A Quick Start Guide to Using Morning Tubs

Picture this: Your students arrive in the morning, bubbling with energy, and instead of chaos, they calmly engage in purposeful, hands-on activities. Morning tubs, or morning bins, are the secret to starting your kindergarten day off right! Let’s dive into everything you need to know about incorporating morning tubs or bins into your routine.

What Are Morning Tubs?

Morning tubs are bins filled with engaging, hands-on activities that children can work on independently or in small groups. They provide a fun, stress-free way for students to ease into the school day while practicing important skills. Think of them as a hands-on alternative to traditional morning work worksheets.

Why Use Morning Tubs in Kindergarten?

Morning tubs are a game-changer for so many reasons:

  1. Smooth Transitions: They help students settle in and transition into the school day without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.
  2. Skill Practice: Morning tubs can be tailored to reinforce math, literacy, fine motor skills, or even social-emotional learning.
  3. Independence and Choice: Giving students the freedom to choose or rotate through bins encourages independence and decision-making.
  4. Less Prep for You: Once you have a system in place, morning tubs require minimal daily prep.
  5. Engagement and Motivation: Kids love hands-on activities, and morning tubs tap into their natural curiosity and love of play.

How to Store Morning Tubs

One of the (many) great things about morning tubs is that they can work in any size classroom. It doesn’t matter what type of containers you use and I promise you don’t need anything fancy or expensive. Here are some of the most common ways teachers are storing their morning tub activities:

  • Plastic shoeboxes or bins
  • Gallon-sized baggies
  • Pencil boxes
  • Plastic organizers with drawers
kindergarten morning bins
kindergarten morning bins

Make a Morning Tubs or Morning Bins Plan

Decide how students will rotate through tubs. Here are some questions to consider:

  1. Will students choose their own activity or will they have a designated activity?
  2. Will students work independently or with a partner?
  3. Will you store the tubs at students’ tables or will they be responsible for getting their tub and taking it to their seat?

As far as changing the activities, I suggest rotating activities monthly. This gives every student time to do each tub at least once without the activities getting old. Some teachers change tubs more frequently or less often – it’s totally up to you.

No matter how many tub activities you choose to have, it’s a good idea to make a couple extra tubs. Just duplicate a couple of the activities or add puzzles, playdough, etc. to a few tubs.

Choose Activities for Your Morning Bins

Focus on your goal for using morning tubs or bins. Morning tubs should be what students look forward to and can feel successful with, so having activities with familiar skills is a must. Here are the most basic options:

  1. Use activities you already have: Ideas include old centers that students are familiar with, puzzles, playdough, learning games, stickers, and file folder games
  2. Use print-and-prep morning tub packs: You might choose to use print-and-prep morning tub packs, such as these from TPT. I created these morning tub activities several years ago to help save fellow teachers precious time!
  3. Use a combination: It’s your classroom, so do it your way! Mix and match activities you already have with some that you find online.
kindergarten morning bins

Tips for Success with Morning Tubs or Bins

  • Start Simple: Begin with activities your students are already familiar with to build confidence. This means that you might start with just playdough or manipulatives.
  • Set Expectations: Establish clear rules for using the tubs, such as how to handle materials and clean up. 
  • Model, Model, Model: Take time to teach your students how to use morning tubs. Model expected behaviors and practice transitioning in and out of the activities.
  • Keep It Manageable: Provide enough choices but keep it simple. Also, students shouldn’t need too many materials to complete the activities. You’re aiming for 5-10 minutes’-worth of time spent on tubs.
  • Observe and Adjust: Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t. Adjust activities and systems as needed.

Morning Tub Activity Ideas

Need some inspiration for what to include in your morning tubs? Here are a few favorites:

Letter Building Mats: These are easy to adapt throughout the year! Add mini erasers, playdough, wax sticks, etc.

Playdough Mats: Playdough is great for building fine motor strength.  I like to use thematic mats and you can change out the type of playdough to match.

Magnetic Letter Word Building: These provide a fun way to practice matching letters and discovering seasonal vocabulary!

Tweezer Activities: These plastic tweezers are so fun! They may be a little tricky for your students, especially at the beginning of the school year. Encourage them to keep trying!

Give Morning Tubs or Bins a Try!

Morning tubs are a simple yet powerful way to bring calm and purpose to the start of your kindergarten day. With a little planning, you’ll create a routine that your students look forward to each morning. Plus, you’ll enjoy the extra time to focus on what matters most – setting a positive tone for the school day.

Are you ready to give morning tubs a try? Start small, stay consistent, and watch the magic unfold in your classroom! I have a free morning tubs sample pack for my email subscribers and I’d love to send it your way! Just enter your information below to get started.

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