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50+ Morning Tub Ideas

50+ Morning Tub Ideas

Morning Tubs are a great way to offer a play-based opportunity for students to explore, create, and communicate. A non-threatening way to start the day, Morning Tubs help reduce the length of your morning routine, get students excited about the day, and also encourage collaboration. You can read all about how Morning Tubs work in my classroom and ideas for launching them with your students in my blog “A 1st grade Morning Work Alternative”

After implementing Morning Tub Activities for the last year-and-a-half I wanted to share with you my go-to Morning Tub ideas. From classroom basics to manipulatives to treat ideas donated by Donors Choose, here are 50 Morning Tub Ideas for your classroom! (Snag free labels for your tubs here.)

A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

Throughout the post, you’ll find Amazon Affiliate links, which means Amazon tosses a few nickels my way if you purchase something through that link, at no extra cost to you, that help keep my corner of cyber-space running and helps fund giveaways!  

Literacy-Based Ideas for Morning Tubs

  1. Letter Cubes – From student names to environmental words to weekly phonics patterns, these letter cubes are perfect for building words or towers! Equally important is that students are having fun while learning!

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Examples of letter cubes you can use in your morning tubs

  2. Phonics Dice – Add phonics dice with a whiteboard and students can simply and easily sort real and nonsense words!
  3. Letter Tiles – Play like scrabble or just see who can make the longest word!
  4. Story Telling Cubes – My 1st graders also LOVE Story Cubes. Each set of cubes has a different theme (verbs, ways to move, places to visit). Students role 2-3 of the dice and combine them into a story. These dice are perfect for adding excitement and novelty to writing!
    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Story telling cubes! What a fun way to have fun and learn!

  5. Letter Beads & Pipe Cleaners – Perfect for building fine motor skills, students can build sight words, weekly spelling words, or names of their friends!
  6. Magnetic Letters- Let students have some fun while also building their vocabulary and practicing spelling!
  7. Phonics Dominoes – Perfect for Morning Tubs or a Guided Reading warm-up, there are lots of different types of tiles – blends, long vowels, digraphs!
  8. BrainQuest Cards– Pull out your old knowledge fans from the attic and put them to use! Chick-fila often includes these in Kids Meals, so keep your eyes open!
  9. Boggle
  10. Bananagrams for Beginners – This set of Bananagrams is made for little friends and has digraphs and blends already attached. So th, ee, bl, etc. are already attached, so students don’t have to find the individual letters! Please note, this is HARD. It takes lots of practice with small groups of friends. It is a blast, but definitely takes practice…so be warned!
  11. Scented Markers & Letter Writing Paper – Who doesn’t love the chance to write with scented markers? From teacher love notes to staff appreciation notes, give students the chance to write freely and for their own purpose.

Math Connections In Morning Tubs

  1. Dominoes – Whether sorting by sum or difference or creating an intricate pattern, dominoes are always a winner. And foam dominoes??? A teacher’s dream!

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Dominoes! Have fun, learn math, cause and effect and so much more. A must have in your morning tub.

  2. Base Ten Pieces– Kids get to learn math while also practicing their gross motor skills! A win-win!
  3. Connecting Links – These links are perfect for showing numbers in different ways or creating jump ropes. To each his or her own!

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Connecting links can be a fun, team building activity for your morning tub.

  4. Linking Cubes– Let kids get creative with these blocks and as a result, learn math at the same time!
  5. 3D Shapes– Let kids get to building with this fun morning tub activity.
  6. Cuisenaire Rods – These are my go-to resource for teaching part-part-whole and students love the chance to create with them. From houses to palm trees, these sometimes math tools make great building blocks! Want to add a challenge? Make a creation and then, figure out the sum of all the rods used.

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    A fun and creative way for students to work in a group and learn!

  7. Counting Bears- These bears are so cute aren’t they? Kids Absolutely love them and they learn all about color, math, imaginary play– really the options are endless!
  8. Plastic Coins & a Cash Register – Let students collect small items from around the room and open a store at their Team Table. This is the perfect time to introduce coins and money, especially since they aren’t officially introduced until 2nd grade!
  9. Dice & Dry Erase Markers – I like dice and I cannot lie. They are a perfect tool for adding, subtracting, and leveling your instruction!
  10. Foam Shapes – From sorting to organizing to building, foam shapes are a versatile math/creation tool!

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Foam shapes are a must have for your morning tubs!

Exploring & Creating Fun In Morning Tubs

  1. Origami Squares & Directions – There are tons of free online tutorials that can be easily printed and slipped into a tub. Plus, during the winner, paper snowflakes make a perfect classroom decoration and in the spring, who doesn’t love making a paper airplane?!
  2. Playdoh and straws – Use 1 inch straw pieces to act as building blocks or to help form letters!
  3. Stencils- Let kids draw and make some pictures with stencils!
  4. Rubbings – From coins to leaves to texture blocks, rubbings are a think of the past. Last fall when I introduced my friends to leaf rubbings, they responded “Oh I’ve done this on the iPad.” No. No you haven’t.
  5. Whiteboards & Markers – What kid doesn’t dream of being able to use the whiteboard however they wish?!?
  6. Strips of Colored Paper (paper chains) – Let students write what they are learning right now, words that follow a phonics pattern, or reasons they love school. Regardless, it’s a perfect chance to sneak in some writing and brighten up your classroom!

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    So many options you can do with these links! Have students write something they learned and use it as decoration!

  7. Stamps & Scrap Paper – From letter stamps to design, students can create their own scenes that will be perfect to write about during Work on Writing!
  8. Coloring Pages- Who doesn’t love to color? Not only is it fun but a great stress relief to start your day.
  9. Nature Bin – Add magnifying glassed with shells, rocks, leaves, pinecones, and other outdoorsy things and let your students explore, make observations, and record their findings.
  10. Plastic Animals- Kids love using their imagination and play with plastic animals! Also, kids get to practice learning about different animals
  11. Magnets & Paperclips – Science-based tubs are always a winner. We love magnets and the “magic-ness” of them.

Designing Ideas For Morning Tubs

  1. Plastic Cups for Stacking

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Even adults love stacking cups! What a fun activity for morning tubs

  2. Popsicle Sticks & Marbles – A bag of marbles from Dollar Tree and a box of popsicle sticks make the perfect materials for a maze. Students have to create a pathway using the sticks and then, ‘run’ their marble through their creation!
  3. Index Card Towers- This one is a hard one but also such a fun one! Have kids make a house or get super competitive and have them try to build the biggest tower.
  4. Target Mini-Erasers – Students can sort, create patterns, and build with this Dollar Spot winners!
  5. Playing Cards – Perfect for Go-Fish, War, or just building, cards are a simple and timeless morning tub.

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Playing cards are a must have for morning tubs! You can do so much.

Fine Motor Skills Morning Tub Ideas

  1. Lace Cards- Talk about a great fine motor activity! Have students lace through the holes on their cards!
  2. Geoboards – Rubber bands are a perfect way to strengthen little fingers. Plus, geoboards are a blast! From designing letters to making shapes with task cards, their are endless possibilities!

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Kids have so much fun with these geo boards!

  3. Yarn & Scissors – Although it’s a messy tub, students love cutting yarn to create names, sight words, or even depict our weekly vocabulary words. Take a picture, upload it to SeeSaw, and BOOM!
  4. Pom poms & tongs- Yet another challenging but fun activity for your morning tub that is guaranteed to bring fun to your classroom.
  5. Puzzles – From the USA to a World Map, puzzles are a fun way to explore maps, diagrams, and animals!

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Have fun with puzzles while also learning geography!

Morning Tub Game-Based Fun 

  1. Triangle Peg Boards – Pick up 2-3 of these peg boards for an easy, strategy-based Morning Tub option. Before you slip them in your tubs, make sure to give them a coat of paint. Most of the boards have some not-school-friendly words on them! (If you have 5 pegs left, you are just plain dumb. If you have 3 pegs left, you are an ignoramus. etc)
  2. Making 10/20 Connect 4 – Wether it’s a math center or a morning tub, we love this game! Read more about how we play Connect 4 and FREE visual directions here.

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Morning tub connect four is so much fun!

  3. Making 10/20 Go Fish – Card games are always a win. We build number fluency while practice important social skills – asking others for something, including others, losing/winning gracefully.
  4. Shut the Box- This morning tub activity is sure to bring some fun and learning to your classroom!

Special Building Resources for your Morning Tub

  1. Tinker Toys: We have A LOT of building resources in our tubs. While this can quickly branch into “indoor recess” type of material, students still don’t have full recess range of freedoms. Additionally, when students build, create, and collaborate they are active, talking, and building relationships. We love Tinker Toys because we can create spinning and moving machines!

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    What a fun STEM activity for our morning tubs!

  2. Kynex- This is a student personal favorite in our morning tubs! Let the building begin!
  3. Legos- Who doesnt love legos? This is undeniably fun and allows students to build, get creative, and learn.
  4. Interlox are also a class favorite. At first my friends struggled with them because their natural reaction is to build up. Students quickly learn that if they only build up, their towers will topple. By building wide and creating a strong base, students learn that they can create intricate buildings with these tools!
  5. Jenga Blocks
  6. Magna Tiles are THE favorite material in our morning tubs. These magnetic building blocks are amazing and students can create almost anything they want. From 2D shapes to mazes to 3D masterpieces, MagnaTiles are pretty awesome! With that said, they are incredibly expensive (thanks, Donors Choose!) and they are a beast to clean-up. Still, childhood joy and excitement wins, so the MagnaTiles stay

    A morning work alternative, Morning Tubs offer Primary Students a play-based opportunity to explore, create, and build social skills.

    Let kids get creative with Magna Tiles! A must have morning tub idea!

So Who is Footing the Bill?

This is the awesome thing about Morning Tubs, most of the materials are things you already have laying around your classroom. You only need to buy things if you want to, otherwise reuse what you have!! If you are looking to gather other Morning Tub materials affordably, consider some of my go-to sources!

  • Donors Choose – Donors Choose is a crowd-funding hub that allows public-schools to request classroom materials, and for people across the world to fulfill those requests. Donors Choose helps connect the public to schools and helps lessen teacher spending by providing materials that students need to learn- making connections, and helping to fill the gap in unfunded school programs. Read more about how to get started on Donors Choose and ideas for projects in THIS blog post. Without a doubt it will be helpful!
  • Yard/Garage Sales- never underestimate the power of a good garage sale! Other’s junk is the perfect opportunity to find activities for your morning tubs!
  • Goodwill- What does Goodwill not have? Literally a goldmine for your morning tub! Besides, we all love a good trip to Goodwill and this is a great excuse!
  • Asking families to donate old, gently used games/materials from home (This works the best during Winter Break when families are cleaning out playrooms and in May when families are considering which games/activities are too young for their child!)
  • Lastly, you can Use your Scholastic Bonus Points to shop the Teacher Catalog – Read HERE how I maximize my Scholastic Order to snag more bonus points for my classroom!

What Do You Think?

So friends, are you ready to take the Morning Tub jump? If you are already using Morning Tubs, I’d love your help. What are your go-to materials for your Morning Tubs?

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Comments

  1. Maraye says

    I would LOVE to get these set up over the summer…..where did you get the great bins? They’re a super size and have a locking lid, it looks like??? Great organization piece—and they MATCH!!!!! 😉

    Reply

  2. Michelle says

    I saw your original post last summer and added morning tubs to my morning routine this school year. My first graders loved them! My bins contained Legos, Kinex, shapes, Popsicle sticks with Velcro, dominoes, Lincoln logs, and simple wooden blocks. The students loved creating things every day. I had plans to rotate other materials into the bins during the year, but my students didn’t want the materials to change. Thanks for the additional ideas .

    Reply

    • Catherine says

      Typically every week I change out 2-3 of the tubs. The materials normally make an appearance 2-3 times a year!

      Reply

  4. Aimee says

    Thank you for posting all these ideas. I have been putting my tubs out a week at a time but I only did two weeks because I ran out of ideas. I am going to create more now and put them out 2 weeks at a time.great resource!

    Reply

  6. Sherry says

    I started using morning tubs this year and it has changed my classroom environment. They have to put away their folders, backpacks, jackets etc in their cubby before choosing a table tub. Then as other join in – they decide what table to join for morning tub time. I tell them it is their social/talk time before we get started in the morning. This is what they do while I am at the door greeting my students as they arrive and reminding them what to do when they arrive. I ring our doorbell at 8:30 to transition us to our morning work folders that we do together. 🙂

    Reply

  7. Raye says

    I am in love with this idea! I am moving to 1st grade for the first time and I am super excited to use this idea. We have 30 minutes in the morning for morning meeting and morning work before our day will officially begin and I think this will be the perfect “opener” activity for the students to do while I’m taking attendance and getting my “paperwork” done. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  9. KP says

    So let’s say you’re putting together bins for a group to share, and the groups will (hopefully) be limited to four students max. What’s a good amount of items for four first graders to share? Like dominos or the jenga-style blocks or legos, etc… I’m curious since different sets of the possible bin fillers come with different amounts, so I need to figure out how many sets of each to hunt down.

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  29. Van diesel says

    Great post! I love how Morning Tubs turn the start of the day into something fun and engaging for students. The idea of using Story Cubes for writing is especially creative—such a simple tool with so many possibilities! Thanks for sharing these ideas. Here’s a helpful link for anyone looking to unwind after a long school day: shadow fight 2 mod APK.

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  30. Aaliyah_Ali says

    This is an absolutely brilliant compilation of Morning Tub ideas—thank you for sharing such a wide variety of engaging and accessible activities! As someone who works closely with early education settings, I truly appreciate the balance between creativity, fine motor development, and collaborative play. The use of materials like Magna Tiles and Cuisenaire Rods really aligns with the kind of hands-on learning we encourage in our own resources. For those interested in learning and creativity across STEM and art, you might enjoy exploring Al Rouf Lighting’s interactive STEM resources, which support young learners through exploration and discovery—just like these tubs do!

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  32. MariyaAlex says

    What a treasure trove of engaging and purposeful ideas! I absolutely love how Morning Tubs provide a playful yet educational start to the day. The blend of literacy, maths, and fine motor activities really does support the whole child. The suggestions for using materials already on hand is especially helpful for budget-conscious teachers. On another note, for those based in the UK—while you’re organising your classroom, don’t forget to check your car too! MOT in Leicester is a dependable option for vehicle checks before the school holidays hit.

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  33. Georgia_david says

    This post is packed with practical, engaging ideas—Morning Tubs clearly offer an amazing way to build social-emotional learning and fine motor skills at the start of the day. As educators lay the groundwork for positive routines, families can also benefit from reliable guidance in other aspects of life. Whether it’s a personal injury case or a family legal matter, The Kerri Cohen Legal Team is here to provide trusted legal support when it matters most.

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  34. Maya Collins says

    This is such an amazing roundup of hands-on learning tools! I love how Morning Tubs foster creativity, collaboration, and engagement right at the start of the day. The integration of literacy, math, STEM, and fine motor activities makes this a comprehensive resource for primary classrooms. For anyone who values thoughtful design and purposeful spaces outside the classroom too, I highly recommend Creative Cabinetry Solutions. Their custom cabinetry solutions are just as intentional—blending function and beauty to support organised, inspiring environments.

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  35. Maya_gill says

    What a brilliant and inspiring post—thank you for sharing such a comprehensive list of creative ideas! Morning Tubs truly seem like a game-changer in supporting engagement and early morning transitions. I especially loved the blend of literacy and fine motor activities—it’s lovely to see a focus on both skill development and collaboration. For classrooms that might also need reliable transport to school events or trips, I’ve found Surrey Cars Guildford to be a professional and dependable option. Looking forward to trying some of these tub ideas next term!

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  36. Campbell_ Mae says

    These Morning Tub ideas are absolutely fantastic! It’s so refreshing to see play-based activities that support not only learning but also social and emotional development in the classroom. At Benevolent Healthcare, we truly believe that early engagement and stress-free starts to the day contribute to a child’s overall wellness. Thank you for sharing these creative and practical suggestions!

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  37. JamesHarrison says

    This post is an absolute treasure trove of creative ideas! Morning Tubs are such a brilliant way to help students start the day with intention, joy, and collaboration. I especially appreciate how many of these activities support emotional development, teamwork, and sensory learning. It really reminded me how important early structure and hands-on exploration are—not just in childhood but throughout life. During major life transitions, like saying goodbye to a loved one, we rely on similar thoughtful guidance and gentle support. That’s why compassionate funeral services matter so deeply—they help families process emotions, find meaning, and create moments of connection when it’s needed most.

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