Essential Homeschool Materials

Last updated on April 8th, 2022 at 10:56 pm

It’s the beginning of the school year and while many kids are shopping their classroom supply list, homeschoolers are shopping for, well…whatever they want. There are so many different forms and styles of homeschooling that having a universal supply list would be impossible. With that said, there are some essential homeschool materials that I couldn’t do without! Let’s get started!

Wide Mouth Mason Jars – These are essential for organizing pens, markers, and pencils. Their height is just right, and the clear glass makes it easy to see what is inside each jar. Their price point is perfect because a broken jar is always to be expected with little ones around.

Hanging File Folders & Interior Folders – Whether you have a filing cabinet, or a small filing box, hanging file folders and interior folders are the perfect way to keep your papers organized. We use folders for keeping completed school work in order, completed and upcoming curriculum organized, as well as completed art projects tidy. For those homeschoolers who have a form of a portfolio assessment at the end of the year to present, these folders make that task simple.

Post-it Notes – Post-it notes are essential for jotting down notes on textbooks, and books, and labeling practically everything. We use it for marking the clock to help tell time, for memorization work, and for marking objects in the house with their names in other languages. And of course, for myself, these are a lifesaver for making lists of things to get and tasks to complete.

Hole Pucher – In order to keep files tidy and neat, a binder and a hole puncher is priceless. While the three-hole puncher is quick and easy, I also love a handheld single-hole puncher to organize cards and notes with a loose-leaf binder ring. 

Electric Pencil Sharpener – You don’t realize how necessary this is until you don’t have one. With little ones who always seem to press too hard and break the lead, or like to use their pencils as swords, using a manual pencil sharpener takes way too much time. I’ve used lots of the fancier models of sharpeners, but always go back to the basics. This one is sturdy, easy to empty, and does the job!

Laminator – No one wants another thing that takes up space and is rarely used, but this is neither of those things. Owning a laminator doesn’t have to take up prime real estate in your house, and this small frame ensures that. With little ones around that like to rip apart paper, a laminator keeps important printables, flashcards, and worksheets you want to write on, safe from getting damaged. 

Solid Printer – When the printer ink runs out, you realize how much of an inconvenience not having a printer readily available is. While some homeschoolers use paper more than others, having the access to a printer that can copy, print and scan is not just a luxury but a necessity to avoid having to run to the print shop for every little project. While there are endless printers on the market to choose from, it is important to consider the cost of ink, as it can quickly routine printing a fortune. This model printer has all the printer functions you’ll need and has affordable ink, making it a winner in our book!  

Rolling Cart – I really don’t like buying things because it’s the trend, so I waited a while when these rolling carts became all the rage. After seeing how different people organize their carts, I decided to give it a go and it has made homeschooling in a not such a large space so much easier. I love them now so much that we have two. We store our most used items on them including our current curriculum and with magazine holders for each child, it makes organizing our space so much easier. 

Calendar Pocket Chart – While this may seem geared to younger students, I think a calendar chart is helpful for kids of all ages. While we are at it, let’s be honest, a calendar chart can be helpful for adults of all ages as well! This chart tracks the months as well as has a space for tracking the weather. I especially like this one as all the cards are in English on one side and Spanish on the other. Taking time each day to note the day and the weather is not just a morning time activity, but a way to visually see the events ahead and make strong connections between the seasons and the weather. 

Abacus – While the colorful abacus is a nice accessory to any homeschooling area, its function is essential. If you’ve forgotten how to use the abacus, or you’ve never learned, head here for reasons why they are so useful and a tutorial on how to use it.  The abacus is one of our most used tools for math, and that’s across the ages. 

Math manipulatives – There is no substitution for seeing numbers and being able to use your hands to manipulate them. These simple cubes are key to helping build a strong number sense. 

Bookshelf – My motto when it comes to books is, that you can never have too many books. In order to house our large collection of books, we use two 8-cube organizers. They lay horizontal to make getting books easy for all the kids, despite how tall they are. It may seem overwhelming to have lots of books, but we label each cube based on what type of book, for example, non-fiction, animals, holidays/seasonal, paperback, board books, etc. If you want to highlight a handful of books, having a few floating shelves in addition to cube organizers is a great way to spotlight them. 

Organizing cubes – Clearly, you see the trend here! So much of making homeschooling manageable, especially in smaller spaces or in rooms that also serve other purposes, is to keep things organized. Inside our homeschooling dresser, there are lots of small loose things such as staples, erasers, art supplies, and the list goes on. These organizing cubes help keep all the little things tidy and easily accessible in one place. 

Baskets – Baskets are a lifesaver for keeping small stacks of books in other parts of the house for easy reading, storing blocks, and crafts. I especially love a cute basket that compliments the room and these baskets have a bonus closing option. 

There are so many things you can invest in for homeschooling and it’s easy to get carried away,  but these essential homeschool materials are things that we use daily and are worth the cost. As you can see, so much of what I find essential has more to do with organizing, rather than the content itself, because the curriculum and content are always changing. A well-organized space makes room for the attention to be on learning instead of trying to find things. I’ve learned this the hard way! If you have essential homeschool materials that you can’t live without, please share them in the comments below!