Homeschooling is a huge undertaking, no matter the size of your home. If you live in a small home, storage space will eventually run out, and you’ll need plenty of homeschool organization ideas to store all your materials.
Homeschooling, in most cases, involves plenty of supplies. Not only will you have a plethora of books, but you will also have art supplies, workbooks, and other items to keep on hand.
Parents often feel frustrated with the sheer volume of materials, but the problem is rarely the materials. The issue is organization; the right organization keeps the materials in proper order.
If you’re looking for some easy homeschool organization ideas, here are some of my top picks to keep your space ready for the school year.
Related: How to Homeschool a 4-Year-Old: What You Need to Know to Get Started
Do I Need a Designated Room for Homeschooling?
No, you don’t need a specific, designated room for homeschooling. Most families don’t have an extra room to use only for homeschooling, and while it’s wonderful if you have the space, it’s not practical for most families.
Make the most of the space you have. The truth is you don’t need a lot of room to homeschool, and most families gather around their kitchen table.
Any space can be functional for homeschooling, no matter the size, as long as you have the right homeschool organization. You can even gather around your couch with your kids for the majority of your subjects.
Don’t feel as if you can’t homeschool without a homeschool room; that’s simply not the truth.
15 Homeschool Organization Ideas
1. Get Rid of Curriculum You Don’t Love
One of my biggest tips for homeschool organization is to get rid of the curriculums you don’t love. Homeschool families tend to collect books, thinking they’ll use them one day.
However, doing this means you collect things you don’t need, and if you lack space, that’s the last thing you want to do. You can better maximize your space by only holding onto items you know you will need in the future.
If you don’t love it and aren’t sure you will use it again in the future, sell it to your local homeschool friends or online selling groups for homeschoolers.
2. Have a Visual Schedule
Many kids learn better with visual aids, so a visual schedule keeps your kids in line. Everyone likes to know what comes next in their day, so try printing out pictures of their daily activities. Older kids can have their subjects listed so they know what comes next.
As your child gets older and has more responsibility, they may start to work on those tasks without your reminding.
Also, even if you aren’t a schedule person, try your best to create a schedule or routine and stick to it. Everyone, even those who prefer to fly by the seat of their pants, is more efficient when they have a general schedule to follow.
3. Use a Closet or Cabinet
If you don’t have space for large bookshelves, chances are you have at least one closet or cabinet filled with things you really don’t need. That closet or cabinet can become a central storage spot for all your homeschool items.
No closet available? That’s ok!
Look for a kitchen cabinet or drawers that may hold things you never use. I bet you have a take-out container drawer that you rarely open. Get rid of the things you don’t need nor use, and use that space to keep the supplies for homeschooling.
4. Wicker Baskets Look Great
If your homeschool room doubles as another space, like your dining room, ensuring your homeschool organization looks nice is essential. That’s where wicker baskets come in clutch.
Wicker baskets look adorable in any space; your shelves instantly look more appealing and put together. Use these baskets to store books and other must-have items you use throughout the day.
5. Cube Shelving Works Great
If you’re looking for storage units, cube shelving is an excellent option. Not only do they look nice, but they hold binders and books nicely. It makes it easy to organize and separate items in each cube.
6. Bookshelves Everywhere
Bookshelves are another best friend for homeschooling moms when focusing on homeschool organization. It’s easy to organize shelves to work for your family.
Make a shelf for books you plan to read that semester with basic supplies in the middle shelf. Put manipulatives and other must-have items on the bottom shelves.
It’s easy to organize bookshelves and make them look nice with baskets. Just because they are homeschool shelves doesn’t mean they can’t be decorated and look nice.
7. Rolling Carts Are Your Best Friend
Are you low on space? Don’t stress; a rolling cart or two will become your best friends. They are fantastic solutions for those who are tight on space.
Honestly, anyone can use rolling carts. New moms can benefit from these, keeping the supplies they need on hand, or even someone who spends time knitting.
A rolling cart typically has three shelves, so you can store specific items on each shelf. When the day is done, it lets you roll the cart into other rooms or store it in a closet (or behind the curtains).
You could even get multiple rolling carts, like one for each kiddo.
8. Try a Storage Bench
I love multi-functional items for space. Another option is to include a bench with storage; it gives your child a place to sit and read – maybe add more pillows – and use it for storage at the same time.
9. Count Wall Space
You might not have a lot of floor space, but wall space is rarely utilized to its fullest potential. Wall shelves work for storing books, and a few wicker baskets could store your art supplies while looking like decoration.
10. Use Plastic Bins
Clear plastic bins are great for organizing all the small things you accumulate while homeschooling. Use these clear drawers for storing art supplies, like endless beads and popsicle sticks, paint, and everything else you use
11. Laminate Everything
Laminating is one of the best ways to keep your paper products good for as long as possible.
You might assume laminating is only for flashcards, but it can be used for anything that you may want to use again. If you make reading charts, laminate them. It prevents you from having to print again in the future. Writing worksheets are great when laminated since you can practice with them repeatedly.
12. Use Vertical Storage as Well
Instead of using a wide bookshelf, consider a vertical yet skinny bookshelf. It takes up less floor space but provides you will ample storage space.
Another option is a vertical file folder; these give you a place to keep supplies. You could also put shelves above your child’s desk to store their books and things they use regularly.
13. Glass Jars Store Items Too
If you have little items, like math manipulatives, consider using glass jars for storage. Not only are glass jars regularly available, but they look adorable on your shelves, filled with colorful items.
14. Try Using Supply Caddies
Teachers always use supply caddies, and you will quickly understand why. Caddies make it easy to organize items your kids regularly use, such as:
- Pencils
- Markers
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Glue Sticks
Consider a desktop carousel if you don’t like the look of a supply caddy. It has the same idea as a caddy but looks slightly different.
15. Have a Central Spot for Supplies
Stockpiling art supplies and other necessary items ahead of time is a smart idea, and it’s a way to save money. However, you need a central place to keep those items that your kids cannot access.
Free access to all your supplies means your kids will undoubtedly take some without asking. So, consider putting some baskets and stashing them up high in a closet or instead a desk drawer.
16. Color Coordinate by Child
When you homeschool multiple kids, keeping everything organized feels complicated. One easy way to prevent the mixing up of papers and items is to color coordinate.
Give one color per child.
That means you get coordinating binders, folders, post-it notes, and whatever else you need in a color for each child. It’s worth it!
17. Try Stacking Paper Trays
Another must-have homeschool organization item is stackable paper trays. You can find these at most office supply stores, and they are amazing for organizing your kids’ paperwork.
When your child completes an assignment, they can put their work into their tray. Since these trays stack vertically, they take up far less space. You could even use them to hold workbooks or readers.
18. Use the Back of Doors
Most people don’t think about the back of doors as a part of homeschool organization, but it works. All you need is a door organizer that gives you slots for items.
You can find so many door-hanging organizers!
I like this hanging storage organizer option because it could easily hold notebooks, pencils, planners, and other items. However, it doesn’t seem very strong, so I wouldn’t load it down with textbooks.
19. Organize by Weeks
One of my favorite homeschool organization ideas is to use a filing system to organize your child’s work week-by-week. If you plan the year or semester ahead of time, you may have a lot of lesson plans and worksheets prepared for the weeks ahead.
A weekly file system helps you store all of the finished work that you may need for portfolios and things you have yet to reach in your homeschool plans. Plus, a file system is easy to keep on a shelf and out of the way.
20. Grab a Bin Per Kid
Another idea is to use a plastic bin for each of your kids. Your kids may not all of their own desks to store their supplies, so plastic bins that close with lids is an alternative.
These bins can store their pencils, crayons, calculators, and other items they regularly use during school time. Then, label it with their name so they know which bin is theirs.
Finding the right solutions for homeschool organization takes time and creativity. Once you figure out where you want to do school time with your kids, grab some of these organization ideas to store the items you need that year.