Morning Rituals, Part 3 — Start the Day with a Morning Quote Jar
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Do mornings in your household often feel chaotic? Mine, too. Find a moment to ground yourself and your kids by starting the day with a morning quote jar.
This is the third installment of the morning rituals series. See these posts for other ideas!
Why You Should Start a Morning Quote Jar
I’ve always loved inspiring quotes.
In fact, long, long ago, before the days of Google and access to any type of inspirational quote within seconds, I collected quotes in a designated journal.
It’s now 20+ years old, and I love seeing my teenager handwriting as I browse through it.
I admit I haven’t added any new quotes to this journal for at least a decade, maybe longer.
But its existence reminds me how, as an adolescent on the cusp of adulthood, I drew inspiration from the words of those you’d already gained far more life experience than I had.
One of the best parts about quotes is they lift us outside of everyday life, connecting us to the bigger picture, the wider world, the greater timeless truths.
We reach across space and time to draw sustenance from the wellspring of collective wisdom.
Okay, okay, I’m brushing the cloud wisps out of my hair and leaving lofty-land.
But still. Returning to the reality of those chaotic mornings, doesn’t a wee moment of transcendent inspiration sound appealing?
Here’s how you can put this simple and powerful ritual into practice.
How to Start a Morning Quote Jar
Think about what kind of quotes you want for your jar.
There are a few different ways you could come up with quotes:
- Choose quotes that relate to the season/time of the year.
Right now would be a great time for quotes about the new school year or quotes about the beauty of fall. - Choose quotes about a family-specific dynamic or situation.
Have a kid who’s struggles with perfectionism? Start the day with some quotes that focus on overcoming it.
Is your family going through a big change, like divorce or moving? Find some quotes about navigating transitions. - Choose funny quotes.
A great way to bond with older kids could be to choose quotes from a show like The Office.
If your kids are diehard fans the way my niece and nephews are, you could make it into a fun game, reading the quote and asking which character said it.
(E.g. “There’s too many people on this earth. We need a new plague.”
Answer: Dwight Schrute. 🙂 )
That would be a fun road trip game, too, actually…but I digress. - Choose quotes you just happen to like.
Maybe, like me, you have your very own quote collection written in a little notebook you’ve hauled around the last twenty-some years.
Maybe not. But perhaps a Pinterest board?
Wherever and however you keep your quotes, if you’re a fan of them, you probably already have some wonderful ones in mind.
Why not use a morning quote ritual to share these gems with your kiddos? - Choose quotes about starting a new day.
In the stress of hustling everyone through the morning routine and out the door, it’s easy to forget that each morning is the gift of a new day.
A good quote can remind us of that.
For a curated, ready-to-print list of new day quotes, enter your email address below!
Gather the quotes in a single file.
As you find quotes you like, copy and paste them into a Word or Google doc. Leave enough space between them to easily snip them into strips.
Find as many or as few quotes as you want. Maybe you want a month’s worth at a time, or maybe you have 50 that you just want on repeat.
The time and effort commitment is up to you! (And if you want it to be as minimal as possible, enter your email address above and I’ll send you 30 new day quotes ready to print.)
Print, cut, and fold.
When you’ve finished gathering and formatting quotes, print the document, cut the quotes apart, and fold each strip of paper a couple times.
Place the quotes in a designated container.
I’ve thus far mentioned a jar, but you can use any receptacle you’d like. Grab an empty tin, a Kleenex box, or a plastic food storage container.
Here’s an empty glass jar I decorated with dry erase markers. The marker rubs off easily, which is good if you want to later reclaim the jar for other purposes but not so good if you want your artistic touches to last.
An alternate way of decorating is to make a paper label and tape it to the jar with packing tape.
Have the kids make the label if they’re willing! Their handwriting and drawings would add a sweet touch to this family project.
Enjoy your morning inspiration!
Each morning, have one child pull out a quote from the jar and read it aloud (or read it to them).
Tuck each “used” quote into a different container so you can reuse it in the future at whatever interval you decide.
And that’s it! If you find any particularly great quotes for your morning quote jar, I’d love to hear them.
Another morning ritual idea coming up next week — stay tuned!
Related posts:
Morning Rituals Part 1 – Morning Playlist
Morning Rituals Part 2 – Morning Hugs
