- Cleaning
- Home Cleaning
Olivia Muenter Olivia Muenter
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Homeschooling is a big undertaking no matter what kind of home you live in. If you’re tight on space, though, it can be frustrating at best and downright chaotic at worst.
Like anything else when it comes to sending kids to school, the most important thing to remember for homeschooling is organization, organization, and more organization.Sure, if you are dealing with a cramped apartment or small home, you might have to get a little more organized than someone with an endless amount of rooms. But, hey, a little creativity only helps kids, right?
If you’re looking for some quick and easy ideas for homeschooling in small spaces, here are seven that will have you rethinking your at-home setup for the school year.
Transform a closet (or kitchen cabinet)
We all have one closet that is filled with… well, who knows what it’s filled with? That’s the point. Take that closet in your house and transform it into a homeschooling closet. This is where each and every homeschool supply will live. Even if you don’t do anything else when it comes to organization, having one area for storing homeschooling items will make cleanup that much easier.
Don’t have a free closet? Clean out a kitchen cabinet or drawer, and keep things in there. Not only will it force you to get rid of the kitchen items you never, ever use, but you’ll be really thankful to have a space to keep supplies that isn’t the kitchen table or couch.
Use rolling carts
A great solution for those who are tight on space is to use rolling carts as much as possible. This way, the kids can use the different compartments to store specific school supplies. Plus, you can roll the cart into another room or behind a curtain at the end of the day. You can even get multiple carts in different colors and designate certain colored carts for certain kids or school subjects.
Take advantage of the wall
No matter what, everyone has wall space. There are different school wall organizers available that strike a balance between functionality and style. If you don’t want to look at the organizer when school isn’t in session, keep it hidden behind a curtain.
And if you (or your kids) can’t seem to keep the school schedule straight, invest in a giant wall calendar that’s as cool-looking as it is helpful. If you go with a minimalist calendar like this, you could even consider purchasing tiny, colored sticker dots to indicate different assignments or tasks on different days. This way, things look neat and everyone is on the same page about scheduling.
Try a portable file folder
A system for paper clutter, like a portable file folder, is also important, says Anne Gopman, a professional organizer and owner of Organized by Anne. “Kids’ papers can be everywhere as they hop from Zoom meeting to Zoom meeting,” she says. “Swap out this year’s backpack for a file folder. Creating specific tabs for each class allows kids to pull out their papers as needed for each class—without taking up too much space.”
Laminate all the things
While you’re tackling paper clutter, consider laminating paper products to make them last as long as possible, as LarissaKrutewicz, the blogger behind Living in Color, demonstrates. This means no juice-stained papers and no crumpled or torn lessons that you’ll have to print more than once. It also makes cleanup a million times easier, plus allows you to disinfect pieces of paper or booklets.
Go vertical with storage, too
Another option for using wall space is to use a wall file folder.“Desk space can be a hot commodity. Don’t be afraid to go vertical to get a bit more storage and create a hub for all the kids’ needs,” Gopman says. This vertical file folder will allow you to keep supplies and papers handy without losing any real estate on your student’s desk.
Use a wall mount folding desk
This concept is simple, but incredibly effective. Get a desk that folds down from the wall, meaning it doesn’t take up any floor space when not in use. Place some plants (fake or otherwise) on the top of the desk station, and it’ll create an efficient and pleasant-looking space both when in use and when stowed away.
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Organizing
