Homeschooling Needs
For part of 2025, I have decided to do blog posts centering around frequently asked homeschool questions. I have been asked these questions or seen them in various online spaces. This post will dive into the "needs" of homeschooling. With public school, you often have a list of two or three school supplies to buy, while homeschooling requires fewer items. However, as the years have gone by, we've found that some things have become very handy for us. I have taken the time to compile our list of things here.
The most basic thing you need in your homeschool is STUDENTS (ha ha…). But more seriously, you need a plan; even if you're unschooling, you still need to plan —that's what you're doing so that you can track what's going on at the back of your mind.
I've reviewed what we've purchased over the years and continue to use it year after year. I will explain some of them and their multiple purposes or uses as well.
Bare Minimum Basics: Paper, Pencils, Crayons, Scissors, Loose Leaf Paper, and Glue. These things, such as traditional public schools, are used extensively from preschool to even high school. However, we do prefer Ticonderoga pencils, glue sticks, and twistable crayons over others.
Nice To Have: Spiral Notebooks, 3-Hole Punch, Pencil Cases, small art boxes, stapler, and ruler. We use spiral notebooks as journals, a 3-hole punch for storing papers and other items, and pencil cases to help the kids keep their pencils and pens together. We use small art boxes and a prominent art box organizer for supplies (especially on the road). We have a mini stapler on the road and a bigger one at home. Rulers are nice, but we have also used a tape measurer in a pinch.
Not Necessary But Nice to Have:
Flex Binders, Laminator Spiral Binder, page protectors, and an iPad/Laptop/Computer/Kindle. I use Flex binders for many of my teaching materials. It allows me to create instructor guides and separate worksheets, with the freedom and flexibility to add or remove content as needed. They also are a lot easier to store and keep than traditional 3-ring binders (though we do have some of those as well). I use page protectors in my flex binders and 3-ring binders.
I group worksheets and protect instructor guide pages in them as well. In the early years, a laminator was really handy. I only use it now, maybe once or twice a year, to preserve a few things, so while it's not essential, it's not a bad investment. Because we travel, having an electronic device is helpful. We have been using an iPad or a laptop for various purposes for multiple years. We use the iPad for ABC Mouse, Letter Tiles with our Reading/Spelling Program, Rosetta Stone, and Duolingo, as well as YouTube. We use a laptop or computer for learning typing and typing final drafts. We also let the big girls use the computer for practicing video editing and learning other computer components as their interest has grown. I utilize my Kindle a lot for school. I have had a few of the textbooks on for the kiddos that were cheaper digitally than physically (plus easier to transport). I also use the Kindle for picture books with preschool right now.
While not a huge list, I still like to stock up on school supplies when they're on sale for public schools. I have also been able to participate in several teacher discounts.
I hope this post has answered any questions you may have about what you need to homeschool. You may not need any of these things, and that's fine. However, if you have questions, feel free to comment under this blog post or contact me via our Facebook Page or Instagram. For more in-depth conversations, check out our Facebook Parent Group.
Remember that this post is part of a series of FAQ's regarding homeschooling. This is the proposed schedule of past and future topics:
February
How do I start?
Am I even qualified to Teach My Child?
March
Who Holds You Accountable?
But What About Graduating and Issuing a Diploma?
April
What Should My Child Be Learning?
How Do I Choose Curriculum and What About the Cost?
May
How Long Does It Actually Take?
But What About Socialization?
June
What is the Hardest Part?
What Types of Schooling Are There?
July
What Do I Need to Homeschool?
How Can I Be Around My Kid All Day?
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