25 Ideas for Homeschool Organization in a Small Space

With all the books and supplies that come with homeschooling, it can sometimes be a challenge to organize it all and find space for it! Especially if you live in a smaller home. I have shared about how we have organized our small space homeschooling setup in the last house we lived in. Today I thought I’d share more great ideas from around the web on homeschool organization in a small space! 

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1.  Make your books & supplies portable

Store your books and supplies on a movable cart, or carts.  That way you can easily school wherever you need to.  If the kitchen table is not available, move to the family room.  If you need more quiet, move to a bedroom.  If it’s a nice day, school out on the patio or porch.

2.  Use a Murphy desk

I’m sure you’ve heard of a Murphy bed; well use the same concept but with a desk or table.  Fold up your work space when it’s not in use and pull it down when you need it.

3.  Closed shelving

Book shelves are the most popular way to store and organize your homeschool supplies.  However, if you don’t have a lot of space and need to put your shelves in the dining room or kitchen but don’t want your home to look like a big schoolroom, you can get shelving with doors to hide it all.

4.  Limit supplies and clutter

Be intentional about what you bring into your home and homeschool; only buy and keep things that you absolutely need and do a clutter check a couple of times a year to get rid of what you no longer need or use.

5.  Over the door shoe organizer

Use an over-the-door shoe organizer to store school supplies like pencils, markers, glue, etc.  You can easily use this on the back of a pantry or closet door making the supplies easy to hide as well.

 

6.  Pick up each day

Be diligent about cleaning up your work space and putting things back where they belong when you are done using them.

7.  Use the whole house

Homeschooling and homeschool supplies don’t have to be contained to one room or area; use any space you have available for storage, like under beds, in the pantry, or the coat closet.  And schooling doesn’t just have to be done at a table or desk – use the couch, the bed, or even go outside.

8.  Use a fold-up calendar or bulletin board

If your kids are learning the calendar or you like to have a bulletin board to display your weekly scripture or learning resources and charts, consider making one that you can fold up and tuck away if you don’t have available wall space or prefer not to have it on the walls.

9.  Use the hallways

While you can’t really store much in a hallway, you can use the walls to hang maps, learning charts, and artwork.

10.  Dedicate a closet to homeschooling

Use one closet in your home, whether a coat closet, bedroom closet, or any that you have available, to store and keep all of your homeschool books and supplies.

11.  Hang things

Hooks come in handy for things like flashcards, scripture cards, and busy bags.  Plus, they don’t take up too much space and make things easy to locate.

12.  Look up

You can add a shelf above a doorway or closet, or use the space above your kitchen cabinets for storing things you don’t need on a regular basis.

13.  Have a place for everything

The saying goes – ‘a place for everything and everything in its place.’  Live by this.  If you don’t have a place or room for something, perhaps you don’t need it or need to get rid of something else to make room for it.  And as mentioned in #6, put things away when they aren’t in use.

14.  A crate or bag for each child

Buy each child a crate or heavy-duty bag to keep all of their own school books and supplies in.  These can then be stored under their chair, in their bedroom, or stacked (if using crates) in the corner of a room.

15.  Don’t cut corners

Speaking of corners – use them!  Seek out every little nook and cranny in your home.  Chances are you’ll have some corners that you could fill with a tall, skinny bookshelf or cabinet.

16.  Go digital

Using digital curriculum will cut down on the number of physical books and workbooks that you need to have, organize, and store. 

17.  Use workboxes

Workboxes are a popular way of keeping track of and organizing your child’s school work by subject or topic.  Using a tall, movable drawer unit makes it easy for a child to store in a corner of the dining room or their bedroom and also makes their work portable which allows for moving to different work areas if necessary.  You can also adapt this system and use crates if you need to save even more space.

18.  The element of disguise

Not only can you hide your school supplies behind closed doors, you can get creative and also hide it behind artwork – hide your whiteboard or bulletin board behind a simple piece of art.

19.  Magazine files

Magazine files are a great way to store and keep track of worksheets and workbooks, as well as holding paper, file folder games, lapbooks, and you could even use these as workboxes.  They are also very inexpensive, which is a plus.

20.  Dedicated shelf or cabinet

If you prefer containing your school things all in one place, this idea is similar to having a dedicated closet.  If you don’t have the closet space, buy a shelf, cabinet, or armoire that you can keep all of your school supplies and books in.

21.  Use the windows

Use the windows to display artwork – hang a string up from one corner of the window to the other and use mini clothespins to hang up artwork, like a clothesline.  You can also just tape the artwork to the window, or sliding glass door.  You can also use the windows or glass doors in place of a white board or chalkboard by using window crayons or wet-erase markers. 

22.  Plastic bins

Plastic bins are so versatile for storage, especially when it comes to homeschooling.  There are so many different kinds and sizes available that you are bound to find the perfect fit for your homeschool needs and space. 

23.  Have an organized file system

Having a simple way to organize your child’s school records is not only handy and convenient, but having it all in one place, in one bin, will take up less space. 

24.  Label everything

Be sure to label your bins, magazine files, drawers, crates, or whatever you are using.  This way things are easier to find and put away. 

25.  Use the attic or basement

If you have an attic and/or basement, use these areas to store things you aren’t using.  Maybe you are keeping some curriculum to use in the future with a younger child or you need a place to put completed schoolwork or records.  You can also store these things in the garage – those shelving units that hang from the ceiling work nice for this kind of thing.  Just make sure if you are storing things in the attic, basement, or garage that you are using airtight containers so that the items inside don’t get ruined.

 

It’s your turn! Tell us how YOU organize your homeschool in a small space!