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Don’t let small spaces discourage you from a healthy scholastic environment. Use these homeschool organization ideas for small spaces to help you get started today!
Many parents or students may think that creating a space for homeschooling can be quite challenging especially if you don’t necessarily have a dedicated homeschool classroom.
Contrary to this belief, I am here to testify that it is possible to create an academic surrounding conducive to homeschooling in a small space.
I come from first hand experience that it is possible to organize homeschooling without a school room. Starting from age 14, I began my own personal homeschooling journey as my parents continued to travel all around the globe as missionaries. Which means, many times, my “classroom” was an extremely small and occasionally a mobile space.
For example, I remember when I had to finish my English homework on a plane ride from Seoul, South Korea to Tokyo, Japan. You can organize any small space to create the homeschool desk you need.
Most of my middle and highschool years were spent in South Korea, which meant very small living spaces. Organization ideas for small bedrooms were not only desirable but demanding. Over the years, I picked up a few tips and tricks on how to organize small spaces.
TABLE OF CONTENTS HOMESCHOOL ORGANIZATION FOR SMALL SPACES
TAKE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS – HOMESCHOOL ORGANIZATION
Before sharing the best organization tips for small spaces, I want to clear the air about a topic that many parents hem and haw — especially nowadays with so many homeschooling options.
It’s Okay Not To Go Digital When Homeschooling
My age will show when I say that during my school years as a homeschooler, I didn’t have hightech laptops. Nope, I had the good old fashion paper books. I would have to go to a testing center to pass my courses. Not to mention, I had a lot of stuff that I don’t think kids these days understand such as a VCR, cassette tape, and Walkmans.
So this may not sound like a super “organizational” tip; rather it is more of a “how to be a successful homeschooler”, but I would like to advocate for some good old fashion study groups and enrolling in homeschool communities. For those who are more of an experiential learner, it is a more tangible way to participate in scholastic communities.
According to the Princeton Review, the Association of Experiential Education explains that since hands-on learning experiences require students to “take initiative, make decisions and be accountable for results,” students may also “experience success, failure, adventure, risk-taking and uncertainty.” Just like in the real-world, you can’t totally predict what the outcome of an experience will be—but no matter what you’ll learn from it(SOURCE).
It’s Okay To Go Digital When Homeschooling
I know. I know. I just said it’s okay NOT to go digital and now I am saying it IS okay to go digital. Please allow me to explain. Once I passed high school and got accepted to the University of Washington Foster School of Business, almost everything homework related became digital. It was essential to have things organized and planned for each coursework in order to navigate through the high academic demand. To complete my scholastic demands on paper was just too cumbersome.
All in all, the point that I am trying to make is to take the best of both worlds. Go digital for all the daily assignments, readings, and tests; but go experiential for all the social dynamics that comes with school learning.
But don’t just take my word for it. Here are the top homeschool organization ideas from other experienced parents and teachers that know what they are talking about.
ORGANIZING FOR SMALL SPACES
Virtual Learning Student Planners
Use a virtual planner and notebook to help keep all your assignments and events digitally organized. Not only is it easy to download, you can take it with you if you’re a traveling family. So, If you are looking for the best virtual learning agenda for kids, look no further. I have it right here! This agenda is specifically designed by 2 moms who have also been placed in a situation where they are assisting their children with virtual learning this fall (SOURCE).
Portable Interactive Calendar
For the younger students, this is a fun way to introduce the various days and months of the year. This is our interactive calendar for our kindergartner and preschooler. It is very useful with helping them understand days of the week, changing months, and how many days till a birthday/holiday(SOURCE).
Unit Studies
Use unit study storage bins to help your homeschool workspace ideas stay organized and clean. Are you planning for the new school year? Unit studies are a great way to teach little ones about different topics while having fun! Here are some easy ways you can create simple unit studies for less than $5 (SOURCE)!
Don’t Hoard
I know that when our students accomplish certain milestones, collecting art projects or journals can be very sentimental. In my opinion, a few very special pieces are okay to keep, but everything else that hasn’t been touched or used for at least 9-12 months needs to go either in a donation box or long term storage (for those who have kids that will need those supplies in the future). In a tiny house or tiny workspace, we can’t afford to take up space that isn’t being well utilized when it comes to organizing homeschool space.
Portable Homework Station
Whether you travel or simply don’t have a dedicated homeschool table, creating a portable homework station will keep all your must-haves for homeschool room. Prepare for the new school year by setting up an inexpensive portable homework station that will make homework fun! This homework station idea will work in any place or space in your home (SOURCE)!
Homeschool Checklist
Need to stay on top of the day’s agenda? Rather than taking every school supply out on the table, only take out what you need based off of the checklist for that day. What really helped was this set of free homeschool organization printable checklists (including the newest worksheet- the Homeschool Spring Cleaning Worksheet) – I created to get myself and my fellow homeschool moms better organized(SOURCE).
Hide Your Space
There are so many clever storage platforms that are super cheap and help with homeschool room setup ideas. For example, we’ve all heard of a Murphy bed, why not a Murphy table? When living in a tiny home, each square footage must be organized strategically. Most often, homeschool organization for small spaces will either need to have portable storage or fixtures that can be tucked away. Another idea for hiding your space is using those plastic shoe storage racks that hang on your door. Not only is this a sleek way to store all your homeschool supplies it can also double up as toy storage ideas.
DIY Homeschool Station
Sometimes it can be challenging to find the perfect table for a small space. Either the table is too big or too small or maybe just not enough storage units. Creating your own homeschool station couldn’t get any easier. I think this space will be really useful for our family in the coming years. There’s room to work and room for computers, should they be needed. For now, though, we’ll stick to art projects and homework (SOURCE).
Simple School Supply Organizing
You may have a few shelves lying around. Use those extras for homeschool organization for small spaces. Upcycle those shelves and use them for organizing your children’s school supplies. Organizing school supplies doesn’t have to be complicated. In a world where so much is overcomplicated, it’s nice to keep school supplies simple. Use bins that don’t have to be arranged perfectly. Find jars you already own. Apply quick and simple labels (SOURCE).
Cleaning Is A Subject
Needless to say, it is absolutely essential to declutter your homeschool rooms (or homeschool bag if you’re a traveler) on a daily basis. For many reasons, this will save you time, energy, and a lot of “do-overs.” A fun way that organization and cleanliness has been taught is by making it a fun subject. Help students associate cleaning and learning with fun. Make it a game, or teach life skills along the way. The value of spending that extra 10-20 minutes will be well worth the investment.
Learning is everywhere. You don’t need a homeschool room to homeschool (remember my plane ride example?). You don’t need to have all the fancy supplies. The key is to keep organizing small spaces, make education fun, and don’t be afraid that you don’t have it all.
Many parents (many students) are now homeschooling. Take a deep breath and remember that you are not alone in this! I may not have all the answers but I hope that these organizing tips for small spaces helps you this school year.
When I feel super overwhelmed, I declare powerful and encouraging prayers to help me get through the day. Do you have any tips and tricks for homeschool organization for small spaces? Please share them with me and let us know in the comment section.
