It’s that time of year again! You either love or hate it, but you have to buy those dang school supplies. I’m the one who loved getting fresh school supplies. The clean crayons, mechanical pencils were my jam, along with G2 pens! Only 0.7mm was acceptable for me. If you know, you know!
Here’s what we will cover in this post:
- Knowing your kiddos’ needs
- Plan for crafts and projects
- Supplies to set you up for success
No matter what end you’re on, let’s ensure you and your student are set up for success before you start a year of homeschooling. Let’s dive in!
Knowing Your Kiddo’s Needs
This can be easy depending on how well you watch your kids’ tendencies, what they enjoy doing, or how they play or draw. Is your kid ready for normal-sized pencils, or are they just learning to find their grip? Have you gone over scissor safety, and do they know how to use them yet? Do you see a need for more emphasis on colors and shapes? Whatever the need is, make sure you take note of it to have visuals and hands-on items for your student to learn in their most comfortable way.
What does the program you’ve chosen require or suggest? Ours provides a list of suggested supplies at the beginning of the unit, which helps us prepare for what activities need what supplies. See below…
Plan for Crafts and Projects
As I said, some programs outline what you need to complete lessons and projects. Kids love to touch things and taste things. Yes, I said taste. Some of our crafts consist of tissue paper and cotton balls, while others consist of Fruit Loops and Marshmallows. Finding whatever you can to make crafts and projects fun for your little one will make learning less hassle and more exciting.
Think outside the box here! Sensory is a big part of learning, and so many craft kits are available with everything you need in one place. Check out my favorite one below!
Supplies to Set You Up For Success
Below is a clickable list of the best supplies for you to use this year for your homeschool journey:
- Height Adjustable Graffiti Table – I love this thing! Adjusting the height of the table and chairs was huge for me. I didn’t want to buy something every time my kids outgrew it. And It’s a graffiti table, so it’s easy to clean!
- Alphabet, Numbers, Colors, & Shapes Bulletin Board Set – I wanted to give my kids the best things that I loved in school, and those were visual aids. I loved the letters and numbers hanging on the wall to look at when learning to read and write.
- Wooden Dowels, Ring Clips, Hooks – I love keeping and displaying my kids’ crafts and paintings. I struggled to find the best way to display her work in my first year. So, I found this cute idea on Pinterest to hang it up and be able to store it in a binder later on.
- Binders + Folders – You will want a place to look back at your kiddo’s work and their progress throughout the year! It’s gratifying, and you need to keep organized!
- 3-Tier Cart – You will want a place to put the school supplies, curriculum books, and tools you’ll use for schooling.
- Whiteboard or Chalkboard – This will allow you to write things like dates, words, letters, and more to teach your kiddo or have them try themselves! Remember the chalk and dry-erase markers!
- Planner for yourself – I’ve found people like a digital or physical planner. I use both! Check out my undated digital planner for mommas on the go who like to use a device to update their aesthetically pleasing planner. If you want to keep it simple, here’s my favorite physical planner!
- Craft Kit – What better place to find your crafty needs than in one place? You’re lucky because this kit has everything from feathers to googly eyes.
- Paint Kit with Smock– Only washable paint because who knows where else it may end up. This comes with a smock and spillproof paint cups for the paint that ends up elsewhere. This is at the top of my daughter’s list.
- 2-in-1 Tabletop Easel – I love this item! It allows for painting self-portraits and is super fun to have on hand to keep your little one busy.
- Days of The Week + Months of The Year posters – To teach more about seasons and how to tell what day and date it is.
- Plugo Educational Word Game – To help as a visual aid for your little one to learn how to spell in a fun way. You will need a compatible tablet or phone for this.
- Playdoh – Some research has shown that playing with playdough or clay can help strengthen the finger muscles for gripping a pencil. This also doubles as a fun activity as well!
- My First Pencils – For first-time users of pencils needing more oversized grips than a regular #2 pencil.
Here’s what ours looks like all set up!
The most significant piece of advice I can give is to be prepared. You don’t want to be in the middle of a lesson only to realize that you forgot the glitter glue for the craft in said lesson. Even if you’re not ready to go all in with every item on this list, start somewhere. A great starting point would be to use a planner to make a list and map out your homeschooling schedule.
This digital planner is downloadable so you can use it for personal and homeschool needs. This daily planner is paired with goals, yearly reflection, and monthly views. Click here to check it out!
Together, we rise!
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