a specific purpose behind them. You might be introducing a new concept later that day, so you set up some of the materials in a morning invitation for your child to have a chance to explore before you dive in together. Or you may want them to review some learning concepts that they’ve already been exposed to, so you can invite them to do so on their own.
It’s also a fantastic way for YOU to learn about the way your child thinks and explores things before you have a chance to step in and explain. You might just learn something new yourself!
These should be FUN for everyone! Fun for you to setup and imagine how your child is going to engage with the activities. And fun for your child to explore something new and creative each time a new Morning Invitation shows up.
One final tip: Don’t overcomplicate it. Morning Invitations shouldn’t require much, if any, explanation from you. Try to keep that in mind when you set things up.
More Ideas for Creative Invitations for Kids
- 10 Art Invitations to Create for Kids
- 5 Easy After School Art Invitations for Kids
- How to Set Up Morning Invitations for Kids
- Screen-Free Week Activities for Kids
- How to Set Up an Invitation to Create Using Flowers
- The Art of Strewing for Kids
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