Homeschooling your kids is a great option, but if you’re not careful, you can quickly be overrun by books and other curriculum supplies. Not to mention that it can be hard to figure out a place for your kids to learn. This is especially true if you’re living in a small space. Homeschooling in a small space can be the worst! I know because we homeschool in an RV! Use these tips and tricks below to help create more room for your homeschooling supplies if you are currently dealing with not having enough space.
Homeschool Ideas – Homeschooling in a Small Space
Find a place to learn – If you don’t have the room for a homeschool classroom, you’ll need to find a good place for your kids to learn. A lot of people like the kitchen table, but keep in mind that other areas can work well too. If you have a coffee table, you can sit your kids down, put paper on the table and let them use it to do their work. Another option is to buy a lap desk and let your kids sit on their beds to do their work. Just be sure they’re actually working if you choose this one.
Be organized – A large bookshelf can be used for much more than books and the chances are good that you already own one. Use it to store not only your homeschool books and curriculum, but also small totes of supplies, movies, computer software and more. To help keep yourself even more organized, you might want to consider color coding your homeschool classroom so that things are easier to find.
Get creative with Storage – Things like files, small books, and light-weight school supplies can be stored in hanging file folders or hanging shoe holders to save space. They’re relatively cheap to pick up and if hung right can create large amounts of space. If you don’t want to go with the file holders, picking up a few storage crates can help too. Use drywall screws to mount them to the wall and store things in them as you would shelves.
You also likely have plenty of closet doors in your home. Use those combined with an over the door shoe holder or file holder to create even more additional space. This works the same way as using wall space and can create storage that doesn’t get in the way.
Under the bed is another great place to store excess homeschool items. Buy an under the bed storage bag or use totes if they’ll fit. Just be sure to mark everything so that you know what Is in the bags.
Make the outside a part of your learning – If the space your homeschooling in is really small, you’ll want to be sure that you don’t keep your kids cooped up all of the time. Hold classes in the back yard, take field trips or even let them skip a day when the weather is nice. Keeping them behind cramped walls to do their learning every single day will only serve to cause them to be restless which can (and likely will) cause acting out.
Another reason to make play a part of your learning is simply that kids learn better if they play more. Let them blow off some steam once in a while and soon you’ll find that they’re absorbing knowledge like the little sponges that you always secretly knew they were.
Homeschooling in a small space isn’t as hard as it sounds. You just have to get a bit creative and to really look for ways to make the best of it. Do you have any other tips for homeschooling in small spaces? I’d love to hear them if so!