Homeschool Supply List
What are my absolute must-have homeschool supplies? Mostly endless Costco-size packages of printer paper and Ticonderoga pencils. Like most homeschoolers, I’ve got a list of my absolute must-have items that I use pretty much daily! My favorite places to get stuff are Target, Costco, FiveBelow, Michaels, Dollar Tree, Etsy and my neighborhood “Buy Nothing” and “Swap” groups. ALWAYS check the “Buy Nothing” group first!! Amazon is there in a pinch and I did include some links to Amazon below but you can definitely get away with completely avoiding Amazon if you want to. Accessibility above all else, if Amazon is the best way to get the goods, do that!
1. PAPER, Blank Journals and Notebooks
We use a plastic 3 drawer organizer to keep wide rule lined, college rule lined and graph paper of various sizes. The printer/copy paper I buy at Costco lives next to our computer and there’s no question paper is our most popular must-have. I also keep a good amount of card stock on hand for projects, card and journal making
Blank Journals, notebooks and comp books are always good to have around too.
We also love the blank graphic novels! These are perfect for projects, focused subject or topic work, time sensitive stuff and for taking with us when we bounce around.
2. Pencils, Erasers & Pencil Sharpener
Pencils and erasers tie with paper for our #1 most used homeschool supply. I strongly prefer the Ticonderoga pencils and have a google alert set up so I get notified whenever they go on sale, but pencils are pencils so get them anywhere you can that’s cheap and in bulk. Also, even though we homeschool all year round, we do pay attention to those July and August “back-to-school” sales and visit our local 5 Below at that time to score some great deals on supplies. My kids go through erasers pretty quickly so I always keep a box of the Pink Pearls as well as the pencil toppers on hand.
I didn’t get a “legit-plug-in-pencil-sharpener” until 2020 and I have NO idea what I was waiting for. Get one of these ASAP. I also have little hand held sharpeners all over the place, but the heavy duty one on my desk is absolutely the queen of the castle. This is the one we have.
3. Dry Erase Boards & Markers
We use our dry erase boards EVERY DAMN DAY without fail. I have 4 of the 10x13 boards that are pretty mobile and easy to take with us when we are on the road. I also love having 4 boards because we can all work on one at the same time and still have one for our overview/lesson guide. We do have a giant wall board as well but use that much, much less and you can totally use the dry-erase paint (it does work) or a piece of plexiglass for that- also keep an eye on the neighborhood buy-nothing group for big dry erase boards or ask if anyone is doing an office clean out! For markers, I have the same philosophy I have with pens and pencils and that’s to always have a zillion- I order THESE packs once every 18 - 24 months and it works out well (we’re never wasting time looking for markers!)
4. Three-Tiered Cart
My kids each have their own three-tray cart organizer and we’ve had this system from day 1 of our homeschool journey. Just last year I got myself one too! These are not too pricey and don’t take up too much space. My kids’ trays are organized as follows: top is laptop, cord, headphones and mouse. Sometimes they keep their journals on the top too. Second shelf is their personal supply shelf- they each have their own tote with pencils, erasers, a pair of scissors, ruler etc. there- sort of like how I had a “tote tray” in my desk in elementary school. The bottom is anything they are presently working on so we don’t misplace it. This has saved lives and stress I can’t possibly sum up in one blog post. I recommend scoping for Michael’s coupons to score a great deal on one of these- also Michael’s always carries them in a really wide range of colors, if you’re the aesthetic type. You can also find them at JoAnn, Ikea and many other retailers. You may have noticed in the pic, we keep one on wheels and one with out- this is so they stagger a bit and make it easier for us to use them where they live- which is a bit of a tight space!
5. Plastic Snap Lid Boxes
12x12 Scrapbooking Paper Boxes are fantastic for taming messy collections or keeping “tricky to organize” items condensed. We use them to organize stickers, art supplies, work books, coloring books, magazines and more! These plastic boxes are also great for packing up an entire lesson and taking it on the road with you!
Plastic Pencil Boxes are another great way to keep small things from getting lost all the time. We keep scissors, pencils, dry erase markers, and glue sticks in them. I also have one that is labeled “travel” that has a bit of everything we’d need on the road and each kiddo has an empty one they can pack up with items of choice when we go places too! I used to use one of these to organize my garden seeds but had to upgrade the size of my seed storage this year.
6. Scissors and Adhesives
You will need more pairs of scissors than you have children, period. I highly recommend ordering a “class pack” of these and splitting with a friend so you have at least 3 pairs of scissors per kiddo in your home- the reduction of “where are the scissors” stress is 100% worth it. We keep about 10-12 pair in one of the plastic pencil box organizers, I have 2 pair in the travel pencil box and each kid has a “a personal pair” (their nicest pair) with their name on it in their supply tote on tray 2 of their tower organizers. We are never with out a pair of scissors.
The Adhesives Glue, Glue Sticks, Stapler, Tape Dispenser- We use adhesives for so many things, projects, books, art, presentations, writing activities, math, I could go on. I usually keep an eye out for bulk glue sticks when I’m running low- I snagged a 30 pack year before last for super cheap and they came out to less that $0.50 ea and we are still getting through the pack (mine are 7 & 10 so they’re pretty decent about getting the lids snapped back on). We do also have low-heat glue guns we use quite often (not pictured), and I recommend one of those for maker space and project fun too! My oldest is into making all kinds of amazing things with paper, and goes through QUITE a bit of tape- so having a dispenser we can refill is very helpful.
7. Binders and Sheet Protectors
Binders- Binders are a great way to organize your homeschool worksheets, work samples (we are required to periodically turn these in to the state/our homeschool program). We also use them to organize work or projects by person and by subject. Initially I bought a bunch of GIANT binders like 3” whoppers, but found having MORE of the smaller, 1/2” and 1” binders was far more efficient for us.
Sheet Protectors- Sheet protectors are soooooo useful. I organize work samples with sheet protectors, and the kids use them for presentations and projects. One of our FAVORITE uses for sheet protectors is using one to turn any worksheet or piece of paper into a dry erase surface! So awesome for math worksheets or anything you want to use more than once.
8. Clip Boards
Clip boards- Clip Boards are another necessity for homeschool on the go. I keep one in my car and each kiddo has a large and small one they can pack any time we roll out. I love the kraft/brown ones because they are easy to decorate with sharpie, the kids loved adding their own look to each board. The clear one in the back was my husband’s when he was soccer coaching, but it’s my favorite for on the go homeschool now, because I can fit the lesson papers inside and off we go!
9. A Visual Timer
We have TONS of different types of timers over here, but visual timers are our favorite. We started using the color-clock (Pictured, I don’t know what it’s actually called) and the sand timers when my youngest was in pre-school because telling a 3 year old we have to start getting ready in 5 minutes means absolutely nothing to them. Everyone in the house uses the timers for fun stuff, work stuff, school stuff, chore stuff etc. When they were younger, the timers really helped limit ME to keeping our learning within 10-15 minute blocks so they didn’t get bored or overwhelmed! Fun fact this is how I ended up following Domestic Blisters on TikTok- a video of hers came up on my FYP right when I joined and I was like, “I have that clock!” ::: hit follow immediately::: still one of my favorite creators, authors, amazing humans ever.
10. A Travel Bag or Backpack
Homeschoolers are not really HOME all that often, and you need a bag that can handle your bits! We love getting places before the field-trippers when traditional school is in session. I keep my giant tote ready to roll so there isn’t much packing for a homeschool-away-from-home day. we are up and out on adventures every week. I do take a backpack sometimes depending on the nature of the trek. The items I keep in the bag at all times are: a wee first aid kit, a clipboard, paper/notebook, and travel plastic pencil case with supplies (pencils, erasers, small pencil sharpener, colored pencils, a few sharpies, a glue stick).
BONUS BITS! Good to keep around…
These didn’t make my top 10 but I didn’t feel like this post was complete with out them!
Library card- we go to the library at least 2 or 3 times a month. The Los Angeles County Public Library system is AMAZING and always has fun art and literature kits for the kids, a HUGE range of LGBTQIA+ books, and everyone there is super nice! Definitely check out your local library or larger county/state library system- they often offer incredible resources like microscopes, compasses, account access to paid programs like Brain Pop/Brain Pop Jr, classes, read aloud days, guest speakers, art & literature kits, and so much more!
Label Maker- Labeling our organization systems has been a key stress reliever throughout our homeschool journey. This can be an actual machine thingy like the one I’ve had for about 20 years, or it can be a strip of paper and some tape. I didn’t start using the machine until recently because when my kiddos were pre-readers, I would draw a picture of the item and write the word under it. We did this on their dresser drawers too so they were able to put laundry away and find what they needed to get dressed! This help them experience more independence because they are able to find and put away all of their supplies at any given time!
Extra cords, chargers and computer mouse bits-Buying extra laptop cords and charger cords seemed silly at first, but it’s been so helpful to have them when the main cord is nowhere to be found, the battery is on 2% and an Outschool class starts in 5 min. it’s inevitable over here, we leave laptop cords, computer mouse dongles (and the mouse itself sometimes) and phone chargers everywhere so I have a box with back ups that has made our weekly schedule less stressful!
An Art Cart/Makers Space is another great use for the three-tiered cart I talked about earlier in this post. I wrote a bit more about how we do our Maker’s Space area HERE, but do recommend having a baseline of art supplies- some crayons, yarn, paper towel rolls, egg cartons, milk jugs and google-eyes. We also have low-heat glue guns (that do still singe ya!) that we love. Check with your local library and art store to see if they provide free craft kits from time to time- ours (Los Angeles Public Library) does!
Paper Cutter- This one could go in the “optional” category, especially if you have a super steady hand. I do not. We use it often during projects and to cut card stock. I didn’t add this to our supply area until 2020 when the mega-pencil-sharpener joined the crew, but I do love it and use it weekly.