Must-Have Homeschool Resources {Blog Hop}

Welcome to the second day of the NOT Back to School Blog Hop hosted by the Homeschool Review Crew. All week, seasoned homeschool moms are sharing their expertise. Today’s topic is on must-have homeschool resources.

(This post contains some affiliate links. See my disclosure.)

I start feeling the urge for back to school plans when the store ads begin to display supplies. From crayons to spiral notebooks, I eagerly watch for sales. Back to school sales are where I begin stocking up on all the basic supplies.

If you’re new to homeschooling, do not hesitate to buy extra. You will be surprised at all the pencils, notebooks and gluesticks your kids will go through in a school year. This is the best time for sales. We have found our extra stock of items also come in handy in November when we participate in Operation Christmas Child.

I have a lot of favorite resources. My list changes each year based on the ages and needs of my kids. These are must-have tools I’ve added to our homeschool.

All grades and ages

• Prayer – Before you do anything, pray for wisdom….also patience….and grace…..oh mercy, just pray!
• Books – If you don’t have a home library, start building one with quality books. Nurturing a love of books is the beginning of growing life long learners.
• Library Card – If your library is closed for social distancing, see if they offer curbside pick up or electronic checkouts.
• Wall Map of the world and the United States – these really are helpful for history and geography studies.
• Globe – A small inexpensive one will do. It helps give students perspective a wall map can’t. If you’re unsure, compare the size of Greenland on a map to that of a globe.
• Emergency Chocolate – Stash some quality chocolate where the kids will absolutely not find it. Trust me, there will be days you need it. When that day comes, remind yourself: Homeschooling is not always easy, but it is worth it.
• The Old Schoolhouse Magazine – has provided me with years of ideas and encouragement!

Preschool

This is such a fun age. Must have resources are activities to encourage play and the development of fine motor skills.

• Crayons, stickers, craft supplies, paint dots, puzzles, etc.
• Get a laminator! There are so many resources for online printables. Print and laminate the activity. I made busy bags to organize and rotate activities. I will be sharing specific sites to find printables in tomorrow’s post on curriculums.
• Nap/quiet time – Yes, this is a resource, and it’s a must-have! If your kids don’t nap, have them read quietly on their bed for one hour. This is a great habit to continue as they get older.

Elementary

• Workboxes – A drawer organizer is awesome to keep kids on task. Put the assignment for each days work in a drawer, and your student starts at the top and works down. I’ll be sharing more about workboxes on Friday.
• Whiteboard – If you have a place for one, they are a must-have for visual learners.
• 3 Hole Punch
• Electric pencil sharpener
• Games – Have fun and enjoy your kids! Calling a game day is an amazing reset to a hard week.
• Dictionary – Teach them to use a good old fashioned page-turning dictionary before using electronic resources.
• Quiet time – One hour of quiet reading.
• Emergency Chocolate – See the instruction above, only upgrade to a slightly higher quality of chocolate. A bad math day requires quality chocolate.

Middle School and High School

• Mechanical pencil – If they start sharpening pencils every 3 minutes during math or report writing, they are stalling. You will want to hide the electric pencil sharpener before the grinding drives you insane.
• Fitness Ball – a must-have if you have a kinesthetic learner. Moving helps these kids learn, so you must be intentional about not saying, “Be still and listen!” I’ll be sharing more on Thursday’s topic of how I teach.
• Emergency Chocolate – Even if they haven’t found your stash, they know you have it. It’s okay to share. Their hormones are as hard on them as you.

I could go on to list many more resources, but these are the ones I’ve continued to use and add to. Homeschooling is an extension of my home. I want to provide my kids with the resources to become critical thinking life long learners.

If you’re looking for homeschooling curriculum ideas, please return tomorrow. It is one of my favorite homeschool topics. I will be sharing a number of ideas and links to favorite curriculum sites.

Find more ideas for homeschooling resources being shared through this blog hop by my fellow Homeschool Review Crew members. Click on the links below.