6 More Ideas for Getting Homeschool Clutter Under Control

As the year gets underway, parents learn that homeschooling can quickly get messy. Have you ever wanted to peer into someone else’s homeschool for inspiration about how to better organize? Although everyone learns in a different way, and uses different places in the home, these tips are helpful for any setup.

Keeping clutter under control helps keep your attitude more positive, and it fosters a pleasant learning environment for your family.

# 1 Shelves and Baskets

You don’t have to buy expensive furniture. You can get bookcases, shelves, baskets and bins on a low budget. Check yard sales and online sites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Repurpose shoeboxes and shipping boxes, covering them with gift wrap or wallpaper for a nice aesthetic.

The beauty of containers is that they cut down the visual clutter by storing a variety of things behind one solid surface. Here are the types of things you can corral in containers:

• Pens, pencils, crayons and erasers
• Tape and scissors
• Craft supplies
• Math manipulatives and tools (compass, protractor, calculator, etc)
• Small office supplies (clips, post-it notes, rubber bands, etc)
• Dry erase markers and erasers

With everything that you don’t want to look at squirreled away into a box, be sure to put something on the desk or shelf that you do want to look at – perhaps a globe or a seasonal centerpiece.

#2 Table or Desk

And the more drawers the better! I like that vintage/antique tables add character to a homeschool room. You can look for the right one that fits your budget, and remember that a cheap bottle of paint can revive a worn-out piece.

Use the deeper drawers for large items like books, papers and notebooks. Little drawers are nice for those things you don’t have a bin or basket for. As the teacher, I have one drawer reserved just for my things.

Consider a drawer for “Quiet Time Toys.” Younger children who aren’t schooling have to be kept occupied and they will have fun amusing themselves with things in this drawer. Some ideas : board books, blocks, play dough and tiny plush toys. You can find all these things for pennies at garage sales.

#3 Multi-Functional Furniture

A lot of families have to deal with limited space, so it helps to have dual-purpose furniture. I know many mothers who use their kitchen island or breakfast table as the homeschool hub. It helps to have shelves or drawers nearby so schoolbooks can be stowed away when it’s meal time.

Consider setting up a large table in another room such as your den, playroom, basement or laundry room. When your children aren’t working on school, it can be used for other everyday purposes.

#4 Caddies

A caddy don’t right can actually sit right in the middle of the table permanently, looking good and within easy reach. Art supplies and writing utensils look very appealing nestled in a utensil basket like the one pictured above. Choose to stow the tools your students will be using daily.

#5 Glass Jars

I use glass jars for everything – canning, glasses for drinking, baby bottles, and storage. They are ideal for school, too. Everyone can see what’s in the jar, and there are lots of sizes to choose from. Perfect for storing, beads and counters and erasers, clear jars also make a colorful and fun display that will cheer up your homeschool and become a part of the room decor.

#6 Magazine Holders

I have tried different methods, but this year I decided that there’s no better or effective way to store the large volume of taller books and papers than with magazine holders. I first made my own by repurposing priority shipping boxes and wrapping paper, but buying a set of sturdy plastic ones is a good investment for the future. You can sort books by topic, by grade or by student. Each child in my family has a holder (or two).

Got Ideas? 

If you’ve got homeschool organizing tips to share, I’d love to hear them. Let me know in a comment!