Homeschooling takes many different forms and shapes depending on your philosophy, the textbooks and tools you use, the number of kids in your family, their learning styles—and the available space in your home. Whether you’ve already started school days again or you’re revving up for the coming semester, you might be pondering some different ways to arrange the physical space that you use for homeschooling. Here are some creative ways to set up your homeschool space this fall.
Stations for Your Homeschool Space
Some parents love the concept of “stations” for their homeschool rooms. Create a reading station with comfortable beanbags or pillows, plus shelves or baskets of books. A math station can include manipulatives, calculators, flashcards, or other tools, depending on the ages of your children. The science station might include charts or posters of the topics you’re currently studying, along with boxes or trays for nature samples your kids find outside.
A Homeschool Space for the Little Ones
If you have preschoolers, you may want to include a corner just for them, perhaps outfitted with a low table and coloring supplies. Or why not paint the entire table with chalkboard paint so they can draw or practice writing right on the work surface? A bin of puzzles and learning toys keeps the little ones quieter so the older ones can learn. Think about including items like a play kitchen or sensory bin in your preschooler’s corner as well.
Color Coding for Convenience
Why not assign a specific color to each child? Purchase their clipboards, bins, chairs, pen holders, notebooks, and binders in that color, and you’ll find it so much easier to keep track of whose supplies are whose. If you can’t buy everything in that specific color, just add a colored sticker or label to help differentiate the items.
Shoe Organizers for Homeschool Supplies
Need more storage space? Use the back of a closet door! Install a clear shoe organizer and you can use the pockets to stash all sorts of things—scissors, pencils, glue, craft sticks, math manipulatives, flashcards, erasers, and more.
Space to Move
Homeschool moms and dads with active kids find that an activity zone keeps everyone sane. One mom included a small trampoline and allowed her kids to bounce while spelling words or reciting multiplication tables. Older children might enjoy reading or studying while walking on a treadmill.
Homeschool Workstation Sight Lines
If your kids don’t work well when they can see each other, here’s an idea. Arrange the room so each child is facing a different wall; or, if they have to face each other, create partitions between desks with decorated boards.
Technology in the Homeschool Space
Technology is a part of our world, and it can really make your homeschool life easier! Instead of stuffing the tech into the room as an afterthought, plan ahead. Place the printer, camera, eReaders, and MP3 players in a central location. Keep each workstation (whether in one room or in bedrooms throughout the house) stocked with earbuds, a laptop or tablet, a charger, and other essentials. If your child is doing homeschool videos, a comfortable, ergonomic computer chair is a nice addition.
Are you eager to find other creative ways to set up your homeschool space this fall? Search online for ideas and chat with fellow homeschool moms to get inspired for your own creative homeschool layout.
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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.
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