Having an organized homeschool goes much deeper than having the perfect curriculum or detailed calendar. In fact, most homeschooling moms agree that their best and most organized years involve having a good homeschool schedule, the right organization supplies, and the ability to make the most of their homeschool space. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or just need some fresh ideas, I have some practical tips and suggestions to help you get organized in no time.
How should I store my homeschool supplies?
When you homeschool, there are so many THINGS floating around. So how can you store your homeschool supplies? What will keep the clutter at bay and help your days flow more smoothly?
I have you covered! Let’s look at some of the best organization resources and how to store your homeschool supplies.
First, you need to decide what matters most to you when it comes to organization for homeschool. What will you be using your organization solutions for?
Are you the planner type of homeschooling mama who wants to see everything day-by-day (or week-by-week)?
Are you homeschooling multiple kids and need to keep their things separate?
Do you print a lot of materials?
Do you like to keep a stock of supplies?
Questions like these can help you determine the best solutions for your homeschool space.
Homeschool Organization Tips
Before diving into the main points of getting your homeschool organized, I want to start off with some much needed homeschool organization tips. Whether you’ve been homeschooling 6 months or 6 years, you’ll love how practical these suggestions are. And if you’re not already doing them, you can implement them almost immediately.
- Keep it simple
Oftentimes it can be easy to overcomplicate things, especially if you have spent a lot of time surfing all the homeschool rooms on Pinterest and Instagram. Before you know it, you will be looking to remodel half of your home to somehow incorporate all the styles you have fallen in love with. The truth of the matter is that keeping your homeschool organization simple is best for a stress-free experience.
- Give all your homeschool-related items a specific place
Pens, pencils and folders – oh my! Nothing can clutter up a space quite like homeschool supplies. One of the best tips I have ever received was to give everything its own space and place. We will talk about organization solutions later, but for now, just know that when everything has a home, it will look and feel better.
- Create a good filing and clean up system
Creating this kind of system is super simple, especially when you make it part of your children’s chores. Establish a schedule that gives each child the responsibility to make sure certain things are always put back in their designated areas. The same can be done for filing papers, cleaning out folders and binders, and restocking supplies that are getting low.
Organized Homeschool – The Small Stuff
Small items (think pencils, highlighters, pens, paper clips, staples, even stickers) are often best kept in some of the following storage solutions:
- Caddies
- Drawer organizers
- Small bins
- Small baskets
- Mini desktop drawers
Organized Homeschool – The Medium-Sized Stuff
Your children will be using folders, binders, spiral notebooks, construction paper, manipulatives, etc.- having a storage place for them can save space while keeping everything from getting cluttered. Trust me-these things get EVERYWHERE if you don’t keep them organized, and they just keep multiplying forever! I’ll go into more detail below. Consider the following supplies to help keep these items in their own space:
- Bookshelves
- Book bins
- Tall storage carts
- Wall file folder racks
- Paper trays
Homeschool Paper Organization
Loose paper all over the house drives me bonkers. Anyone else? Let’s break down all the different ways to get it organized.
Organizing homeschool daily work
Paper trays are an amazing invention and so handy for homeschoolers! You can use one paper tray and assign one slot to each child to store their papers, or you can assign a slot for each different subject.
Book bins like this are also super helpful. Here your student can keep their workbooks, a pencil case, and their folders (organize ALL the loose papers!). This way, each child has all their learning supplies in one space – which makes it really easy to get set up and put away each day.
Organizing Paper Supplies
For all of your printer paper, lined paper, cardstock and construction paper, you can use another paper tray.
If you don’t have a lot of desktop space to store paper trays, you can opt for the wall file paper racks. Just put the papers into folders and you are good to go!
Organizing Paper for Future Lesson Plans
I’ve found that using file folders is a really great way to organize my upcoming lessons. I have a file crate with a folder for each week of school. I can tuck away any papers for future lessons in the folders whenever I do my planning.
Of course, you can also choose to have an entire file cabinet, but I like to have my file crate close to where we do homeschool and don’t really want to have a large file cabinet in that space.
Organizing Homeschool Books
Lets talk about books for a minute.
I know I am not alone in my love for books, and having been both a classroom teacher and a reading teacher I have a giant collection of them.
As mentioned above, book bins are wonderful for book storage, and having a clear-cut, but not overly rigid book system is really helpful.
When books are organized, you can find what you need more quickly and rotate books more easily so that your child is always excited to read.
Here is a simple book organization concept:
- Seasonal & holiday books – There is a separate bin for each holiday or season and you pull it out as the season approaches.
- Thematic books – We love the Five in a Row curriculum and Gather Round Homeschool – both implement a thematic way of learning. Each theme gets a separate basket. Having thematic baskets is also really helpful for science units or specific social studies topics.
- Book series – Every series gets a bin.
- Readers – Putting the same level readers in the same book bin can be a great way to help your child progress from one level to the next.
- Fiction & nonfiction books – There will always be books that do not fit into one of the above categories, which is where these fiction and nonfiction bins come into play. You will probably have several of these bins and can rotate them in and out depending on your child’s interests.
Organized Homeschool – The Big Stuff
When it comes to large items, I keep some on-hand in my homeschool room, but others get stored in closets or even the basement if I don’t use them very often.
A table is a necessity for schoolwork, activities, and crafts. THIS AMAZING TABLE is great for all of those things, but…Wait for it…It has storage, too! The best part is that it folds all the way down to less than 12 inches wide so you can stow it to the side if you need more space. Add some caster wheels (2 sets) and you’ve got a fully-mobile, break-downable homeschool table. If you couldn’t already tell, I’m pretty passionate about this table.
A printer is another necessity and can be surprisingly tricky to store. I don’t use mine all the time, so it stays on the floor in our spare bedroom-don’t judge. Depending on the size/style of your printer and how accessible you need it to be, a desk, tabletop, end table, or even a closet are all good solutions.
If you have a paper binding machine, laminator, and/or paper cutter, all of these are well-suited for storage in a closet or out-of-the-way cubby, as they are typically not used on a daily basis. Put them somewhere hidden from kiddos but easy to pull out when you need them. I keep mine on a shelf in the closet.
Another large item that may seem odd to include in a homeschool organization list is a TV. We specifically moved our TV from another room into our homeschool room to use as an adjunct to the books/paper school materials in our curriculum. This made for an awesome experience for our kids when we studied oceans recently (and for cosmic yoga)!
Organized Homeschool – Planning
Besides having a good pack of pens, highlighters, and a laminator – another organizational solution that is a must have for all homeschool moms is a good planner.
Even if you do reverse homeschool planning, or you would rather have a large overview of what you will be covering instead of each detail of the lesson, a planner is a super helpful tool.
The Best Homeschool Planners
While there are countless ones to choose from, make sure to keep your needs in mind to find the best homeschool planner for YOU.
Do you like to have lots of space to write in each day’s tasks and activities?
Would you prefer a weekly layout accompanied by a full monthly layout?
How about extra space for writing in field trips, daily errands, and so on?
If you’re not sure where to start, here are few of the best homeschool planners on the market:
- The Homeschool Planner (undated)
- The Ultimate Homeschool Planner
- Educating the Mind Homeschool Planner
- The Happy Planner (homeschool collection)
- Homeschool Mama (weekly and monthly lesson planner)
So How Do I Organize My Homeschool Space?
Homeschool Organization Ideas for Small Spaces
Suppose you’re working with little to no space at all. No worries! Even the smallest of homeschool spaces can pack a huge punch. With a little rearranging and thinking outside the box, the following ideas can turn any small space into an area you’re happy with:
- Utilize wall space. This can be for hanging posters, a dry erase board, or a wall rack for books.
- Bookshelves are great because they have room for both homeschool materials and other household items.
- Use hidden places like a closet or the space under the bed. Add a few storage bins and pull-out drawers and you may be surprised how much you can store.
- Incorporate stackable solutions. These can be stackable baskets, bins, or racks. They can fit neatly in a corner or on the floor of a closet.
- Only purchase what you need. Less is more when you’re in a tight space! Instead of stocking up, consider only purchasing items when you actually need them.
Homeschool Organization for YOU
Expounding on some of the tips mentioned above, you’ll always want to keep your unique family in mind, as well as the number of children you’re homeschooling. As you are organizing your homeschool area, keep in mind just how much space you have to work with and plan accordingly.
Start by choosing where your homeschool space will be. Will it be a bedroom, the dining room, part of the living room, or an entire space dedicated to being your “school” room? Then decide what style you’re going for. Sure, it’s just for school, but it’s also your home. If the rest of your home is shiplap and barnwood (I see you Joanna Gaines, get it!), then you can look for items that fit at least somewhat within that style.
At the same time, don’t feel like everything has to be perfect. Stick to your budget and prioritize practical items. With these things in mind, you can begin purchasing the right storage solutions that work with your style, maximize space, and help keep everything organized.
Simple Homeschool Organization – Conclusion
An organized homeschool is attainable and does not have to be a stressful or overwhelming task. Instead, take it one step at a time to figure out the perfect organizing solutions for your family! Happy homeschool organizing!
