If you’re preparing for a season of homeschooling, there are some unique considerations. It might look a little different than shopping the back-to-school aisles at Walmart. That annual frenzy is optional. As you create your homeschool supplies list, you may have questions such as:
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“What homeschool supplies are absolutely necessary to get started?”
“Does my homeschooler need a desk?”
“What should a homeschool space look like?”
This post offers six considerations for what homeschool supplies to purchase, and how to organize your space. A homeschool supplies checklist is also provided. I hope this helps you to confidently move forward.
In this post, we will consider:
- What (few) homeschool supplies you should have on hand
- How to ensure you have everything required for your specific curriculum.*
- How you might use technology and what your needs are.
- What two (more-costly) items are nice but not necessary.
- Why your child might need a desk.
- What your homeschool space requires.
- A Homeschool Supplies List.
(*Homeschool curriculum is a hot topic. If you need help choosing curriculum, I offer suggestions in this post, and some specific curriculum recommendations here.)
1. Consider the basic homeschool supplies you should have on hand (including my #1 go-to item).
Basic homeschool supplies
Basic supplies, such as a stapler and a pencil sharpener, can often be found around the house. After more than a decade of homeschooling, we stockpile just a few items: paper, pencils, and sticky index tabs (page markers).
My teens transitioned to typing most of their assignments, but sometimes it’s easier to just jot things down. So I occasionally pick up a pack of loose-leaf paper and a few notebooks. Our kids often took notes in a notebook – when their curriculum didn’t include a “student notebook.” If we were listening to an audio CD for history, for example, note-taking helped them to stay focused.
If you have a younger student, you may want to buy a pack of handwriting paper that has age-appropriate line spacing. Handwriting curriculum usually includes practice pages. But having extra paper on hand is helpful when the kids want to make their own grocery list, or write a letter to Grandma.
I’m always surprised at how many choices there are for handwriting paper. (Who knew!?) Here are some considerations:
- Most importantly, the paper is labeled by grade level. This ensures that the lines have appropriate spacing for little hands. Read the fine print to find the correct line spacing for your child’s grade level.
- The “sulphite” paper is a cleaner white color than the “newsprint” paper. (Both get the job done.)
- You can purchase a ream of 500 sheets (more than enough for a school year), or a tablet (typically 40 sheets).
- Some of the tablets are “picture story” tablets with space at the top of each sheet. Children can draw a picture there, to go with their written text.
- We’ve been using the Zaner-Bloser handwriting paper (along with their handwriting curriculum) for many years, and we’ve been happy with the quality.
We’re pretty particular about practicing neat penmanship. I’ve learned that “perfect practice makes perfect.” It’s so important to practice correct letter formation. It’s hard to break bad habits!
I also stock up on mechanical pencils. They seem to disappear with the socks. And I try to make sure I have a box of #2 pencils. If your child will be taking an annual assessment, this is one less thing to worry about on testing day. If you’re picky about your pencils, Ticonderoga is of good quality and our favorite #2 pencil. (They claim to make “the world’s best pencil,” and I would agree!) It’s the little things in life!
We have sticky little index tabs (page markers) coming out of our ears. We use these to mark where we stop in our many textbooks. Then we aren’t wasting time trying to remember which lesson we’re on. These are a sanity-saver!
My #1 go-to item
Okay. Here’s a hint for my #1 go-to homeschool supply: it’s dry, it can be erased, and it’s a board. Dry-erase boards have been a staple item at our house for kindergarten through twelfth grade. Our dry-erase boards have probably worn a spot in the floor where we’ve put them away day after day. My oldest continued to use them all through college.
It’s good to write things down. The physical act of writing imprints information on our brains in a way that typing doesn’t. Plus, there’s no paper wasted and you’re not scrambling to find a hard surface while working on the couch. It’s also more fun (colored markers)! We use them so often that my son is particular about his dry-erase markers. He will scoff at anything other than an ultra-fine tip. (Again – “it’s the little things in life!”)
Generally speaking, there aren’t a lot of basic school supplies needed for the start of a homeschool year. It’s nothing like the long lists for public and private school. Do consider these items: loose-leaf paper, notebooks, pencils, sticky index tabs, dry-erase boards, and some fun dry-erase markers. We just pick up some of these items throughout the school year as we need them. It’s a relief to skip the back-to-school shopping frenzy!
2. Consider the homeschool supplies required for your specific curriculum.
How many “pieces” do you need to purchase for your curriculum?
This is even more important than purchasing those few “basic school supplies.” It’s discouraging to have your science lesson come to a halt because you didn’t know you needed Epsom salt for an experiment. Science curriculum often requires the additional purchase of an experiment kit. Our grammar curriculum has a test booklet, which I’ve forgotten to order more than once. You might already have the teacher’s manual for spelling, but need the (consumable) student workbook. Literature studies will have a book list. These books are usually offered in a convenient package. However, you can sometimes find what you need at your local library. We’ve also bought books through Kindle. I make two lists for literature: the books I need to purchase, and the books I can borrow or check-out.
If you’re using a math curriculum for younger ages, you’ll probably need a set of manipulatives (e.g., pattern blocks, play money, counting cubes, a mechanical clock). Usually, you can order everything in one complete kit. However, you can often purchase the individual pieces separately too. Maybe you already have the pattern blocks and play money, but you need everything else.
When there are many “pieces” to a curriculum, it can cause confusion. Be sure you know exactly what you need before you place your order. Online companies such as Christianbook.com will often list “companion products.” Check everything that is offered as part of a curriculum, to see what is necessary versus what is optional. And take a peek at the reviews. They might tip you off to a frequently-forgotten item. Check the website of your particular curriculum if you have questions about what is needed.
Can you pick-up items locally?
If you’re considering saving money by purchasing individual items locally, remember that your time is valuable as well. Our art curriculum required items that I thought would be easy to find at our Michaels store. After multiple shopping trips looking for what we needed, I wished I had bought the bundle (instead of only the textbook). There will be extra shipping costs for those particular drawing pencils, that forgotten test booklet, and the missing science chemicals. If you can get everything delivered in one shipment, give yourself permission to get ‘er done!
And one last thing . . .
Also, contemplate what you might need in addition to the companion products. For example, upper-level math typically requires a graphing calculator. And our son watched his math lessons from a CD, but he didn’t have a CD player on his laptop. We had run into this hiccup before. I’m glad we have an external CD/DVD drive for him to use.
Your needs will be unique to your curriculum. Try to purchase all your curriculum a month before you start school. That will give you time to do a thorough review and purchase any additional homeschool supplies. And you can make any needed copies. This extra hustle ahead of time will absolutely help your school days to run more smoothly.
3. Consider how you might use technology and what your needs might be: a Chromebook or laptop and good lighting.
How you might use technology
I still remember (long ago!) when we got high-speed internet, and how that changed the way we homeschooled. We had so many new resources available to us online! When used carefully, technology can add value to a student’s study. Watching a video about the Sistine Chapel creates a stronger impression than a picture in a book. It’s one step closer to seeing the real thing. When my son didn’t understand how to measure the volume of a sphere, a video from Khan Academy saved the day. (I wonder if Sal Khan knows how many homeschool moms he’s helped!) Investing in good technology lets you take advantage of online resources, even if you aren’t doing “online school.”
Consider upgrading your internet speed if it’s crawling at a snail’s pace. Although a strong internet connection isn’t always available in rural areas, our governor has made this a priority. When so many schools moved online during the Covid pandemic, this issue was pushed to the forefront. Consider checking into your options if it’s been a while. A few years ago, we canceled our landline, picked up a cell-phone package, and increased our internet speed without too much extra cost.
When your child might need a laptop or Chromebook
You may be wondering when to invest in a laptop or Chromebook for your student. We didn’t see a need for this prior to high school. When our kids needed to be online, they used our our “family laptop.” They didn’t have a laptop that was exclusively theirs until ninth or tenth grade. I know students in public schools get Chromebooks much sooner, but I don’t think this is necessarily good for them. The benefits of a young child having a Chromebook are not always outweighed by the potential pitfalls (even with parameters in place).
As a sophomore, our son relied heavily on technology to complete his coursework. He watched pre-recorded online videos for Chemistry class on his laptop. He watched advanced mathematics lessons from a DVD on his laptop. And he attended an aviation class (through dual-enrollment) three days a week on his laptop. The teacher required that he log in to class every school day. He also typed all his assignments.
Our girls relied on their laptops for college courses they took while in high school. They accessed and turned in all their assignments online. One of our daughters completed a college class but never set foot on the campus. (This is so different from my university days. I handed in all my papers with my social security number typed out next to my name – eek)!
Your child’s specific coursework will dictate when they need the technology. It’s good practice for students to start typing assignments as they approach high school. But I don’t think there’s a need for children to have an exclusive device until their coursework requires it. Be thinking ahead about when it will be the right time to add this to your homeschool supplies list.
Laptop vs. Chromebook
Once you’ve established there’s a need, you might wonder which to purchase: a laptop or a Chromebook? With our family of five, we’ve gone through more than a half-dozen laptops (not to mention iPads and the good ol’ desktops). We have always opted for laptops over Chromebooks. While Chromebooks seem to offer more than they used to, laptops are still more powerful. They have the capabilities required to meet the coursework needs of a college student. We bought laptops for our kids with the hope that they could take them to college (plan to spend more for one that offers longevity). My husband does most of the tech research for us. Over the years he’s often referred to articles from pcmag.com. They address the question of laptops vs. Chromebooks in this article.
Adequate lighting for online classes
With the increase in online meetings, another consideration is lighting. When I taught English as a second language online, I learned how important this is. I had to strategically position three lamps to get adequate lighting at five in the morning (working with kids across the world). There are unique challenges to communicating online. Poor lighting further hinders communication by making it difficult to read facial expressions. It can even affect the “mood” of a meeting (much like a gloomy day affects our mood).
When the Covid pandemic hit, my husband began working from home and his meetings moved online. For lighting, he attached an old $10 clip-light to his monitor. The plastic had yellowed, and there were scratches from years of using it in the garage. The light bulb was sort of blinding, but it brightened the room. We decided to find better lighting for him when our son convinced us he needed something too. I couldn’t argue. He attended his online class in our basement which only had a few hours of sunlight.
So we did a little research and landed on this LED desk lamp. It’s not fancy-schmancy, but the price is reasonable and the guys have been very happy with it. There are a lot more options than I realized. Your space and specific needs will dictate what kind you need. If new lighting isn’t a priority for your homeschool supply list, you can take what you have and make it work (as we did for a long time). There’s no shame in being frugal!
4. Consider two (more costly) items that are nice but not necessary: a printer and a designated homeschool bookshelf.
Do you need a printer?
We occasionally print pages from a curriculum, but more often, we use our printer to print assignments. My teens printed many, many papers for me to review with my red pen. While editing can be done online, I find it’s easier with paper and a pen.
I occasionally recreate some part of our curriculum – that I’m supposed to copy with a printer. We’ve used the old Saxon math curriculum for the elementary years. There are “math meeting strips” used with the daily lessons for first, second, and third grade. We’ve used hundreds and hundreds of the meeting strips over the years! Rather than make copies of the meeting strip, I recreated them in an Excel spreadsheet. I then printed them as I need them. It was so much easier than going to the library to make copies! (If you’re using Saxon Math 3, I offer a free download of the meeting strips. Subscribe and download them here.)
A printer gives us more flexibility as we homeschool.
For many years, we had a color inkjet printer. We had to frequently replace the ink cartridges, and that got expensive. Then we switched to a Brother laser printer. We chose a monochrome printer because the color printers were outside our budget. For us, the toner only needs replaced about once a year. We’ve been really happy with it. It just keeps plugging away. Our current model is old enough that it’s been discontinued. When it spits out its last piece of paper, we’ll order the recommended replacement, this Brother compact laser printer.
Don’t forget – if you need a printer, you need copy paper. We stock up by purchasing a carton (ten reams), about once a year.
Do you need a homeschool bookshelf?
Another big consideration is a bookshelf. As with any storage space, you want to consider your specific need before buying. If you’re homeschooling more than one child, you’ll set back more books to use with younger siblings. These pile up quickly. Older students can keep track of their own textbooks, and they may use more online resources. Then you might just need one shelf to organize your teacher’s manuals.
During the peak of our homeschool years (with three children), our schoolbooks filled many shelves. We bought a used bookcase that had to be moved out through a patio door because it was so large. It was outdated oak furniture, but it was solid and inexpensive. It gave me enough shelving to sort all our books by subject. (I’m in my happy place when I have books to organize.) This was a huge help for me. I could find what I needed and there was less chance that I would order something unnecessarily.
We had some major room modifications one summer, and because my bookshelf was inaccessible, I ended up with two sets of advanced mathematics. I had purchased a used set and forgotten about it. The set that I purchased new ($$$) included a DVD which couldn’t be returned – ugh. A bookshelf (that’s accessible of course) can save you money as it helps you to keep things organized.
5. Consider why your child might need a desk.
One of my favorite homeschool memories is of my child reading a book, while hanging upside down on our couch. It was the simple delight of reading a good book in a silly way. While couches and beds can work well for reading, they generally don’t work well for writing. Your kitchen table can suffice, but there are a couple of exceptions to this. The first is a “small” exception. If you have little ones practicing penmanship, keep in mind that proper posture is important. An appropriately-sized desk will keep their feet flat on the floor. They won’t have to sit on their knees to reach their workbook. So consider the need for proper posture with writing activities.
The other exception to using the kitchen table is if it feels like Grand Central Station. There was a season when we tried starting our homeschool day at the kitchen table. But it was so discouraging to have to first clear it off! Our busy family of five used the kitchen table as a landing place for anything and everything. We needed to develop a habit of clearing the table each night, or we needed an alternative study space!
As the kids got older, we settled on loft-beds with built-in desks beneath them. These are awesome space savers for small homes. The desks are long, with plenty of room to work. Plastic storage carts (with casters) under the desk worked well for keeping paper, pencils, and calculators handy. A plastic tote organized the kids’ textbooks on the desk. Any distraction-free space, with an appropriately sized desk or table (and a place for homeschool supplies to be stored) – can suffice.
6. Consider what your homeschool space requires.
Our homeschooling space with three younger students
When we first started homeschooling, we designated a classroom area in our basement. Posters, school projects, and an American flag decorated the walls. This space had some advantages. There were fewer distractions for everyone. It was easier for me to ignore the dishes in the kitchen sink upstairs; and I was more available when the kids needed help. I was better prepared for teaching three children because I spent the day focused on school. (It was a full-time job!)
Our homeschooling space with one high school student
After twelve years of homeschooling, I only had one student, and our homeschool space looked a lot different. When I was teaching, the two of us were usually sitting on the couch. We went over his lesson. Then he headed to the kitchen table or to his desk (in his room) to complete his assignments. I checked on him occasionally. If he had work that he needed to do on his computer, he did that on the main level – usually on the couch. His laptop didn’t have the same parental controls on it as his phone, so the laptop stayed on our main level. He also had one class online, which he attended in the quiet of his room. So he did schoolwork in the living room, the kitchen, and in his room.
I had one small bookcase on the main level with the books we were currently using. My son stored some of his books on this shelf, and the rest in his room. The curriculum that we weren’t using sat on the old bookshelf in our master bedroom, out of the way.
As you create your checklist, you’ll realize how big or little of a space you’ll need to educate your children. With only one child being homeschooled, it was no longer a separate area in our home. When I was teaching three children, there was a lot more to keep track of. So it was best to do everything in a separate, designated space. Wherever you land, your homeschool space doesn’t need to be Pinterest-worthy. For most of us, it’s not. We just need an area that helps us to stay focused.
7. Create Your Homeschool Supplies List
The checklist below can help you to get started. I can’t tell you exactly what you need because everyone’s homeschool is unique (which is the beauty of homeschooling!). But I hope this article helps you to think through some potential needs. Then you can get started with confidence. Do your best to prepare for your season of homeschooling, but also give yourself grace. You’ll learn as you go. Before long you’ll have your homeschool supplies prepared and in order, and you’ll be read to conquer the school days!
Homeschool Supply List Considerations:
- a pack of loose-leaf paper and a few notebooks (older students)
- a pack of age-appropriate handwriting paper (younger students)
- mechanical pencils
- #2 pencils for testing (Ticonderoga if you’re picky about your pencils)
- sticky tabs/page markers
- dry-erase boards
- fun dry-erase markers
- specific items required for your curriculum
- an upgrade to your internet
- laptop or Chromebook
- desk lamp
- laser printer
- copy paper
- bookshelf
- desk or another workspace
I would love to hear your thoughts on a homeschool supply list and a homeschool space! Please find the comments box at the bottom of this page, and share!
