The Ultimate Homeschool Classroom Supplies List for Beginners
I’m sure you’ve asked yourself, “What do I need for homeschooling?”
Jumping into homeschooling is overwhelming. But checklists and step-by-step guides can simplify the experience.
And through trial and error, you’ll get the hang of it.
When I first started homeschooling, when the whole world went online, I was a bit lost about what materials I should have for day one. I was on a budget—like most homeschooling houses!—and I needed a list of homeschool essentials.
Based on experience, I slowly created my list of supplies that includes all the homeschool must-haves.
Now I want to share with you the things we can’t live without!
Note: All of the products I recommend below are not affiliate links; they’re just my favorite things!
The Ultimate Homeschool Supplies List
This list shows what I find helpful and includes everything you could need as you journey into the world of homeschooling.
Obviously, you may add more things depending on your family’s needs. If you are following, for example, Waldorf or Montessori philosophy, you might need more specific items for kindergarten or early elementary.
I organized the list into different categories so it’s easier to look for missing items. Specific recommendations are based on the quality of the supplies and not because I receive commissions.
Regular Items
- Pencils: You can’t live without them, and I’d recommend buying a bunch—no matter how many you have, they always get lost.
- Paper: Lined, graph, printing. You’ll use it for doodling, writing assignments, explaining math, and many other things.
- Subject Notebook: It might seem traditional, but believe me, teaching your kid to take notes and keeping all the things in one place can be very useful
- Glue: I think glue sticks are the most useful and the cleanest to use, but you may also buy some specific glues for gluing cardboard, wood, metal, and other things you might need.
- Scissors: The ones with rounded ends work best for preschool kids, but you should also get some excellent ones for yourself.
- Markers: You can go fancy here, as kids tend to go crazy about markers. You can use them for lettering, drawing, or any art project.
- Colored construction paper: You will use it for posters, bookmarks, and many crafts
- Pencil erasers: They also get lost easily, so buy in bulk.
- Chalk and chalkboard or markers and a whiteboard: Some kids may be allergic to chalk, so check it beforehand.
- Mini Dry Erase Boards: Buy one for each child. You’ll save on paper if you use it to practice things you don’t have to save for later.
- Page Tabs/Post It Notes: You can write notes, use them to mark pages in books and notebooks, and for any reminders.
- Hole Punch, Staple, and Staplers: I’m sure you know why you must have them.
- A Calendar and Timetable: I would buy a big calendar to write on and a weekly timetable to write down your homeschooling schedule.
- Tape (various types): A transparent one is a must, but you may also get some more specific ones if you feel you need them.
- Pencil Sharpener: An electric sharpener might seem fancy initially, but you’ll thank me if you buy one now. It will keep you from getting blisters on your fingers.
- Corkboard: It’s an essential item on every homeschooling desk.
- Thumb tacks: To put items on your corkboard.
- Paper clips: You’ll need them for organizing your papers.
- Blu tack: You can quickly paste anything your child makes on the wall, and they’ll be proud of themselves.
- Laptop/Chromebook/desktop computer + internet connection: It’s an absolute must. And although there are many great things you can do on an iPad or Tablet and use educational apps, some skills can only be learned on a computer. I know that Macbooks are more expensive, but they last for ages.
Hear Your Child Speak Spanish! Your Free Trial Class Is Waiting ➡️
Organization
The following list will give you ideas for organizing your homeschooling materials.
- Folders: It’s a must to help organize all your stuff. You can label them based on the subject and keep all your printed materials there.
- File Folders: These are great for lapbooks.
- Plastic folders: You will need them to keep your homeschooling files together, the homeschool schedule, records, curriculum plans, etc.
- Pencil boxes: You need to store your pencils somewhere, don’t you? You can also get a desktop carousel.
- Binder Rings: They are very useful for stacking flashcards stack.
- Brass Fasteners: You can use them in lapbooks, for example
- Permanent markers: Great for labeling anything you might need.
- Dividers: They will help you organize your worksheets and materials in a folder.
- Index Card and Box: You can use them to teach vocabulary, Math formulas, games, speech notes, and many others.
- Workboxes: Workboxes help you store your materials, manipulatives, art supplies, and anything you need. You can even customize the colors to fit your homeschool room design.
- I like 10-Drawer Mobile Organizers in Assorted Colors, but you can find them in many places.
Homeschool Math Supplies
- Counters: Anything works here. Marbles, clothes pins, beans, glass pebbles, or anything else your child might like to touch.
- Balance Scale: We use it for Math, but it works great for many STEM projects. The one we have, edx Education Student Math Balance, is built-to-last and I recommend it for younger kids.
Homeschool Science Supplies
- Safety Goggles: One per child. There’s no way you can do science experiments without them.
- Protective gloves: Buy some disposable ones to protect your kid’s hands.
- Scientific thermometers: They tend to be expensive, but you can get a cheaper one here. You’ll need it to measure temperature in liquids, semi-solids, and gasses.
- Scientific Lab Scale: Bonvoisin Digital Lab Scale is very accurate and not expensive.
- Graduated Cylinder Set: The SUPERELELE Set contains cylinders and beakers.
- Metric ruler: It will also work for Math.
- Microscope: Maybe you can live without it if you have younger kids, but if yours are 11 or older, it’s high time to get one. Check out How To Find The Best Microscope For Homeschool Science to find one that suits you.
- Prepared slides: You can buy some for elementary and Intermediate levels.
- Prepared kits: You can also buy on Amazon different kits to cover science units such as SmartLab Toys Squishy Human Body or 4M Toysmith, Solar System Planetarium, STEM Toy Rock Science Kit Geology, or a Molecular Set.
- Science Test Tubes: I like the Fun Express Kids Test Tubes with stands, as they are sturdy and solid.
Homeschool Geography Supplies
- Wall Map: Buy a good one, which must last for years. You should get a World Map and another one from your home country.
- Globe: You can get a plain one, but younger kids can also be motivated by the interactive games and activities.
- Student Atlas: Atlases have more varied information than maps, so I recommend getting one.
Homeschool Art Supplies
Apart from other useful items for Arts and Crafts that I already mentioned in the regular list, you’ll also need the following:
- Paints & brushes (tempera, washable, watercolor): It depends on how many different techniques you want your child to explore.
- Butcher paper rolls: It’s great for doodling and sketching.
- Large sheets of paper: Useful for more formal projects that you might want to display.
- Washable Crayola Markers/Crayons/Pencils: These are absolutely necessary for coloring and craft projects.
- Tongue Depressor sticks: You can use them to make puppets, flashcards, and many other things.
Homeschool Useful Extras (printer, laminator, Boogie Board)
- Laminator: If you want your printed work to last longer, these are a must. A laminator is also useful for preparing games, materials to use with dry-erase markers, or any display. Thermal Laminator works great for home use, and its laminating speed is satisfying.
- Printer, ink: I have a Canon TS5120 Wireless All-In-One Printer with Scanner and Copier that lets us print from a phone and tablet, and it works great. It can also print photos, and I found the ink cartridges very long-lasting.
Learn more about Homeschool Spanish Academy and Our K-12 Spanish Programs!
Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these
“It’s a great way to learn Spanish, from native Spanish speakers in a 1-on-1 environment. It’s been fairly easy to schedule classes around my daughter’s other classes. The best value for us has been ordering multiple classes at a time. All the instructors have been great!”
– Cindy D, Parent of 3
“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. I have appreciated the one on one interaction and teaching that my son gets from his teachers. He has gotten to know his teachers, which has increased his confidence in speaking Spanish. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”
– Maple, Parent of 3
“My Son, Heath, is taking the classes. He’s been with Luisa the entire time and we absolutely love her. She is always patient and is a great teacher. Heath’s dad speaks Spanish so they get to have little conversations.”
– William R, Parent of 3
Ready To Start Homeschooling?
Remember, this is the ultimate list, and you might not need all of these things at once. I recommend you go back to it yearly to update your supplies.
I’m sure that with time, you will create your own list that works best for your family.
Get more amazing homeschool content. It’s for you!
- Revamp Your Homeschool Spanish Journey with AI Magic
- How You Can Encourage Your Child To Speak Spanish at Home
- Keep Your Spanish Skills Sharp Over Summer Vacation
- Discover the Joy of Learning Spanish with Summer Fun Activities
- What Is An Umbrella School?
- The Best Homeschool Spanish Curriculum at HSA
- From Burnout to Balance: Creating a Healthy Happy Homeschool Routine
- 10 Homeschooling Styles You Need to Explore in 2023
- The Ultimate Guide to the Differences Between ‘Pero’ and ‘Sino’ in Spanish - December 26, 2024
- Common Irregular Informal Commands in Spanish - November 29, 2024
- Dialect vs Accent: Is It a Language, Dialect, or Accent? - November 14, 2024
