Simple Organizational Systems for Your Homeschool that Work!

Homeschool organization methods should not be difficult to use and implement. Here are several I use day after day, year after year!

As a large family homeschooling mom, I am all about keeping things simple.  I already have enough to do without trying to make my life harder with planners I can’t keep up with, organizational systems that require me to be super hands on, and systems that only work for a little while before they have to be tweaked again.  

I just don’t have time for all that.

The internet is full of homeschool organizing advice, but for me, most of it is noise. I don’t have time for cutesy projects, wads of washi tape, or literally anything that takes more than 10 minutes to implement! 

So, let me offer you a few VERY simple, yet VERY effective homeschool organizational systems that actually work! And the best part is, they can be implemented in nanoseconds! (OK, I might be exaggerating there, but trust me – it’s fast!)

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Homeschool Organization with Cubbies

Each one of your children will have books, notebooks, and other homeschooling paraphernalia that will need to be kept neat and tidy. BUT, children cannot keep their stuff organized in an over-complicated system. They literally need to stow-and-go.

And CUBBIES are the best way to do this!

I do not even remember a time when I did not have a type of cubby available for every child’s homeschool-related materials.  This has been the #1 organizing system that has kept me sane over the years!  

Currently, we have soft-sided cubbies that fit into a shelf (see above). However, for years, we used cubbies that are open and stack (see below).

I bought mine at a discount store years ago, but I found these on Amazon that would be great.  The open-face makes it easy for kids to throw their books in (neatly, of course!), and they are big enough to hold lots of stuff!

Homeschool Organization with a Mom Notebook

I love notebooks! I use them for EVERYTHING! So, it would make sense that I would use them to plan my homeschool days.

In my book, Flexible Homeschool Planning, I go into depth about how I use my Homeschool Mom Notebook to plan.

You can also see my notebook in action by watching my video on Planning Tapestry of Grace:

And by reading my post on Simple Preschool Planning.

I literally use my notebooks for nearly everything I do as a teacher in our homeschool. It is simple, available, and flexible. And you get to tear out the pages when you are done!

Which brings me to my next simple homeschool organizational system…

Homeschool Organization with Checklists

Who doesn’t love a checklist?! You write it down. You mark it off. It is cheap entertainment for the average homeschool mom!

Checklists come in many different forms, but the ones that work the best are the ones that actually work! (Profound, huh?)  

Checklists need to be flexible because most homeschool days need to be flexible.  They should not confine you to dates and times.  And you need to be able to throw them away when you are done.

I have had a variety of checklists over the years including a simple sheet of paper with all the things I wanted to get done written on it so I could cross items off as I went.  (Like the one in THIS VIDEO.)

A type of checklist I used when I had a colicky baby and could get very little planning done was a simple index card checklist.

I made a checklist for each child, even those who could not read so I could help them with their list. I also made one for me. It included school work and chores and any other notes I needed to share with the kids.

I put these together every night (or in the morning before the kids got up).  It kept the household running and school on track. It was easy and it worked!

I have also made checklists for each lesson in a book with a space to write the date and mark it complete. These are super handy if you need to keep track of assignments, but have a more flexible homeschool schedule that doesn’t allow you to pre-write dates in.

Homeschool Organization with a Mom Basket

If you’ve been a reader of Raising Arrows very long, you know how much I LOVE my Mom Basket!  You can read more about it in this post:

Basically, this is where I keep everything I need to teach school at my fingertips.  I use a plastic tub or a basket, but you can use anything that fits your needs.  Just be sure to keep it in a place where you can easily access it! (And go through it occasionally, so it stays uncluttered!)

You can see my most recent Homeschool Mom Basket in this VIDEO:

Homeschool Organization needs to be easy!

At the end of the day, whatever homeschool organizational methods you choose, they need to be simple enough to implement and consistently use day after day. You do not want a clunky, overcomplicated system because you will not use it.

For more organizational methods that are easy to use (especially with a larger-than-average family!), check out my page: Large Family Homeschool Organization.

First published in June of 2016. Edited and republished in February of 2023.