Summer has a way of flying by much too soon, and here we are, already “back to school” — while many families are choosing to homeschool their children for the first time ever!
Some may even have mom and dad working from home in the same workspace where teenagers are attempting algebra while younger kids are still singing their ABC’s.
We’re undoubtedly asking more of our homes than ever before!
So the team at GW Homes put together these homeschool setup, design and organization ideas to help give you and your family a heaping helping of inspiration to keep you going strong throughout the school year.
These creature comforts and decorative flourishes might be just what your family needs to help promote a relaxed and alert atmosphere for working and learning.
Browse the GW Homes Pinterest board below and read on for more fun ideas!
Pinterest Board
Let’s Talk Chalk
If you don’t mind cleaning up a little chalk dust every once in a while, a chalkboard might be just the thing your homeschool room needs, and it can serve a wide variety of purposes:
- A chalkboard may help the room “feel” more like a classroom which can help your kids more quickly adapt to learning from home.
- Writing on the chalkboard can give your kids a break from their screens and a chance to get out of their chairs and engage with the learning process in a different way.
- Daily assignments or inspirational quotes written on the chalkboard may help establish a sense of structure and may foster a sense of comfort in the routine of knowing what to expect.
- Chalkboards can be equally useful for left-brained activities like solving math problems and right-brained activities like creative drawing. Mix it up to get the most our of your chalkboard throughout the day.
New chalkboard-textured paints make it easy to turn almost any surface into a chalkboard. When it comes to chalkboards, you can go “tried and true” or get creative!
Wondering Where to Put the Desk?
Not everyone has a home large enough to accommodate a dedicated “school” room. Even if your home has a nice office space, it’s likely that one or both parents will already be using it to work from home during the pandemic.
Many families will need to get creative to find a dedicating learning space suited to the unique learning styles of your children.
At this point in the school year, you may already know based on the unique personalities of your family members what will work best.
Do your kids miss their friends and being together all in one learning environment? Then perhaps a shared space with more than one desk would be great for building teamwork and camaraderie throughout the day.
Is one or more of your children easily distracted? Then maybe a private desk in their room might be more appropriate.
If you’re still not sure where is the best place for a desk, and/or you want to help your kids develop their problem solving skills, maybe you create a fun learning experience and decide together — by measuring certain rooms of your house, creating a scale drawing, making cut-outs of existing pieces of furniture, and moving the furniture around to see what will work best.
Don’t Forget About the Great Outdoors
Although your little ones will absolutely need a dedicated indoor space to do work on their computers and tablets, a dedicated outdoor space would be great for “oldshool” (unplugged!) learning opportunities.
Don’t underestimate how nice it can be to a read a book in the sun for a few minutes. Or perhaps sit at an outdoor patio table for “art class” while painting with watercolors.
You can create several cozy learning environments throughout your home interior and exterior. Your kids may get a boost of energy, attentiveness and creativity by enjoying a change of scenery every once in a while.
Removing or swapping out your favorite decorative patio cushions and throw pillows may be advisable — depending on your favorite little artist’s age and medium of choice.
Don’t Let School Spill Over Into Family Life – Literally or Figuratively
For families who are getting used to homeschooling for the first time, the transition from “school time” to “family time” when the school day is over could feel a little unnatural at first.
But your kids will succeed with the comfort of structure and a routine to help them know what to expect… and you get to lead the way!
After you put in the work to craft a cozy homeschool space for your kids, help them develop the habit to “clean up” at the end of the day and make sure all of the various laptops, colored pencils, and other necessary tools of the trade end up back on their chargers and in the right cups or cubicles, ready for the next busy school day.
This tidy and clean-up routine can help signal to your kids that it’s time to put away school books and kick into dinner prep or other family time activities.
And a clean, organized home will help everyone keep their cool while attempting to make your home work for all of its new pandemic purposes — home, work, school, and more!
