Homeschool Organization Ideas

• When homeschooling, not only do school supplies need organization but also consider housework and meal planning.

• Shelves, folders, baskets, backpacks, rolling carts, and boxes are just a few simple items that you can use to help keep learning areas organized and clutter free.

• Breaking up chores into small time blocks and assigning them to certain days as well as staying on top of laundry will make housework less stressful.

• To cut out the “what do I cook” panic try creating a weekly menu, prepping ingredients for meals ahead of time, and keep simple key ingredients on hand for quick meals when needed.

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Homeschool Organization Ideas

There are many different components of organization when it comes to homeschooling. This includes aspects of schooling such as school supplies and curriculum books as well as housework and meal planning. We all know that every minute counts when taking on both the stay-at-home homemaker role as well as the homeschool parenting role. Staying organized in both will make every day run smoother and be less stressful.

Organizing for Homeschool

Every homeschool setup you see will be slightly different as everyone has different ideas on how they want to run their child’s schooling.  Some people enjoy having a dedicated school room, set up similar to a brick-and-mortar school with desks and bookshelves and room for hands-on activities. Others prefer a more laid-back approach with the children sitting at the kitchen table or at a designated space in the living room with schooling supplies either discreetly hidden in a curio or armoire or out on display on bookshelves and baskets. Another design, especially for older children who are working online or are more self-sufficient, is that each child works out of their own room with their supplies on nearby shelves or inside desks.

I’ll be honest, in the past 12 years that I have been homeschooling, I have done a little of each; progressing from the dedicated school room to the children being at the kitchen table and couch to now where my two oldest mainly stay in their own rooms. No matter which approach you take, organization is key.  Also, if you are anything like me, you want something quick to set up and easy to maintain. Here are some quick and easy organizational ideas.

• Manila Folders – I won’t deny it, I love manila folders. I use them for a lot of purposes but mainly I use them for the kids’ daily work. I have daily folders for each child and that is where I place any printed worksheets, cutting practice pages, or any other paperwork that they need to do that day. Each week I load these folders up so that the week runs more smoothly as I just have to pull out each day’s folder. I also use a folder per child for important hard copies of records that we may need. Some of these include a copy of my notification of homeschool intent that I need for my state’s department of education, their grades for the semester/year, and attendance records. These, of course, can also just be uploaded into a folder on your computer but I like to keep hard copies of the important items just in case. In addition, I like to use a folder for their completed work. All of the worksheets that they complete get placed in one folder throughout the year so they are all in one place if we need to refer back to anything.

• Rolling Cart – These can be cheaply bought at most supermarkets or can be purchased second hand. They are great for art and or science supplies because they are mobile and can be easily moved from one area to another without having to make several trips. They also keep items neatly organized and can be color coded by subject or child. Rolling carts can also be used for young children learning sensory centers by making one into a water or sand station.

• Let the kids help with the process – While setting up a homeschool organization system may seem easier if you just do it yourself, having the child(ren) help will encourage them to continue to use said system. You should also consider letting the children choose their own system such as having them choose whether to use a backpack, basket, drawer, or shelf for their supplies as well as where to store their curriculum books, notebooks, or other study materials. This makes them feel like they have a say in how their school environment is set up and gives them a sense of responsibility in keeping it organized.

• Keep homeschool areas clutter free – This one is pretty straightforward. Everyone, including children, work and think better in a clutter-free environment. Wherever your child(ren) are studying, make sure there is little to no random items around to distract them. This is especially important if they are working from their rooms where toys, games, music, or other electronic devices could become an easy distraction. Also, if there are many papers, workbooks, books, or other materials strewn about on the table or desk where they are working they may have to search for needed items or may lose track of what they should be doing. Making sure that all school materials are put back in their proper places after the learning day is over is very important for a smooth daily routine.

• Organize Your Time – While organizing your homeschooling areas is important, it is equally important to organize your time. No matter how organized your physical space is, if you have no schedule or broad timeline, your day will just get away from you. Having time blocks for learning, cooking, cleaning, self-care, and other daily activities will keep you on track and mentally organized. If you like having a schedule, check out How to Set Up a Homeschool Schedule for a more in depth look at setting up a homsechooling schedule. For general time management tips, check out my Time Management Tips blog.

Organizing Housework

As we all know, doing housework is a daily task for everyone, but for a homeschooling parent, this can take precious time away from teaching. Not only that, but because the kids are at home all day, there is more work to be done. Organizing the majority of your housework so that it can fit easily within your day will save you both time and stress.  Here are some organizing ideas to get you started.

• Break up large chores into small time increments. – Breaking up large chores into 30 to 40-minute increments may make them easier to slip into your day. And if that is too big of a time chunk, break it up into two 15-minute blocks. This allows you to get work done while the kids are working on independent work, having reading time, or any other time that the kids are occupied.

• Have a specific time(s) set aside to *try* and get chores done. – I know this sounds near impossible, especially if your children are small, but I can assure you that if you make it a habit to do chores around the same time every day it will get easier as everyone knows what to expect. Again, this could be while kids are working independently, before they wake up, while they nap, during play time, or after they go to sleep. If you have the chores broken up into 15-30-minute time slots this makes it even easier to accomplish.

• Break down the chores into days – I have a weekly schedule where chores are broken up into days. I find this easier to maintain than doing random chores throughout the day. It also cuts down on me forgetting a room or a specific chore that I want done weekly. Another benefit of doing chores daily means that your weekends are free to spend however you choose instead of rushing around trying to get all of the cleaning done. For an idea, my daily list looks like this:

• Do one load of laundry a day – For years I spent my Saturdays washing and drying clothes. Load after load after load. I would start before breakfast and end after the children had fallen asleep at night with really heavy days spilling over into Sunday. Switching to completing just one load a day was life-changing and I highly recommend implementing this idea as soon as possible into your daily schedule.

• Get the children involved. – There is absolutely no reason why you should be doing all of the chores by yourself. I know, doing them yourself is easier than trying to give directions or having someone ask you an endless line of questions and by doing them yourself you know that the chore will be done correctly the first time, but do include the child(ren). Toddlers can match socks, put clothes away in lower drawers, place their dishes in the sink or in a small pile if the sink is too high, and pick up their toys to put away or put in a basket. Older children can wash dishes and/or stock the dishwasher, wipe of counters and tables, hang and put away their clothes, feed and give water to the pets, sweep or vacuum, and many other tasks. I spent a lot of years doing everything myself, feeling like it was my job as the mom, but I realized, eventually, that having them do chores was actually teaching them life skills. It teaches them to pick up after themselves, to keep their areas/rooms organized, how to do laundry, and other activities that they will need to do as adults. I like to use a chore chart. This chart includes a daily chore(s) for each child, considering their age and ability, and switching out chores week to week so that they don’t have to keep doing the same ones all the time. The chores take a maximum of 5-10 minutes, with many only taking a minute or two, but let’s them know what is expected of them day-to-day and gives them a sense of accomplishment when they finish. You can accompany this with an allowance or not, whichever you prefer, but getting the children involved helps both you and them.

Organizing Meals

Preplanning and prepping for meals are just as important as other organizational systems that you put into practice. Trying to decide what to make for lunch or dinner is a stress factor for me that can be easily overcome by making a menu ahead of time and sticking to it as much as possible. Here are some of my meal organizing ideas.

• Have meals pre-planned for the week ahead. – I make a daily menu for our week ahead. We do our grocery shopping on Saturday, so either Friday night or Saturday morning I will schedule our meals for the week. I include everyone in the decision-making process by asking each person for a meal that they would like. This helps me make a solid grocery list which cuts down on the number of times that we need to pick up groceries during the week as well as makes my days less stressful trying to think of what to cook. I place the daily menu on the fridge which cuts down, though not entirely out, those “what are we having for dinner” questions and makes it easy for me to remember what I need to be cooking for that day.

• Keep a few essential ingredients on hand. – Some days you just need a quick meal. Whether you are running short on time, there has been a lot going on during the day, you are missing an ingredient for your planned meal, or you just don’t feel like spending an hour or two cooking, always keep a few key ingredients on hand to whip up something quick such as a pasta dish or a salad.

• Prep for meals ahead of time.– You should try to prepare for meals either on the weekends or in the mornings before the activities of the day gets started. This may include cutting up fruits or vegetables, taking meat out of the freezer to thaw, making pasta, or just organizing ingredients. This will ultimately mean a faster weekday cooking experience and a less stressful time in the kitchen.

• Include the child(ren) in the cooking process– Try to, at least once a week, include the children in cooking. This is a life lesson I feel sometimes gets overlooked and makes for great memories down the line. When they are small, having them take out ingredients or help stir a pot are enough to get them involved. It may take a few extra minutes when they are younger as you will need to help them but then, as they grow, they will become much more helpful. Not only will they be helpful, but you can pass down family recipes, teach everyone how to cook at least one meal independently, or even have some fun with a dance party while getting the cooking done. As an adult who had zero experience in the kitchen when I moved out on my own for college and then struggled to learn how to do simple tasks like frying an egg, it has been very important for me that I involve all of my children in the cooking process while they are growing up.

Taking on the role of teacher while also balancing being a stay-at-home parent, homemaker, chauffeur, participating in day-to-day family life, and everything else is taxing work. Some days will run smoother than others. Some days you will want to just crawl back into bed and start over. I have found that staying organized, not only with schoolwork, but with housework and meal planning has really helped me to stay, well, sane. So while it may take some trial-and-error to figure out what works best for your family,

Have any organizational tips or tricks? Share them with the community in the comments.