Tips for Organizing Your Homeschool Classroom
September 29, 2022Sponsored post from Time4Learning.com
As the new homeschool year is underway, you want to ensure your homeschool classroom works for you and your children. After all, this is where most of the learning takes place. But books and supplies can sometimes clutter the classroom. Having a proper place to store all those things can help keep everything in neat and orderly fashion.
If your space isn’t organized, you’ll soon have a mess on your hands. That mess is not conducive to learning, and it also causes stress. Avoid the clutter bug by using these tips for keeping your home and your life neat and organized!
Get Vertical
Put your wall space to good use! Stackable bins, shelves, and tall cabinets can store many things. For example, your stackable bins can be used to separate the different subjects you may be covering: math, language arts, science, social studies, etc. Shelves and tall cabinets can be used for your student’s books, workbooks, and binders. Walls are also great for charts, weekly schedules, and planners, or for hanging whiteboards, maps, or other visual teaching instruments.
*Make sure to keep a step ladder nearby in case you or your homeschool students can’t reach things.
Use the Door
You can purchase an inexpensive over-the-door shoe organizer and fill the individual pockets with your things. This is a great place to store arts and crafts items, note cards, and more! The best thing is that no one will see it as it hooks on the inside of the door. When you are finished using the items, simply close the door and they disappear!
Color Coordinate
Many homeschoolers swear by this method. Natalie, a homeschooler with three children, loves the idea. “Each of my children picked their favorite color and I organize their things by their color. I can organize their notebooks, bins, pencils, pens, sneakers, and almost anything by their preferred color. So then when it’s time for them to find something, they simply look for their color. This way, they’re not mixing things up and getting themselves all confused.”
Go Digital
Many online homeschool curricula don’t require workbooks and other supplies, which will cut down the clutter, as books can take up lots of space. You can store test scores, homeschool portfolios, records, and more online. When you need a printed version, just go to the appropriate file and print out what you need. An online curriculum is also handy when you travel or when you move the classroom outdoors. Your children can just pick up their laptops and log on from anywhere.
Teach Your Children Well
If you’re an experienced homeschooler, you know that the neatest classroom can turn into a disaster area quickly if your children don’t put their things away in an orderly fashion. Teach them at an early age that once they’re finished using certain materials, the items should go back to where they belong before they can pull anything else out. Melissa, a mother of two young homeschooling children, explains how she taught her rambunctious students. “My two boys were notorious for leaving their clothes and other stuff on the floor. But I taught them that if they didn’t put their school supplies away, then we would not do the fun things they enjoy each day. It’s like a reward system. It took a little time but they got the message. Now, I rarely have to remind them to clean up.”
Purge Occasionally
Once your children outgrow certain materials or curriculum items, get rid of them. Don’t be a pack rat. When you bring new things in, take inventory and find things you can throw out or sell at a discounted price to other homeschoolers. This way, you’ll keep your home organized and maybe make a few extra dollars.
Organizing your homeschool classroom now can save your sanity later. You may find that there are a few adjustments that you’ll have to make as the year progresses, but that’s okay. Whatever organizational system works best for your family is the right system. As Benjamin Franklin said: “For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” And those hours gained can be spent with your family.
Additional Homeschool Resources
Top 10 Homeschool Organization Tips
Organization and Time Management for Homeschoolers
Digital Homeschool Organization Complete Kit
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