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When it comes to homeschooling, school supply lists take on a whole new look! As your child’s teacher, you are not obligated to purchase all of the school supplies on the recommended list from a public or private school. You get to decide what’s needed based on what you have planned for the year.
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Remember To Enjoy The Experience
My kids always find going out to get their new supplies to be such an exciting time! And honestly, so do I! Gearing up for the first day of school brings so much anticipation, sometimes a few jitters, but hopefully not too many.
Remember, you control how the school year goes for your family. If things start to feel overwhelming, step back and take a break. Homeschooling should be enjoyable, so don’t let yourself stress too much! If you’re worried about feeling stressed and overwhelmed in your homeschool, click here to check out 5 easy ways to avoid the stress and have a happy homeschool year!
Homeschooling School Supplies For Each Year
If you find yourself starting a new school year or maybe you’re halfway through and realizing you’re missing some things, I’ve got you covered. Whether you’re homeschooling 1st grade, 2nd grade, or all the way up to 6th grade, the following items are some of the MUST HAVE school supplies you will need. Chances are, as your kids enter the middle school and high school years, there will be some additional supplies needed. But this list covers ALL the essentials from grades 1-6.
I chose not to include a separate list for grade primary. That is because most homeschoolers don’t start their primary aged children on too much formal school work. If you feel your child is ready for that, simply refer to the 1st grade list, as it would have everything you need!
Homeschooling School Supplies List For Each Grade Level
I’ve separated the school supplies lists into grade levels, and you’ll notice there are some items carried over from the previous lists. That’s because with homeschooling, a lot of school supplies are shared between children in multiple grades. But if you’re just looking for a certain grade level, for example 2nd grade, simply scroll down to that list and find everything you’ll need!
Again, you decide what’s needed for YOUR homeschool! These are all inclusive lists, items we have personally used and needed in our home. But take from them what you need. If you’re a new homeschool mom, don’t feel as though you have to go buy every item on the list just because it’s there. My goal is to give you a comprehensive outline of what you may need for each grade level, and then you take it from there.
General Supplies:
There are some items that as homeschooling families, you should really have on hand regardless of what grade levels your children are in. School supplies that fall into this category are items that you won’t always have to purchase year after year. You can buy these at the beginning of the year and they should last you quite awhile!
Here is a list of the most essential general supplies you will need:
- Large white board
- Globe
- Utensil organisers
- Electric pencil sharpener
- Set of headphones – for older children who may do some online learning
- 3 hole punch
- Sticky notes
- Stapler/staples
- Scotch tape
- Plastic page protectors
- Lined paper
- Reusable water bottles – for various field trips and outings
- Printer
- Printer ink
- Printer paper
- Baskets – for reading time activities/morning time materials
- Zip top bags – used often for holding small manipulatives
- Plastic folders – I keep all my print outs, colouring pages, etc in these for easy organization
- Children’s Illustrated Atlas – optional, but really great to have on hand
- Family devotional book – this is how we start our mornings, our favourite is one that uses science to glorify God
Top School Supplies For Homeschoolers: Grades 1-6
Here are the school supply lists for grades 1-6. As I said, some items repeat themselves as they are used in multiple grade levels.
I’ve also put together a list of some of these exact items you can shop today!
Happy homeschooling!
1st Grade:
- Pre-sharpened pencils – saves so much time buying them pre sharpened
- Large box of Crayola crayons
- Large glue sticks
- Index cards – great for making flash cards for phonics, math, etc
- Pencil pouch
- Small dry erase board – aside from the large one on the wall, there’s many times where the small personal size comes in handy
- Dry erase markers
- 1/2 Plain 1/2 ruled exercise scribbler – allows them space to draw at the top of each page and do some printing below
- Construction paper
- Erasers – don’t just rely on what’s at the end of the pencils! The basic pink erasers are my favourite
- Watercolour paint set
- Scissors
- Stickers
- Elmer’s liquid glue
- Binders – great for keeping completed worksheets and art work, also needed if you plan to print out your curriculum
- Play-Doh – fantastic way to keep hands busy while your reading or helping an older child
- Math blocks – these will be used for a few years for pattern recognition, and all basic math skills
2nd Grade:
- Crayola coloured pencils
- Fine tip markers
- Ruler
- Duotangs – some curriculum require separate journals for that subject and duotangs are great for putting those together
- Pre-sharpened pencils – saves so much time buying them pre sharpened
- Small box of Crayola crayons
- Large glue sticks
- Index cards – used for phonics practice, spelling words, math facts, etc
- Pencil pouch
- Small dry erase board – aside from the large one on the wall, there’s many times where the small personal size comes in handy
- Dry erase markers
- 1/2 Plain 1/2 ruled exercise scribbler – allows them space to draw at the top of each page and do some printing below
- Construction paper
- Erasers – don’t just rely on what’s at the end of the pencils! The basic pink erasers are my favourite
- Watercolour paint set
- Scissors
- Stickers
- Elmer’s liquid glue
- Binders – great for keeping completed worksheets and art work organised, also needed if you plan to print out your curriculum
- Play-Doh
- Math Blocks
3rd Grade:
- Spiral notebooks/Composition notebooks
- Crayola coloured pencils
- Fine tip markers
- Ruler
- Duotangs – some curriculum require separate journals for that subject and duotangs are great for putting those together
- Set of headphones
- Pre-sharpened pencils – saves so much time buying them pre sharpened
- Large glue sticks
- Pencil pouch
- Small dry erase board – aside from the large one on the wall, there’s many times where the small personal size comes in handy
- Dry erase markers
- Erasers – don’t just rely on what’s at the end of the pencils! The basic pink erasers are my favourite
- Watercolour paint set
- Scissors
- Stickers
- Elmer’s liquid glue
- Binders – great for keeping completed worksheets and art work organised, also needed if you plan to print out your curriculum
4th Grade:
- Erasable pens – great for practice writing with a pen but still easy to make corrections
- Spiral notebooks/Composition notebooks
- Crayola coloured pencils
- Fine tip markers
- Ruler
- Duotangs – some curriculum require separate journals for that subject and duotangs are great for putting those together
- Set of headphones
- Pre-sharpened pencils – saves so much time buying them pre sharpened
- Large glue sticks
- Pencil pouch
- Small dry erase board – aside from the large one on the wall, there’s many times where the small personal size comes in handy
- Dry erase markers
- Erasers – don’t just rely on what’s at the end of the pencils! The basic pink erasers are my favourite
- Acrylic OR watercolour paints
- Scissors
- Stickers
- Binders – great for keeping completed worksheets and art work organised, also needed if you plan to print out your curriculum
5th Grade:
- Pens
- Highlighters
- Plastic pocket folders – ideal for keeping ongoing writing assignments or research material organised
- Spiral notebooks
- Crayola coloured pencils
- Fine tip markers
- Ruler
- Duotangs – some curriculum require separate journals for that subject and duotangs are great for putting those together
- Set of headphones
- Pre-sharpened pencils – saves so much time buying them pre-sharpened
- Large glue sticks
- Pencil pouch
- Small dry erase board – aside from the large one on the wall, there’s many times where the small personal size comes in handy
- Dry erase markers
- Erasers – don’t just rely on what’s at the end of the pencils! The basic pink erasers are my favourite
- Acrylic OR watercolour paints
- Scissors
- Binders – great for keeping completed worksheets and art work organised, also needed if you plan to print out your curriculum
6th Grade:
- Pens
- Highlighters
- Plastic pocket folders – ideal for keeping ongoing writing assignments or research material organised
- Spiral notebooks
- Crayola coloured pencils
- Fine tip markers
- Ruler
- Duotangs – some curriculum require separate journals for that subject and duotangs are great for putting those together
- Set of headphones
- Pre-sharpened pencils – saves so much time buying them pre sharpened
- Large glue sticks
- Pencil pouch
- Small dry erase board – aside from the large one on the wall, there’s many times where the small personal size comes in handy
- Dry erase markers
- Erasers – don’t just rely on what’s at the end of the pencils! The basic pink erasers are my favourite
- Acrylic OR watercolour paints
- Scissors
- Binders – great for keeping completed worksheets and art work organised, also needed if you plan to print out your curriculum
[…] I mean, is that you should aim to have some organization. Know where your school supplies and materials are, and have them somewhere that’s easily accessible by you AND your kids. Choose a space in […]