Are you looking for homeschool room ideas? Take a peek inside our homeschool room and see the exact furniture we use and where you can get it!
We’ve been homeschooling for over a decade and while some things change from year to year depending on the needs and ages of the kids, other homeschool room ideas are staples. And after this many years, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t.
Do I have to have a dedicated homeschool room?
No, you don’t have to have a dedicated homeschool room. Many homeschool families function just fine using the kitchen table and couch!
You also don’t need anything fancy or expensive. And you certainly don’t need an overly cute Pinterest perfect school room. Simple and practical is best! It just has to work for you and your kids.
What you do need, however, is a definite landing spot for all the books, papers, school supplies, etc., so that your kitchen table and family room aren’t completely cluttered all the time with school materials. Plus a few other must-haves outlined below.
Take a peek inside our homeschool room and see the exact items we use!
Our homeschool room ideas
Furniture
At the very least in a homeschool room, you need a good table and shelves! I prefer a round table for schooling younger kids because I can easily see and reach them. But as my kids have gotten older, around upper elementary, they have wanted their own space, like a desk. So we do a combination of both.
And the other huge must-have in a homeschool room is good, strong shelving. As a homeschooler, you accumulate lots and lots of books. Good shelves are a must-have for staying organized in your homeschool room. Allow for more space than you think to allow for more books in future!
These are the exact furniture items in our homeschool room:
32″ Modern Pedestal Small Table
Why it works for homeschool: This table is small so it’s easy to reach and teach my kids on either side of me. It wipes clean really well with a wet cloth from crayon and pencil marks. It’s sturdy and the perfect height! Plus, I like the white color and natural wood, modern look.
Pre Assembled Modern Style Dining Chair
Why it works for homeschool: These chairs perfectly match the table above. They also wipe up easily from crayon and pencil marks. They’re comfortable for adults and kids both!
6-Tier High Bookshelf
Why it works for homeschool: Strong, sturdy bookshelves are a must-have in any homeschool room. Trust me, your book collections will grow and grow every year that you homeschool, so allow plenty of shelf space with growing room.
39-inch Computer Desk
Why it works for homeschool: This computer desk is so sleek, simple, and pretty! These have held up well and allow just the right surface area for older kids who need space for a computer and open textbooks. This desk comes in 3 different sizes. We have the 39-inch, but it really measures 40 inches. Love these so much! We have three!
Contemporary Upholstered Dining Chair (Set of 2)
Why it works for homeschool: For the desks above, my kids use these dining chairs. They are wonderfully padded making them super comfortable. My older kids use these and really love them!
Organization
Once you have the furniture basics in place, it’s time to start thinking about your homeschool room organization. We use the workbox system to keep our subjects organized. We love it! We’ve been using this system for over a decade with great success.
In a nutshell, the workbox system is where you put the books, notebooks, and any materials needed for a certain subject in a separate drawer then arrange the drawers in order of your child’s schedule. Your kids simply start at drawer #1 and go through each drawer to complete their schoolwork for the day.
10 Drawer Rolling Storage Cart
Why it works for homeschool: These 10 drawer carts are the heart of our workbox system for organization in our homeschool room. They house all the books, papers, materials, and everything the kids need to complete their daily work. These are a must-have! They come in multiple colors and even plain white if you’re going for a neutral look.
3 Drawer Storage Organizer
Why it works for homeschool: We use this 3-drawer organizer to hold all the school supplies: pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, flashcards, etc. There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting down to start school when someone can’t find their pencil. This helps us keep each child’s supplies at-hand. They sit on top of the 10 drawer carts above.
Command Medium Matte Black Wall Hooks
Why it works for homeschool: We attached these hooks to the black legs of the above desks. My kids hang their headphones on them so they never get lost! They’re strong and sturdy.
Plastic Storage Bins
Why it works for homeschool: These bins are the perfect size for storing children’s chapter books standing upright. The books take up less space on the shelf if I put the books inside bins first, leaving the lids off. Plus, it allows use to organize the books by year.
Technology
In our house, we use Nicole the Math Lady to outsource our math. Yep, that’s right! I don’t teach math. Nicole does it for me and it’s awesome! You can read my review of her program to learn more about Nicole.
But that means my older kids need access to a computer for their math lesson. They also use computers for writing papers and typing. As they’ve grown, we’ve also used them for other online classes, and they enjoy using them to listen to music as they do school. A basic computer is all they need!
Another must-have in a homeschool room is a good all-in-one color printer that can also make photocopies. We use our printer/copier all-in-one almost on a daily basis.
Dell Inspiron 15.6 Inch Laptop
Why it works for homeschool: Students don’t need a super fancy computer, just a basic machine to run word processing and basic presentations. These are good, tried-and-true student laptops.
Lenovo Thinkpad
Why it works for homeschool: We’ve also had great luck with Lenovo ThinkPad’s for our kids. And having a model that is touchscreen, has a stylus, and can flip into tablet mode is a really nice feature for portability around the homeschool room.
Kids Bluetooth Headphones
Why it works for homeschool: These wireless headphones come in several colors and are small sized to perfectly fit elementary age kids. Plus, sound quality is great and they pair easily with devices through Bluetooth. If you have more than one child, you definitely need to invest in some headphones so they don’t bother one another in the homeschool room.
Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth
Why it works for homeschool: My older kids prefer wireless earbuds instead of headphones. These comes in lots of fun colors!
HP OfficeJet Pro 8139e Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer
Why it works for homeschool: It’s absolutely essential in a homeschool room to have a printer that can also make photocopies! A color printer is an added plus. We use this on a daily basis. And I love the instant ink which means I never run out of ink ever! Wow!
Surge Protector Power Strip with USB Ports
Why it works for homeschool: You can never have enough power outlets or USB ports! This little power strip gets the job done!
Teaching Materials
Finally, the last homeschool room ideas I’ll share are related to the larger year-after-year things you’ll need to teach your lessons.
For starters, a good magnetic whiteboard is a must! And each of my kids uses a small personal whiteboard for math and other subjects as well.
We also have another whiteboard, this one measuring 36×24 inches dedicated solely to our All About Spelling hands-on letter tiles for our spelling lessons. We like to keep this one set up all year round with the letter tiles so the kids can practice their words.
You can find out more about why we use the All About Spelling program, but in a nutshell, it’s the best homeschool spelling curriculum I’ve ever seen.
Another must-have for you homeschool room is a globe or world wall map of some kind. We use both! Depending on what your student is learning, you might like a map of the United States as well. My preference for wall maps is the large wall decal stickers that are removable and re-stickable. You can also write on them with dry erase markers, which is really fun!
Personal Size Dry Erase Boards
Why it works for homeschool: Each of my kids has their own whiteboard! They prefer dry erase for solving math problems instead of traditional pencil and paper. Plus, these store easily inside the 10-drawer rolling carts listed above.
36x 24 in. Dry Erase Board
Why is works for homeschool: A good magnetic dry erase board in a homeschool room is an absolute must! I use it daily for teaching. Some like a larger size, but I find the 36×24 or the 18×24 inch to be just the right size. Buy two! If you use All About Spelling like we do, you’ll need one board just to house your spelling tiles and the other for teaching everything else!
Dry Erase Erasers
Why it works for homeschool: These erasers are small and magnetic, so they don’t get lost! Lots of colors means all the kids are happy. Plus, we use a Sharpie and draw fun pictures or write names on the outside. They work great!
World Map Wall Decal
Why this works for homeschool: No school room is complete with a world map! We use our map frequently as we learn history & geography. This one is a wall decal – like a large sticker. It won’t damage the wall and is removable and re-stickable. Plus, you can draw on it with dry erase markers!
World Globe
Why it works for homeschool: A globe is another classic must-have in a homeschool room!
Paper Cutter
Why it works for homeschool: I use a paper cutter way more than I would have thought! It’s great for making flashcards.
How to set up a homeschool classroom
Many families prefer to have a dedicated homeschool room. It’s true! It does make it easier to keep everything together!
That being said, the room we use is nothing fancy or huge. We used to school in the “office” of the house but this year we shuffled things around, got rid of our formal dining set, and converted the dining room into our homeschool room. You have to find what works for your family.
Keep screens in view at all times
In our homeschool room, I place the round table towards the front of the room where I work with my little one, while the older kids work at their desks in front of us against the wall. That way, I can keep all screens in my view at all times to make sure everyone is on task if online. There are many temptations online and lots of ways to waste time, so keeping a close eye on screens is really important as you setup your homeschool room.
Keep it simple
However you homeschool, I hope the items shared above that will make it easier to set up your own classroom. And isn’t it fun to see homeschool room ideas from veteran homeschool moms?
Just don’t overthink it! Your homeschool room does not need to be perfect, just functional. Go for practicality over beauty. While I sometimes wish we had more space or our homeschool room was prettier, it definitely gets the job done. It’s comfortable and all we need. And that’s what matters!
Happy homeschooling!
If you’re new to homeschooling, grab a copy of my book that will walk you through getting started step-by-step!
Heading into Homeschool
If you’re ready to jump into homeschooling for the first time, this how-to guide by experienced homeschooling mom of four will provide you with ALL THE KNOW-HOW YOU NEED to get started confidently and stress-free. This easy read will walk you step-by-step through your homeschool preparation.
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