Homeschooling is wonderful for many reasons, including the flexibility of life and schedule, the ability to cater to your child’s specific learning style, and the privilege of teaching your children. If I were to ask your top 3 favorite homeschooling objectives, you may be able to rattle them off without having to stop and think…but I doubt keeping up with the sometimes-overwhelming amount of material would make the list.
Some of you may be fortunate enough to have a specific room in your home dedicated entirely to your homeschool, but the majority of us don’t have that option. So what do we do with the books, art supplies, pencils, papers, and all the things? Here are our top 10 tips to help keep your homeschool organized and your sanity intact!
Design a Homeschool Command Center
Having all your primary materials in an easy-to-access place is crucial for maintaining homeschool organization. Whether or not you have a designated room or space for your homeschool or not. If possible, have a bookshelf assigned just for homeschooling materials such as curriculum, books, file folders, tablets/laptops, art supplies, etc. Having this space and keeping it neat will go a long way in keeping you organized.
Create a Homeschool Morning Basket
Morning baskets are not only helpful for you to have a jump-off point for your homeschool days, but it’s also helpful for your children to have this routine and know how their day is going to begin. Learn more about creating a morning basket here.
Utilize Wall Space for Homeschool Materials
Do you have any free wall space in your homeschool area? Perhaps you don’t have a homeschool room but do most of your homeschooling at the kitchen table. Is there room for a small shelf? Having such a space for storing pencils, crayons, scissors, etc. off of the table is so helpful. If there is also space for a small corkboard or magnetic whiteboard, you can post your monthly calendar or daily schedule. This will help keep your children on task and be a visual reminder of your upcoming plans as well.
Construct a Homeschool Planner
I love planners. In my ever-present striving to maintain some type of organization in my life, planners are my best friend. Their importance cannot be overstated when it comes to homeschooling. Having not only lesson plans and a daily schedule, but also being able to keep up with attendance records, grades, reading records, etc. all in one place is a life-saver. While you can definitely purchase good planners, or even create your own, save yourself some time and money by having us do the work for you. Download our Sanity Saver Homeschool Planner! Are you wanting to teach organization and responsibility to your children? Get them set up with their own Student Homeschool Planner!
Are you looking to go paperless to make your life easier? Grab our Digital Homeschool Organization Kit!
Organize a Homeschool Work Station
When I taught in a classroom, I was one of those teachers who loved doing bulletin boards. It was fun for me to have that creative and productive outlet, and it was fun
for the children to interact with and enjoy them. Let that carry over into your homeschool! Create a bulletin board with your daily schedule, assignments, and even reading materials. Have a folder for completed assignments so you can collect them, score them, and file them away at the end of the day instead of having to hunt them down later.
Involve your children in making the bulletin board. It doesn’t have to be large or super complicated. It’s just a fun and helpful way to maintain organization. Carry it a step further and consider also making a vision board for your homeschool!
Provide a Homeschool Bin for Each Child
Anyone with more than one child knows how exhausting the nonstop sibling bickering can become. While we as parents are tasked with helping our children fight the ingrained selfishness they possess, it’s necessary for us to pick our battles. Help your homeschool days go more smoothly by having a plastic bin or Rubbermaid-type tub for each child. You can either label them or even let them decorate them themselves. Having a specific spot for their pencils, erasers, scissors, or whatever will help cut down on the “He’s using my calculator!” outbursts.
Assign a Color for Each Homeschool Subject
This tip is especially helpful for you to keep the curriculum for different subjects organized. For your homeschooling storage area, get some colored magazine holders and designate each color for a particular subject. Even if you can’t fit the entire year’s worth of material in one, even doing 6 or 9 weeks’ worth at a time will help you to know exactly where things are when you need to put your hands on them.
Assemble a Homeschool Cart
Maybe you’re reading this article and thinking, “These are great ideas, but I just don’t have the space.” I understand. I’m not able to incorporate all these ideas and tips either due to space issues, but this is one from which we can all benefit. If you can’t designate a big bookshelf or even shelves or drawers in your kitchen/homeschool area, grab a rolling cart! Even if you can only fill it with weekly (or even daily – depending on the number/grade levels of your children) materials, you can roll it into the kitchen or wherever you do the majority of your homeschooling and roll it back out at the end of the day, keeping your area neat and organized.
Arrange Homeschool Assignments by Week
If you’re using a curriculum that includes a lot of worksheets, printables, or paperwork in general, have a set of file folders labeled by week (Week 1, Week 2, etc.) for your children to place their completed work. If your state requires you keep a portfolio of their work, or if you’re just a little sentimental and want to look back on it later, having this weekly assignment system will help you maintain your organizational goals.
Paint a Chalkboard Wall for Daily Homeschool Schedules
If you have the space and opportunity, grab a can of chalkboard paint and transform a wall! I love chalkboard walls for many reasons, but their uses for homeschool are limitless! You can write out your daily or weekly schedules, Bible verses or short poems for memorization, test schedules, encouraging notes for your children…the list goes on and on. Not everyone has the ability to give up an entire wall, but if you can, do it!
