Mom Must Haves: Home Education

Kids are headed back to school in a few short weeks, but it is already shaping up to be a year like none other. Whether your children will be schooling virtually or going the homeschool route, one thing remains: back to school supplies are a necessity!

To help ease the transition to home learning, we asked our veteran homeschool families what their go-to products and school supplies are – and bonus many of them double as awesome products for any child.

The Crayola Kids art easel is a must for budding artists! It is double-sided {chalkboard on one side and magnetic, dry-erase on the other}, has a large storage tray, includes a roll of pull-down paper, and adjusts to three different heights.

Rolling carts are an amazing way to organize frequently used items. With three roomy shelves, you can have supplies, books, manipulatives, planners, and flashcards all at an arms reach. Roll it into a closet or corner of the room and cleanup is a breeze!

These plastic counters come in a variety of designs and are perfect for sorting, counting, sequencing, addition, subtraction, and graphing. The cute animals and bright colors keep kids engaged and make learning fun!

Save paper and time by slipping a worksheet into one of these dry-erase pockets and let kids practice handwriting, math, copy work, and more, over and over. 

These dry-fast markers are easy for kids to hold and great for mess-free painting. They are also perfect for ‘dot painting’ and to help young children improve their early writing skills.

This calendar provides bright colors and images that make learning about the months of the year, days of the week, seasons, weather, and holidays an exciting part of each day! Large pockets and cards make it easy for kids to participate.

These linking cubes are sturdy and link together to teach math concepts such as: number problems, sequencing, sorting, measurement, problem-solving, and reasoning or let kids use their imagination and build as they like!

From the publisher, “Rebecca Rupp presents a structured plan to ensure that your children will learn what they need to know when they need to know it, from preschool through high school.” This book is an excellent guide for any home learning environment!

Stickers are a must! We use stickers for positive reinforcement, a job well done, and as a fun independent activity for even the littlest of fingers {2+ and up with supervision}.

This paintbrush set from Ikea is inexpensive, yet surprisingly sturdy and easy to clean. We’ve been using a set of these for the past three years!

Stock up on notebooks of any style at back to school time and prices! We use these throughout the year for kids to independently draw, practice handwriting, or play with stickers.

Individual dry erase boards are great for kids to practice math problems, handwriting, and creative drawing. These come with a dry erase marker with a built-in eraser and a magnet.

Mini erasers come in countless designs and are a fun way to use objects that your kids are interested in. Use them for math problems, sequencing, sorting, as game pieces, or as a fun incentive!

Rolled paper is a fun way to create life-size recreations of solar systems, oceans, and anchor charts! Roll and cut off a large piece of paper for kids to create their own cities, zoos, homes, and more.

These 10 vibrant Crayola paints are perfect for any art or craft project. The washable and non-toxic formula is great to use with younger children and worry-free creativity.

A printer can be a large financial investment, but you can often find great deals during back to school time and can last years. A great money-saving option is to go with a black and white, wireless network printer. Some of our homeschool moms report using their printers daily and say it is one of their favorite and best investments!