There’s more to homeschooling than finding a great curriculum. It’s also important to create a learning environment that provides comfort and focus. Let’s explore the essential supplies you’ll need to effectively homeschool your child. From everyday household items to specialized educational resources, there are a variety of items that can make homeschooling both productive and enjoyable.  

Dedicated learning space

A dedicated learning space is the first step, and a fundamental one. Defining a learning space will help you minimize distractions, create an environment conducive to learning, stay organized, keep educational materials and supplies handy, maintain routines and structures, and differentiate between home time and school time.

Let’s start with the basics. The foundational items needed for a homeschool learning environment include:

• A comfortable desk
• A chair that fits your child’s size
• Ample lighting to reduce eye strain
• Shelving to organize materials

School Supplies

Of course you’ll need school supplies in addition to the furnishings, lighting, and shelving materials. Notebooks, lined paper, printer paper are essentials, and you’ll want to stock up on pens, pencils, markers, and erasers. You may want to include art and project supplies as well, such as washable paint, paint brushes, poster board, and butcher paper. If you have little ones, hands-on crafting materials like Play-Doh and modeling clay can be used for all kinds of fun educational activities!

You’ll also want to support your learner with resources that can be used to further explore and apply their learning. Items like a map for geography lessons, a globe for earth science, a science kit for hands-on science experiments, and educational board games for math or other subjects can help students apply their learning, increase understanding of course concepts, and better retain information. Plus, they make learning fun!

LIFEPAC Launch Packs for kindergarten, first, and second grades provide great learning support resources, with each pack filled with hands-on supplemental items such as counting bears, globes, clocks, and flashcards. 

LIFEPAC Science Lab Kits for grades 1-12 and Monarch Science Lab Kits for grades 3-12 also provide materials to conduct fun and educational science experiments right from your home kitchen.  

Organizational Supplies

Staying organized is essential for a successful homeschool experience. Not only will it enhance learning, but it will keep your learning environment tidy, preventing it from spilling into the “home environment.” 

A calendar is a great learning tool that is also essential for staying organized. A calendar on display can be used to collaborative plan with your child as you develop and stick to daily school routines and to plan field trips and other activities. Similarly, a clock on display can help keep the day on schedule and benefit young learners as they learn to tell time.

A planner is an essential tool for the homeschool parent as well. Whether you use a digital or print planner, these can be used to plan lessons and gather necessary materials ahead of time so you can make efficient use of instructional time. Download AOP’s free, printable Homeschool Weekly Planner for a simple, effective daily planner!

You’ll also want to organize your physical space. Storage bins, baskets, and other containers can be used to contain your homeschool supplies. Have your child help you set up, label containers, and organize the supplies to ramp up excitement to start learning! Involving your child in setting up the learning environment will also help keep the space tidy as they’ll know where everything goes so you can easily institute a daily clean-up routine.

Digital Learning

Many homeschool families learn online or supplement learning with digital tools and resources. For this reason, appropriate technology is integral to a homeschool learning environment. The main supplies you’ll need include:

• A reliable desktop computer or laptop
• Internet access
• A printer
• Headphones
• Blue light glasses
• Ergonomic chair
• Standing/sitting desk options
• Laptop travel case
• Chargers and extension cords
• Pens, pencils, notebooks for note taking

There are apps and software that may be useful for teen learners. You can often use free software like Google, which has cloud-based resources like Google docs for writing essays and Google Slides for creating slide show presentations. YouTube, Spotify and other apps are great for supplemental videos, podcasts, and music to bring learning to life. 

If your student is learning online, the homeschool program may have a platform that includes access to all online resources, including the option to print narrative lessons for offline learning. For example, AOP’s Monarch provides an online homeschool curriculum for grades 3-12 and is fully online, allowing students to simply log into the courses you choose for them to complete all work. Similarly, AOP’s Ignite Christian Academy is an accredited online school in which students log into the platform to complete courses, interact with teachers, and participate in clubs and other activities. If your child is in an online program like one of these, they will benefit from a comfortable designated learning environment that is age appropriate and ergonomically set to their body. 

Many families also supplement online learning with hands-on print curriculum resources like AOP’s LIFEPAC and Horizons student workbooks for subjects that need additional instruction or practice and to reduce screen time. 

Tips to Enhance Your Learning Environment

While these furnishings, school supplies, tech tools, and organizational materials are foundational to creating a great homeschool space, there are additional ways to really ramp up the learning atmosphere and inspire your child. Best of all, these ideas don’t necessarily require you to make any additional purchases! Here are some additional suggestions for your dedicated learning space.

Build a Home Library

What’s a classroom without books? Building a home library filled with a range of books encourages reading and supports the various subjects you’ll teach. You can also leverage virtual libraries and educational websites that provide access to e-books, educational videos, and other specialized content. You can make your library area extra cozy by turning it into a reading nook with comfortable chairs, a couch, or even bean bags. 

LIFEPAC by AOP has a five-book Reading Basics Set for young learners as well as classics such as The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, and The Miracle Worker by William Gibson. Horizons by AOP also has the four-book Phonics and Reading Readers Set, each book filled with short stories for young learners. There are plenty of choices to start filling your home library with engaging and educational books.

Add Fitness Tools

A healthy body supports a healthy mind. You’ll want comfortable, ergonomic furniture to support posture and comfort, but you’ll also need sports equipment for activities and stress relief. Integrating physical activity into a homeschool routine will keep energy levels up and help your child stay focused. Sports equipment can be used for physical education and items like stress balls and yoga mats can be coupled with music to maintain a healthy learning environment. 

As you set up your dedicated homeschool learning space, remember the goal is to create an environment that fosters learning, creativity, and growth. Combine practical household items with specialized educational resources for an environment conducive to learning and physical and emotional health to create a homeschool that truly nurtures and educates.