My #1 Homeschool Organization Hack: Workboxes

Workboxes for Homeschool Organization

From the very beginning of our homeschool journey, I knew I would need some solid homeschool organization or we would all go crazy!  When I asked around, I heard lots of great homeschool organization ideas like checklists, color-coding, timers, and special shelves to hold books.  That’s when I stumbled across the idea of workboxes and I was hooked! The idea was intriguing and seemed super practical and achievable!

We started using workboxes our very first year homeschooling and they were so successful that we’ve never looked back!  Over the past nine years, lots of things have come and gone in our homeschool, but workboxes are here to stay! I made bright, engaging workbox labels for YOU, my readers, and I want to make them available to you for FREE if you’re planning to try workboxes this year.

What are workboxes?

Workboxes are a homeschool organization system where the student’s work is divided up and placed into small little boxes using a 10-drawer cart.  The idea is not unique to me! Students begin with box 1 and continue to box 10 to complete all assignments for the day. It is a simple way to set students up for success by building a consistent routine and providing easy organization.

For our workboxes, we snagged the 10-drawer organizer cart from Joanne Fabrics when they had them for 50% off!   You can also find them on Amazon, at Michael’s, and most craft stores but if you purchase them through the Amazon link below, I will earn a small commission.

If you don’t have a cart, I’ve also seen families create workboxes using smaller boxes placed on a shelf, a couple of 3-drawer storage cubes, or even a filing system.  Get creative!  Just make sure that whatever you choose can easily hold 8.5x 11 or larger folders and notebooks.  Some textbooks get pretty heavy and you need something robust enough to hold the weight!

READ: Top 10 Tips for New Homeschoolers

How do you label the drawers?

Each year, as I’m planning out our homeschool curriculum, I determine how to break down each child’s daily assignments into 10 tasks – one for each drawer.  This may rotate from year to year depending on what subjects we are studying.  Over the years, I’ve created workbox tags for all the basic core academic subjects such as reading, writing, handwriting, grammar, spelling, math, math facts, history, science, and reading alone.

Plus, I created a whole sheet of “other” subjects kids are likely to do over the years, too, like typing, coding, art, drawing, crafts, music, piano, foreign language, snack, movement, and Bible study. As a parent, after you have determined your child’s subjects and curriculum, you simply choose the labels you need to help establish a daily routine for schoolwork. Think about the best order for your child and attach your labels!

Some homeschool moms gets super creative with surprise drawers.  I’ve heard of folks who change them out every single day and fill them with little rewards and motivational fun stuff.   Ummm….not me.  I label them at the beginning of the year and they last all year.  We only change out materials as our assignments call for new books or paper.  Yikes!  Maybe I’m too boring, but we go for the practical. But, if you’re one of those fun homeschool moms, go for it!

How are workboxes helpful for homeschool organization?

Stay organized

Besides simply being an awesome homeschool organization tool, workboxes will make all of your lives so much easier!.  Many kids get overwhelmed each day in by their schoolwork.  A persistent banter emerges:  “Mom, what do I do next?  I don’t know what to do.  Where’s my book?  I can’t find my pencil.  How much more do I have to do?”    When using workboxes, a child has all of their books, paper, notebooks, and school supplies ready in each drawer.  No wasted time to go hunt stuff down. Workboxes help manage your child’s expectations and provide control over what needs to be accomplished.

A Sense of Accomplishment

With workboxes, kids work systematically from box 1 to box 10.  Each subject is broken down into a bite-sized manageable task that is absolutely achievable!  Kids feel a great sense of accomplishment from finishing a box, pulling off the number of the drawer and putting it on their progress chart.  Small goals met make for a great day!

Kids Know When They’re Done

No more whining, “When am I done?”  Your child knows he is done when he completes all 10 drawers! Plus, Mom can easily see where a child is in their schoolwork, too, just from a simple glance at their chart that is hung on the side of the cart. By the end of the day, kids should have the number tags 1-10 pulled off the drawers and stuck onto their chart. It is a physical and visual motivation for completing tasks!

READ: Should I Homeschool? 10 Key Questions to Help You Decide

School multiple kids

In our family, a huge advantage of workboxes for homeschool organization has been the ability to individualize instruction for multiple children.  Each child keeps all their materials in their own cart, with all the books and supplies they need within each drawer.  So, my 1^st grader has wide, dotted lined paper for beginning writers while my 6^th grader has college ruled paper.  If they regularly use a ruler or graphing paper for math, then that’s right there in the math drawer, too. We also keep a small 3-drawer cube on top of each child’s workbox cart with all of their pencils, crayons, scissors, erasers, and other needed school supplies.

Foster Independence

One of my favorite things about the workbox system has been that it encourages a child to be independent and to take responsibility for their own work.  We have a “turn in” basket where kids submit any daily work Mom needs to see.  But otherwise, the kids know that when they complete an assignment, they simply pull open the next drawer and begin the next task!  With a houseful of children, odds are I am busy helping somebody do something, so this idea of taking ownership of your own learning and working independently towards a daily goal has been fabulous!

How to set-up homeschool workboxes

It’s really pretty simple!  My daughter made this snazzy video while I was setting up our workboxes this year.  (Good job, honey!) Just download your FREE labels, watch the video then grab some scissors, tape, and velcro. You’re all set!

1. Print labels & numbers, cut (laminate if desired)
2. Tape them on
3. Add Velcro to numbers & workboxes
4. Attach the progress chart to the side of the cart
5. Load up the drawers!
6. Teach your kids how to use the system

The homeschool organization freebie comes with workbox labels for the 10 core basic subjects including boy or girl gender specific pictures plus over 40 extra labels for non-core subjects. It has bright, colorful numbers for your drawers or a set of basic black-and-white if it’s a little bit TOO much color for you. It also includes a 4 different progress charts you can use to track your student’s daily progress and a small clip-on motivation reward system. All free!

Truly, we love our workboxes for homeschool organization so much! It has helped us build a strong routine, nurture independence, and stay organized! Give it a shot and leave a comment to let me know how it goes.