Looking for some back to school organization? Our portable homework station is the perfect solution for helping families with their homework struggles.
PORTABLE HOMEWORK STATION
Homework is a reality many families deal with during the busy school year, and it helps to have a homework station that fits the needs of your kids!
With school starting for many families everywhere, homework is going to be something we are all facing. My kids started back to school recently and I knew that I needed to get our homework station organized so that it was easy to use and stocked with all the homework supplies they would need to be successful.
My kids like to do their homework in various places around the house. While they usually end up in the kitchen working on their homework, I sometimes find them at the kitchen table, or the kitchen counter while I am preparing dinner. But they have also been found sprawled on the couch or the floor of one room or another depending on their mood.
HOMEWORK ORGANIZATION
As much as I would love to have a dedicated homework spot, this hasn’t been a very realistic situation in our home over the years. Especially because each kid is so different in how they approach getting their homework done. Can you relate?
So I decided that the best way to approach homework organization was to create a central cupboard in the kitchen that had all of our homework supplies in it. But then I created a portable homework station with this homework supplies caddy so that the kids could move it around if needed.
HOMEWORK SUPPLIES
What homework supplies should be included in your homework station? Anything that your kids will be needing to use while they work on their homework. These supplies will greatly vary depending on the age of your child and the classes they are doing homework for. Since I have kids in elementary school up to college, we have a wide variety of school supplies in the cabinet for them to grab if needed.
SUPPLIES FOR HOMEWORK STATION
All the supplies are in one easy spot and can be moved around easily. But then when the homework is finished, it would simply need to be put back into the cupboard.
- Homework Supplies Caddy
- Paper Tray (found mine at Home Goods
- Cabinet Organizer Bins
- Paper
- Graph Paper
- Printer Paper
- Construction Paper
- Pencils
- Markers
- Highlighters
- Stapler
- Staples
- Tape
- Glue Sticks
- Scissors
- Crayons
- Pencil Sharpener
- Colored Pencils
- Ruler
- Protractor
- Graphing Calculator
- Hole Punch
- Eraser
- Paper Clips
No more running around trying to find the homework supplies they need because it is all right there at their fingertips!
HOMEWORK TIPS
To ensure that homework is a good experience for kids, there are a few things that you can do as a parent to help out. Although every child is different, and some are better at managing their homework than others, these homework tips can be helpful in the homework struggle.
Get to know your kids teacher(s).
Attend school events, like back to school night and parent-teacher conferences, to meet your child’s teachers. Ask about their homework policies and how you can be involved. This will help you understand what the teacher may be expecting.
Set up a homework station or area.
Make sure the area is an area free of as many distractions as possible. An area where your child can focus without being distracted.
Set a regular time for homework.
This one will depend on your child. Some are better at having a snack and getting started on homework right away so that they don’t have to worry about it the rest of the night. Others may need a little break to get outside after a long day at school and then sitting down at night to finish their homework.
Help them make a plan.
Help you child learn how to break up large assignments into small and manageable chunks with a little break in between so they don’t feel overwhelmed and discouraged.
Keep distractions to a minimum.
Try to encourage your child to do homework distraction free. Not in front of the tv or with music on. Try setting their phone away from them so they aren’t distracted by texts unless they need it to do their homework.
Don’t do their homework for them.
Parents can help and walk them through difficult concepts, but be careful to not do the work for them. This will not allow them to learn and grow and can actually hinder their learning because they don’t fully understand concepts and can quickly fall behind. It is good for them to learn and grow through struggle and small mistakes.
Be a positive monitor and provide encouragement.
Check up on them and follow up on their assignments and tests. Be available if you are needed for a little extra help.
Set a positive example for them.
Do you kids see you working hard to accomplish a difficult task? Do you make disparaging remarks about yourself when you are having a hard time working on a project?
Give them positive praise for their hard work and achievements.
Share their success with others. Display their hard work.
Seek additional help if needed.
Talk to the teacher. Hire a tutor. Look into other possibilities if your child really seems to be struggling with homework. Maybe there are underlying issues you may be unaware of.
I want to share the rest of this cupboard we have in our kitchen area here with you soon! There is a lot of organization goodness in there that makes my label loving heart so happy! Plus…it is so easy to find things…and to put them away!
ORGANIZATION COURSE
Many of you may know that I am releasing an Organization Course to help you bring clarity and balance to your life and home. My Organization Course is called The Balanced Home. I am so excited to be able to share with you so many of the tips and tricks I use to keep my home clean and organized with 5 busy children! It makes me so happy to be able to share that with you and help you get on top of your clutter!
If you are interested in learning more about the Organization Course, you can check it out by clicking on the button below. I would love for you to join us!
OTHER ORGANIZATION PROJECTS
If you are interested in taking a deeper look into some of the spaces in my home, check out the following posts!
- Medicine Cabinet Organization
- Laundry room
- Pantry Organization
- Spices Organization
- Clothing Organization & Storage Labels
- Printable Gluten Free Labels
- Printable Kitchen Organization Labels
- Christmas Decor Organization Labels
- Recipe Binder
- Weekly Meal Planner
- Favorite Organization Products
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Ivory says
speechless! Where were you when my, now 12th grade son this school year, was younger? I love these ideas, but my teen son, will never keep this organized. Nor would my son use a beautiful setup/station like this. So well organized. I love it. Please, if you are anyone have ideas for teens boys and having zoom at home, please feel free to share. He’s so messy. I am drained cleaning up after my son and husband. HELP!
The Idea Room Assistant says
Ivory- Thank you!