A popular questions I get asked is "What things/tools do I need in order to homeschool my children?" Since we are heading into our 11th year of homeschooling I decided to put together a list of my top 10 supplies and tools that help us to have a successful homeschooling year.
I hope this list is an encouragement to you if you are just starting out on the homeschooling journey and for those who are veterans I'd love to hear what else you would add to this list!
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On a side note, you might be wondering why I don't have curriculum on this top 10 list of tools for a successful homeschool year. Because homeschool curriculum is such a HUGE standalone topic, I decided to exclude it from this list. Instead, I chose to focus on the other great supplies and tools you need to have a successful homeschool year. So with that said let's check out my top 10!
My Top 10 Supplies You Need For A Successful Homeschool Year
Bookshelves
Scuba gear is to scuba diver as books are to homeschooler - ESSENTIAL! My love of books has been passed down to my kids and because of our book obesssion we had to invest in some big sturdy bookcases. Aside from bathrooms and our laundry room there is a bookcase full of books in every room of our house! My husband and I invested in some good quality bookcases for our homeschool books knowing that having our school books organized and located in a central location for school was essential for our homeschool year to be successful.
We use a mix of curriculum but a majority of our books are from our Sonlight cores. I give each book in every core a color coded label and shelve them together on one of three bookcases in our home office. I don't think it is completely necessary to have a "school room" set aside in your home but it is helpful to have a space dedicated to homeschool books. This just helps with organization!
My kids all have their own bookshelves in their bedrooms too. The books they keep in their rooms are not school books but books they like to read for leisure like the Little House on the Prairie series, the Missing Series or Dog Man books and Fly Guy books.
I recommend investing in solid, sturdy, quality bookshelves because they will get A LOT of use over the years. Investing in bookcases that are built to last will save you in the long run especially if you have more than one child you plan to homeschool.
Pencils & Pencil Sharpener
It might seem pretty obvious that your homeschool students will need pencils and a good quality pencil sharpener but because they are so important I had to include them on the top 10 list.
My kids LOVE to pick their own pencils out each year, which has become one of our back to school traditions. My oldest daughter prefers mechanical pencils and a good supply of extra leads. Everyone in our house knows that the mechanical pencils are hers and they better ask before using them. The other kids enjoy the "old school" #2 pencils. I try to get a few packs of decorated pencils too just to keep things fun.
We always know when our school year is coming to a close because the pencil bin seems to be full of stubby, eraser-less pencils. My recommendation is to buy several extra packs of pencils at the beginning of the year when you can find great back-to-school deals and then toss out the used up stubby ones at the end of the year.
With all of the pencils your kids will use this year you will of course want to have a good working, quality pencil sharpener. Electric or manual doesn't matter as long as the sharpener can do its job sharpening pencils to a fine point without breaking the lead in the process. My kids prefer an electric pencil sharpener - my favorite is the Wescott Halo, however I do have a small Mr. Pen handheld manual sharpener too as a back up or to take along if we do school on the go.
Arts & Crafts Supplies
Sure this is a very broad top 10 item, but in our house arts and craft supplies are very important. Whether you are going to teach an art class to your kids or just allow them to explore on their own, having the supplies available up front will make your life so much easier.
Here are some of the basic art supplies we keep on hand all year round that you might want to consider stocking up on prior to the start of your homeschool year (links to my favorites included):
2. Glue - liquid, sticks and hot glue sticks
10. Pipe cleaners
My favorite art book that I've used in our homeschool over the years is How to Teach Art To Children. It is written for kids in grades 1-6 however, older middle school students will still enjoy it too. The book presents the seven basic elements of art and encourages kids practice each element. The book has simple projects that any parent can guide their children through with easy to make projects for each lesson.
Storage Caddy
With all of the pencils, art supplies, scissors and other school supplies it is helpful to have a storage caddy to put these supplies in.
During our school day I usually take the pencil caddy out and put it on the table so that the kids can easily find their favorite pencil. When we do an art project I haul out the art caddy and paint bin. Having your supplies in a caddy that is organized can save you time during the school day and make clean up so much faster.
Looking for a simple DIY supply caddy? This is a fun project for your kids to do on the first day of homeschool! To make your own caddy, wash out and pull off the labels to 4 tin cans. Wrap a piece of decorative paper or ribbon around a tin can and secure it with glue or tape to give it a little pizzazz! Hot glue or super glue the tin cans together.
Notebooks & Paper
Having an ample supply of loose leaf paper, printer paper and lined notebooks is essential for any homeschool. All of my kids have several notebooks that they use regularly during their school day.
I've found that if the paper is available kids enjoy filling up the pages! Let them have the freedom to write creative stories, make doodles, create lists, write essays or personal journal entries in these notebooks. Kids should be writing every day. Writing is a learned skill so practice is essential for them to do regularly.
Three Ring Binder
Three ring binders help me keep all the loose paper, art projects and endless other things organized and in one place. I give each of the kids a new three ring binder on the first day of school. They love making their own custom binder cover to slip inside the clear plastic cover slot too! My high school age kids keep their weekly schedule in the binder so they can write down what they worked on each day and include any papers they are currently working on in the binder too.
Without a three ring binder all of their assignments, writing and schedules would be lost or missing by the time we made it to Thanksgiving!
Library Card
If you ask any veteran homeschool mom what you need in order to homeschool your kids (K-6/7th grade) I can almost guarantee their response will be "a library card and a good math book." It might sound a bit crazy for some if you have never homeschooled before but I can tell you from experience that this statement is true.
Your local library is a treasure trove for your homeschool student! The key is getting the right books in your child's hands and reading them. If you aren't quite sure what a "good" book is I highly recommend using the book lists from Sonlight. Sonlight is a homeschool curriculum company known for their amazing selection of literature (living books) in their cores. We are a Sonlight family and have found the readers and read aloud lists to be so full of good quality classic and modern books.
During the school year I also allow my kids to check out a few "junk" books which in our house a junk book is like junk food - fun to read but provides very little educational value.
Our local library allows every card holder to check out a maximum of 25 books at a time. We regularly max out this limit (per card!) and seem to always have a bunch of books on hold too. Toting around all those books is a big job so I highly recommend a BIG quality tote bag to use when you make your weekly trips to the library!
Cozy Reading Space
Reading, if you haven't already figured this out yet, is a BIG part of homeschooling! Why not work with your child to create a special reading space that is welcoming, cozy and all theirs.
My oldest son created a space in the corner of his bedroom using a bed rest reading pillow, a clip on book light and his favorite fleece blanket. Most mornings before he comes down stairs for breakfast, he can be found cuddled in his reading nook reading a book.
When my second oldest daughter was younger we created a reading space for her by hanging a round bed canopy from the ceiling in her room. We accessorized the inside of the canopy with a small, fluffy rug and some pillows. She spent hours in her little reading canopy reading, doing school work or playing.
Planner / Organizer
If this is your first year homeschooling I highly recommend that before you start the school year you have some sort of plan in place. This doesn't have to be complicated but it will help give your homeschool year a little structure which I guarantee will help you feel a little more in control.
Not sure how to start, let me explain my process which might help you with your planning. Each summer I pick a few days to go through each of my kids main school books by subject noting how many chapters or units each subject contains. A typical school year has 36 weeks so I then divide the number of weeks in a school year by the number of chapters or lessons from each of the books to get an idea as to how many weeks each lesson should take.
I use Excel or Google Sheets to record my planning for the upcoming homeschool year. The first column of the spreadsheet is a list of numbers from 1 to 36. In the next column I add a list of dates for the school year including holiday weeks. Then the following columns after the date column are a list of each subject my child will study with their lessons allocated over the school year weeks. For example, if a math book has 16 lessons I estimate that each lesson will take 2 weeks for my child to start and finish it. On the spreadsheet I allocate each chapter over two weeks. Of course there is a LOT of flexibility in this and I do expect there to be changes but this is just a tool to help me get started and have a plan so I can make sure we are on track. Here is an example of what my planning spreadsheet looks like:
There are TONS of pre-made homeschool planners and organizers available online so you don't have to make your own if you don't have time to! If you are a highly organized mamma who loves each and every activity, lesson and assignment planned and organized I'm sure you will love some of the options available. I recommend the homeschool planner created by Sunnyday Family!
Outdoor Space
Kids of all ages need to spend time outside EVERY DAY. Speaking from experience, our homeschool day is better when my kids have spent some time outside in the fresh air every day. No matter the weather (except for thunderstorms or other dangerous weather conditions), my kids know that they are required to spend time each day outside. A lot of times they play together shooting baskets or playing a game but sometimes they just like to bring a book outside, sit in a camping chair and read.
A change of scenery in the middle of the school day can help them (and you) clear their head, get their blood pumping from a little out door activity and help your little ones get the wiggles out! On many occasions my kids ask if we can do school at a park or beach - why not, this is one of the great benefits of homeschooling! I encourage you to get creative and find some great outdoor spaces to visit or even do school at during your homeschool year.
What tools or supplies would you consider essential for your family's homeschool? If I missed any - please share in the comment section!
More Homeschooling Help
Looking for more help with your homeschool? Check out the following posts to help you become a successful homeschooler.
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