We’ve been homeschooling for a long time now. So long, in fact, we’ve got one just about to fly the coop. And I do mean fly. As such, we’ve accumulated a library *eh hem* of resources and curriculum. As we look to end one year of homeschooling, and begin planning a new year, I realize that things can get a bit chaotic if you let them. I thought I’d share some tips on how to organize homeschool curriculum.
How to Organize Homeschool Curriculum
When we were house hunting, I insisted we needed a homeschool room. I was tired of our homeschool stuff taking over the rest of the house. We’ve been in our new house a little over six years. We currently (for the moment) still have a homeschool room, but we also still homeschool all over the house. Turns out, I didn’t NEED a homeschool room after all. Shhh…
Choose a Space
In order to organize homeschool curriculum, you have to choose a space that you can dedicate to homeschool stuff. Before we moved into this house, our homeschool supplies and library were managed in our basement for a long while, then it migrated to two cabinets in our kitchen. Now we have a homeschool room that houses everything. If you’re tight on space, you may pick a storage chest or a cubical shelf. We have a mix of white book shelves and cubical shelves. Although we do homeschool all over the house, still, when it comes to organizing the homeschool stuff, I do *try* to keep it managed IN the homeschool room.
We started off with Ikea desks for each of the kids in the homeschool room, which is where they did their web based math. Those desks have migrated to their bedrooms by now (six years later).
Sort Everything
Once you’ve chosen your space, sort everything. Decide whether you will use a color code system, sort by subject, sort by age level, or sort by publisher. Since we school 3 different levels, for our books, my sorting just depends on what it is. Math stuff goes in one area, by level. Certain publishers together. For example, all of my upper level Apologia stuff is together. Some subjects I group together, like I do group my history books for teens, like those from the Tuttle Twins, together so my kids can find them easily when they want to read engaging stories that educate at the same time. We also have the Everything You Need to Ace collection that get grouped together, even though it’s not all the same subject. For literature, some things are grouped by age, some things are grouped by era, some things are grouped by where the setting is. For us, the randomization works, because my kids know, this is a subject shelf, this is a publisher shelf, this is an eclectic shelf, etc.
Pick your organization approach and stick to it. We do also have an area for things that don’t quite fit into a subject. I do think spending some time looking at how others organize in your type of space is helpful. As long as you remember that even the picture perfect homeschool spaces get used and aren’t picture perfect most of the time.
Have an area for completed assignments that you need to grade, as well. I try not to let this area pile up. If your students are writing assignments, be sure to use a plagiarism checker or AI checker to make sure they are the one’s writing them. I also use copyscape. Copy/paste makes it so tempting these days and kids are SAVVY.
Organize Your Digital Curriculum
Digital curriculum is amazing, but it can quickly become disorganized. Especially if you download a lot of free things (like I do). I try to organize my digital curriculum by subject and/or by publisher. For example, at one point, I used Gather Round Homeschool for our unit studies. These files I organize by publisher (GRH) and then by the year they are published. For other resources, I organize by subjects like math, social studies, etc. I often rename files to specifically list what it is and who it is from. For example, I recently received a free set of Water Cycle Worksheets from Rock Your Homeschool. The file I downloaded was labeled Water+Cycle+Worksheets. I renamed it to WaterCycleWorksheets_from_RockYourHomeschool in my digital folder, so I know when I go looking for it I can find it easily.
Use a Planner
I am a huge fan of things that reduce my daily workload. I use a digital homeschool planner that allows me to track all my kids work in one place. I know what they need to do, what they have done, and it helps me know how to plan.
If you prefer a paper planner, there are many to choose from. I even created a printable homeschool planner!
Whether you choose a digital planner or a paper planner, remember that using a planner will help you stay organized, which will help you keep your space organized.
Use Student Planners
Speaking of planners… give your kids a journal or a planner! Teaching them to be organized is also key to keeping your homeschool space and your homeschool curriculum organized. Teach them how to plan their day and their week, so that they can face the school day with confidence. Help them to remember to list things like sport activities, upcoming projects, and such, so that they can plan appropriately.
And understand that every kid is going to need to plan or organize differently. My kids are all VASTLY different in how they track assignments. One uses a phone to track all the things. One used a Google calendar with alarms and bells and whistles. One uses my brain power and theirs.
Use Assignment Binders
Sometimes your kids just need an assignment binder. We started using assignment binders when we switched to Gather Round. I keep their daily work in it, and they know when we’re on lesson 5, their doing everything under tab 5. I use side collated numbered tab dividers from ExhibitIndexes for each of their binders. Each kiddo has their own colored binder, so they know which one to grab. It has really cut down on time wasted.
Why Is It So Important to Organize the Homeschool Curriculum Right?
Keeping your curriculum organized, whether print or digital, is important. It helps keep you from making duplicate purchases when choosing a homeschool curriculum (ask me how I know). It helps you find things quickly when you need them. And it helps keep your homeschool from taking over your home.
This homeschool room is going to be converted into something else soon. Not sure what, yet, but with one going off to college in the fall, and one entering senior year, many of those books have hit the consignment shelves and my middle schooler doesn’t need a full library to herself, just one bookshelf.
Whatever your homeschool space is, find a way to organize your curriculum that works for you, and don’t be afraid to change it as your homeschool changes. Life ebbs and flows, and your homeschool will too. That’s the beauty of homeschool, you can change it as you need to.
***Article originally published in 2020, updated periodically as I think of things to add or edit.***
