In this post: Now that your most asked questions about morning tubs have been answered, let’s discuss the benefits of using them in your classroom.
Thanks to the first post in this series, you understand what a morning tub is, how to get morning tubs started and implemented, and how to store the materials when they’re not in use, but what are the benefits of using morning tubs? Why can’t you just find worksheets for your students to do as morning work?
Here’s the thing: they can just complete worksheets. And if that’s what works for you, great!
But after learning more about the benefits of morning tubs over morning work, I don’t think you’ll want them to!
There are 6 benefits of morning tubs. I guarantee that if you decide to take the leap and implement morning tubs after reading these 6 benefits, you’ll never go back to printing off worksheets for morning work again.
6 Benefits of Morning Tubs
Morning tubs are a ‘soft start’ to the day
Think back to your time in school. What subject did you struggle with the most?
I had a harder time with math. If I think back to first grade me bounding into the classroom ready to have a great day at school, unpacking my backpack, and then realizing there’s a math worksheet on my desk for morning work, I instantly feel overwhelmed.
While we have to challenge and push students academically, do we have to begin the day that way?
If that scenario had been real, first grade me would have started her day discouraged and feeling like a failure before she even attempted the worksheet.
Your students feel this way too. When we give students morning work activities that are on par with our expectations for the rest of the day, we don’t give them a chance to ease into their morning.
Morning tubs are ideal because they don’t put too much pressure on students to perform rigorous grade-level standards the second they walk into the classroom.
Instead, they allow them to explore grade-level activities in a way that feels like play – which is actually more effective in the long run. This is one of the biggest benefits of morning tubs in the classroom!
Morning tubs get students excited for school & to start their day
As teachers aren’t we always looking for ways to get our students to love school?
We want school to be a place where they feel comfortable and want to be.
When my students come in the door, they’re excited to come in and “play” using their morning tub.
That’s how great these activities are! Students don’t even realize that they are learning (I promise you they are).
They’re engaged in the work within their tub and they’re happy to get started each morning.
It makes my heart happy to see my students completing grade-level appropriate work and being happy to do so.
Something that I allow my students to do each morning is to choose their morning tub. They love this!
Worried about students fighting or pouting because they don’t get the morning tub that they want?
It happens! The fact is, we’re going to argue and cry because we’re 5 years old and just learning how to interact with others. But this is how we learn!
And by allowing this learning to take place during morning tubs when you can actively support students, it will help the rest of your day run that much more smoothly. I encourage you to give your students this same choice from time to time.
They are open-ended, which means no more “I’m done!”
The best thing about open-ended activities is the ability for students to work on a task in multiple ways and to continuously engage with it.
Morning tubs can be as open-ended and flexible as you want them to be. They can include structured activities for students to complete, or they can contain building blocks for a STEM activity. The opportunities are truly endless.
It’s rare that I have students come up to me to tell me that they’re “done” with their tub, but it does happen every now and then. When this occurs, these are the options that I give them:
- Start your tub again and complete the activities in a different way.
- Swap your tub for a new tub.
That’s all there is to it! The morning tubs are already made and ready to go, so you won’t need to spend time searching for early finisher activities.
Students can begin their day at their own pace
Have you ever tried to give directions for an activity, but due to kids arriving at different times or several interruptions you end up giving the directions 5 different times?
I’ve always found it incredibly frustrating to continually repeat myself. This can especially happen in the morning as we wait for late cars and buses to arrive.
Morning bins take the pressure off of you because students know what to do when they come in.
Whether they’re early, late, or right on time, students know to grab their morning bin when they’re ready and get to work!
Speaking of when they’re ready, morning tubs also allow for students to get started at their own pace.
In my classroom, some students want breakfast while others don’t. The students who want breakfast can unpack, eat, and then get started, while the students who don’t can unpack and jump into working right away.
There’s no need to wait around for anyone else. Morning tubs let students go at their own pace. Whenever they’re ready, the morning tubs are too.
Even with students beginning their work at different times, it doesn’t matter.
Unlike worksheets, the work in these morning tubs is never truly “done”. There is always something more for your students to do.
This ends the constant barrage of “I’m done” and “What do I do now?” because
1. Students won’t want to be “done” and
2. They won’t have an opportunity to be!
Add in FUN extra academic & fine motor practice
When I tell you that these morning tubs work in a variety of ways, I truly mean it. With a combination of academic and fine motor skill activities, these resources can be used in several different ways.
Consider adding the morning tub activities from my yearlong morning tubs bundles to your:
- Literacy centers
- Math centers
- Early finisher resources
- Fine motor skills practice
The best part about using these extra activities in other parts of your day is that they are F-U-N.
Students will look forward to completing them and learning more through hands-on materials that make them feel like they’re playing. Playing to learn is the best way, especially with younger kids!
Encourage socializing, working together, and problem-solving in a non-threatening way
Morning tubs teach students academic skills, but they also teach them life skills.
If students are working in pairs or groups, they have to learn how to play together.
How can students reach a common goal? How can they share supplies with their classmates? These are skills that are important for students to learn.
You’ve probably already wondered what may happen if a student has the morning tub another student wants. After all, we’re teachers; we’ve been around the block a time or two.
That’s all a part of the learning process! Students learn to problem-solve if they can’t take the morning tub they wanted. They can work together with the other student, or thy can get a new morning tub and wait for the one they want,
The great thing about doing this as a way to start the day is that students can utilize this time to practice working together and problem-solving during a less-disruptive part of the day.
Some guidance is necessary at times, but ultimately we want to allow students to learn how to help and get along with one another on their own. Let morning tubs help them begin working on these processes.
Thinking about starting morning tubs in your classroom?
When I tell you that morning tubs get glowing reviews from the teachers who have tried them out in their classrooms, I mean it!
There are just so many benefits to implementing morning tubs or morning bins. Not only do morning tubs give your students a soft start to the day and important academic and fine motor practice, but they also allow students to practice important social skills.
What’s not to love?
I truly believe that your morning routine will transform into a time where your class is truly engaged, excited to learn, and able to work together. That’s the dream, right? It doesn’t have to be so far out of reach, I promise!
Ready to bring morning tubs into your classroom? Click the grade level links below to view each yearlong morning tub bundle. Morning tub activities are also available by month.
What are you waiting for? Let’s use morning tubs to transform your morning routine and start seeing the benefits of morning tubs TODAY.
