Create a space that kids can use to do their homework. Get tips for how to organize a homework station and what to include in a homework caddy.
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Tips for an Organized Homework Station
School is almost in session and now is the time to get organized for the after school homework hustle. Whether your kids are in elementary school or high school, they most likely come home with some school work. Set your kids up for homework success with an organized homework station. Are you not sure how to get started? Here are some tips on how to set up a homework station.
1. Decide on the best location to do homework.
First things first, it is important to pick out a good spot to do homework. Older kids might prefer a desk or table in their rooms. Younger kids might need to be in the main spaces of the home so you can help them when questions arise.
Also, some kids need complete quiet to do homework while others kids like to have some background noise.
Kids do not necessarily need a designated desk. But is is nice for them to have a specific homework spot that they can go to each day.
When my kids were online learning last year, I carved out some room in my home office. It was a perfect spot for my youngest spot to study in. I was nearby to help him with questions and it was out of the way from the rest of the house (which can be noisier).
It is important to be sure that the homework station has good lighting! You might need to purchase a small table lamp if there is bad lighting. One of these simple desk lamps will offer plenty of lighting for homework.
2. Remove potential distractions.
It is easy to get distracted while doing homework. Kids go to school for a full day then come home and spend 30 minutes to several hours doing homework. It is no wonder they can have a hard time focusing.
You can set your kids up for success by anticipating potential homework distractions.
They should be away from electronics including phones and TV.
Some kids can not do homework near their siblings. So, let each kid have the space he needs. Pets can even be distracting! Figure out what gets your kids off track and try to eliminate those potential set backs. You can even talk with your kids about what those issues might be and work together to come up with solutions.
3. Provide the right tools.
Make sure your student has all the right supplies to do homework. This includes sharpened pencils, note cards, highlighters, calculator and paper. Depending on the grade level of your kids, you might need more or less supplies.
The biggest time waster is having your kids track down all the supplies they need for a particular assignment. So, make sure the homework station is fully stocked with the supplies they need.
4. Keep supplies organized with a homework caddy.
The best way to keep a homework area organized is to have a homework caddy. Essentially, you want to gather up all the school supplies your kids will need to do homework.
I like to use leftover school supplies from the previous school year to stock our homework caddy. We are at the point now that the kids do homework in different spots in the house. My older two kids do homework in their rooms while my youngest likes to do his at the kitchen counter.
So, I made individual homework caddies for each of the kids! You can find containers to use for homework caddies at Target, Homegoods and even the Dollar Store. I still use a big supply caddy that all of the kids utilize. But then, they have individual supplies for their own desks.
I plan to give my kids these individual homework buckets at our annual Back-to-School dinner celebration.
It is nice for each of the kids to have their own supplies. This year, I made sure all of the kids had a small stapler. I also will sharpen all of the pencils! Then, there is no time wasted dealing with un sharpened pencils!
What do you put in a caddy for homework?
Depending on the grades of your kids, you will need different supplies.
At a minimum the homework caddy should include:
- Pencils
- Pens
- Highlighter pens
- Index Cards
- Post it Notes
- Ruler
- Calculator
- Scissors
- Glue/Tape
- Graph Paper and Loose Leaf Paper
- Markers/Crayons
- Colored Pencils
I can not tell you how helpful it is to have a container of supplies for homework. There have been many times in the past that my kids are tracking down scissors or another school supply for a project. They end up spending so much time looking for something which delays the start of their homework time!
5. Set up a homework routine.
I thought I had the perfect homework routine for all of my kids. My older two kids always came home from school and had a snack and started homework. Then, my youngest son threw me for a loop when he resisted doing homework right after school. I tried to stick to the same routine I had done with the older kids, but I finally realized he needed a little bit different routine.
There is no right or wrong homework routine. You have to figure out what works best for each of your kids. Some kids need some downtime before starting on homework and other kids prefer to get things done right away.
Often times, evening activities an dictate when homework needs to be done. Now, my older two often have after school activities so they can not get homework done until the evening.
Decide on a homework plan at the beginning of the year and make sure all of your kids are on board. Then, if you need to make changes with the routine, adjust your routine accordingly.
6. Organize the homework station daily and weekly.
Are you kids neat and tidy or does their work space look like an absent minded professor? All of my kids have homework spaces that look like the latter. When a homework space gets messy, it is hard to find the tools the kids need. Plus, it can be very distracting to have a messy homework environment.
Each day have the kids clean up their homework area. Then weekly, go through paperwork and supplies and discard unwanted items.
7. Make changes to the homework set up as needed.
Perhaps you start with a homework station in one spot and you realize it is not working for your student. It is never too late to make changes.
Each child might need a little bit different space. If you find that the location is too distracting for your child or perhaps too remote (and you can not keep an eye on him when needed), make a change!
Homework Organization Supplies
I’ve rounded up some homework organization supplies. Most of these items we have at home including the three tiered rolling cart (perfect for art supplies!).
Are your kids ready for the first day of school? Now is the time to get organized for back-to-school, so that your kids can have a great start to the school year!
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I’ve teamed up with Keri Lynn Snyder to share our best back-to-school tips.
Read her tips for Prepping Your Home for the Start of School!
More School Organization Posts You Might Like:
How to Organize Kids Art Supplies
How to Set up a Small Homeschool Space
You always have the best organization ideas- love everything about this!