Favorite Homeschool Supplies That You Need to Know About
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Making a list of homeschool supplies can actually be a little more complicated than what it seems it should be.
You see, every family is different and places importance on different things.
For that reason, know that this list is a list of MY favorite homeschooling resources.
They are things that we use daily in our homeschool and I would really miss it if we didn’t have them.
They may not be important to every homeschooling family, but they certainly are essential to ours.
The truth is that homeschooling requires very few supplies in the early years, but we have so many wonderful resources available to us that it can be difficult to resist.
Keep reading to find out my favorites!
My Favorite Homeschool Supplies
When it comes to homeschool supplies I’ve found that most of them come down to cost-savings and organization.
There are things that make life easier and things that make homeschooling “pretty”, but to be frank, many of the supplies listed are just to get the job done.
#1 A Really Good Printer
If I had to get rid of every single homeschooling supply and start from scratch, the first thing I would invest in is a good printer.
We bought Epson Ecotank 4750 about a year ago and it has been the best decision.
You can take a look at the Ecotank series here.
I have printed almost 4,000 color pages and still have a third of the ink left.
Better yet, the ink is super affordable to replace.
I print a lot of our curriculum in order to save on postage costs, so finding a printer that is efficient and cheap to run makes all the difference to our family.
Related: Cheap Printing Options for Homeschool Families
#2 A Binding Machine
A binding machine may not be an essential item for every homeschool family, but if you print your own curriculum or like to put together portfolios for your kids, then it is a great thing to have.
I purchased the Trubind S20a and have absolutely no regrets.
Before that, I owned the Cinch Binding Machine, but I switched because I wanted to use plastic spiral binding instead of the wires.
Another really affordable option is the Proclick binding machine.
You can either use the Proclick spines or just regular plastic spirals.
I have printed and bound many, many books now and the investment in the tools has most certainly paid off.
#3 A Laminator
As a homeschool family that is just starting out, I want many of our resources to last through all three of my kids.
A laminator is something I’m so glad I have.
I have a really inexpensive one and it does the job just fine. You can take a look at a few right here.
I also just use inexpensive laminating sheets and haven’t had any issues at all.
I’ve laminated things like posters for the walls, our interactive calendar, flashcards, and many book covers.
I love my laminator!
#4 A Planner
Being a mom is a busy job in and of itself, but add to that homeschooling and running a business from home and my brain can turn to mush.
Having a great planner really keeps my head aligned so that I can keep track of things.
I tend to “plan backwards” for our school in the sense that I write down what we’ve done and not so much what we have to do.
For years I’ve been using (and loving) the Mom On the Go Planner.
However, next year I’m going to be using a planner from Anna Vance Paper Co as it has more of the resources that I’m looking for.
#5 A Caddy
Last year I bought an inexpensive caddy to house our stationery supplies in.
We still use it every single day and I love how easy it is to tote around to wherever we may be working.
There are loads of cute caddy options on Amazon that you can browse through but don’t overthink it.
#6 Coloring Supplies
Having a seemingly endless amount of coloring supplies on hand at all times is apparently essential in our home.
My middle child will color and draw for hours and so I like to give her what she needs.
We’re not fancy here, but I do like to buy things that are durable for kids that range in age from 1-5 and also washable whenever possible.
These twistables are our favorite type of crayons to use. Otherwise, I find that they just get broken all the time.
Plus, the toddler likes to eat crayons and she can’t really do that with these.
I also like these washable markers, but honestly, I’m happy with any markers so long as they are washable.
It is very difficult to keep the toddler out of things when we are forever homeschooling in some capacity or another.
#7 Pencils & Markers
Regular old pencils do the job just fine, but I do like to have some mechanical pencils around as well.
I also have a supply of dry erase markers as we use them almost daily.
If you have a chalkboard then these chalkboard markers would be really fun to use.
#8 A Dry Erase Board
I have little to no wall space in our homeschool space (which is actually our dining nook) and therefore nowhere to put a chalkboard or big dry erase board.
However, we use these small dry erase boards for many things and so far haven’t come across any issues.
They’re great for both my kids and myself to use when needed.
#9 Magazine Holders
Not too long ago my husband made me some built-in seating in our dining nook.
Inside those seats is where I keep our daily homeschool supplies.
So far, I’ve found magazine holders to be the best way to store our textbooks.
That way, they’re stored vertically and can be easily lifted out to use.
I’ve also heard and seen great reviews of the latchmate bins for storing schoolbooks as well.
#10 Baskets
Throw cushions and baskets are the things that get me giddy when I walk into a store.
Seriously, I could spend a fortune on them and still not have enough.
Having a few baskets helps me store math manipulatives that are easy to grab when we need them, and also books.
If you intend on doing a morning basket then you’d also want to look for one that suits your needs there.
#11 A Bookshelf
We currently have one bookshelf but will be adding another in the near future.
Honestly, the number of books that we have will only continue to increase as the years go by and so I want to cater for that.
We have the Billy bookshelf from Ikea.
#12 A Tablet
A tablet is certainly not a necessity but it is something that we use a lot in our homeschool.
I have an Ipad and often refer to it if we want to look something up quickly, perhaps watch a video, or do some educational games.
I bought my Ipad before we started homeschooling and for work purposes, but I’m also really glad we have it for our homeschool.
Conclusion
I think it is really important to emphasize that you do not NEED all of these things.
It can be difficult to avoid feeling as though you need to mirror what other homeschooling families are doing, but remember to be true to your family.
I have very grand plans for dedicated homeschool room, but the reality is that we live in a smaller home and for the foreseeable future will not have that space.
That’s okay.
It keeps the focus on what is truly important.
I hope that this list was helpful and that you have fun stocking your homeschool space!
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