Organizing Homeschool
can Help Children Learn

Organizing homeschool is especially important in families that have children with special needs. Some children have a hard time learning and paying attention when the room is cluttered. Other children get upset when they do have a routine or schedule.

Clutter

We need to continually be organizing homeschool clutter. We need to have a place to put books, charts, and papers that we are not using.

We can cut some of the clutter by not buying so much. We can also get rid of textbooks and workbooks that we are no longer using.

We can use the library for books we plan to use only once. We will need a place to keep our library books. A good idea is to keep a bin or box by the door. Only the books that are being read should be out of the box.

We can download e-books from the internet and read on an e-book reader.

Bookcases with doors can hide our textbooks and other homeschool materials when not in use.

We also need to decide what to do with our child's schoolwork. We do not need to keep every math paper or essay written. Each week we can choose the best paper to go into a scrapbook. Then we can toss the rest. We can take pictures of large or bulky projects to place in the scrapbook. We also do not need to keep the scrapbooks from year to year. Who want to see a high school student's preschool work?

Hobbies and artwork also can clutter up the house. You can provide plastic bins to keep art and craft supplies in.

Work in Progress

Students should be involved in organizing homeschool. Ask for their input. How can they keep track of their pencils, notebooks etc?

Have your child keep his study area uncluttered. Have your child only have out one assignment at a time. Keep everything else out of sight in a bin, bookcase, or backpack. He should also have only the supplies out that he needs to complete the assignment.

Provide a bin for each subject. Have your child keep his notebooks, textbooks, and any supplies that are needed for each subject in a bin.

Some children like to color coordinate their textbooks and notebooks. This can help keep his notes and assignments organized.

If your child complains that there are too many problems on a worksheet, provide a paper to go over the worksheet. Pace the paper in such a way that only several problems are seen.

Assignments

An Organized homeschool should include assignments and lesson plans. Some children get upset when they do not know what is expected of them. We should give them a plan with assignments and a daily schedule.

Checklists and charts are helpful for children who have ADHD. You can make checklists for chores and schoolwork. The lists help children keep on task. For a young child you can make checklists with pictures.

Time

Organizing homeschool time can be important. We need to help our children understand that a math worksheet should not take all day to do. Some children can keep on task when we use a kitchen timer. Others are happy knowing how long they have to complete an assignment.

Organizing homeschool can take some time and thought but it is worth it when our children stay on task.