Our Must Haves: Essential Homeschool Supply Checklist

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New to homeschooling and want to know what to put on your homeschool supply checklist? I can help with that! Even if you’re a homeschool veteran, you might even find a suggestion or two that could be awesome to add to your homeschooling routine!

When it comes to homeschooling my two boys, there are some supplies that we use every single day! If you’re looking for a list of the items that are on our essential homeschool supply checklist, you’re in the right place! These are the items that we use everyday, the supplies we rely on, the products that make our homeschool days successful, fun, and educational.

My boys are on the elementary level right now, so some of the items on our homeschool supply checklist are more appropriate for elementary age than older kids, but most of the items are timeless and can be used by homeschooling students of any age. Some of these items are “one and done,” but some of them are consumable and will need to be replenished from time to time.

When it comes to keeping our supplies stocked, I like to take inventory of our supplies every so often. I have a copy of our essential homeschool supply checklist printed out for reference and will have my kids help me figure out if we are low on any of our homeschool essentials. I’ll also look ahead in our lessons and see if there are any atypical supplies that need to be ordered. As much as I enjoy a quick trip out to the store, using the homeschool supply checklist is more efficient and helps to make our lives just a little less chaotic.

Now, before I share the items on our homeschool supply checklist, I need to mention 2 things.

First, you’ll want to read through the entire list because I have a freebie for you at the end! It may or may not be a free printable homeschool supply checklist…just saying. Since this homeschool supply checklist has helped to keep our homeschool lives organized, it would just be mean of me to keep it to myself, right? You’re welcome!

Second, I’m all about getting the best price for educational materials. Sometimes that means waiting for the back-to-school sales if possible. But, we all know that dry erase markers don’t wait until August to dry up, so waiting isn’t always feasible. If you’re on Facebook, you might want to check out our shopping group. In this group, I share some of the best educational offers I can find. Homeschooling doesn’t have to costly, you know?!

Ok, here we go! I’m so excited to share with you the items on our homeschool supply checklist!

Our Must Haves! Our Essential Homeschool Supply Checklist!

These are the items we use practically every day…if not EVERY day.

PENCILS – When I was a special education teacher, my colleagues and I swore by these pencils. As a homeschooling mom, they’re a staple in our homeschool classroom. They sharpen like a dream, write well, and their erasers don’t seem to disappear as quickly as other pencils.

TAPE – Yes, tape. And yes, this much tape. If my kids aren’t using tape for a classroom project, they’re using it for creations they’re making on their own time. I actually hide the unopened boxes in the cabinet above my microwave because…if the kids knew where I kept the tape, it would be gone in no time!

CRAYONS – Pretty much a given and you probably already have crayons, but they are one of our essentials on our homeschool supply checklist, so we’re including them! Our favorite crayons are Crayola because their colors are so vibrant, they color consistently, and they are super durable. Bonus: these specific Crayola crayons are washable!

BINDERS – Some of our homeschool curriculum has been purchased as digital downloads. After I print the materials, I’ll store everything in a binder. One inch binders are typically large enough, so I always make sure to have these on hand. I prefer to have binders with clear windows on the front and binding. I’ll put the cover page in the front pocket and write the subject and child’s name on a piece of paper to go in the binding pocket. (I’ll usually cut up a notecard for this)

3-HOLE PUNCH – I bought this 3-hole punch when we first started homeschooling and it’s been one of my favorite purchases. It’s a workhorse, is super sturdy, and punches holes consistently. It’s a little pricier than others, but has been a solid investment for us.

EPSON ECO-TANK – A bit pricey upfront, I’ve been using our Epson Eco-Tank for over a year now and I’m still using the same ink it came with. This printer is a workhorse and will make printing in color a breeze…and it’s wireless! While you’re at it, stock up on white printer paper because, if you’re not using it for printing, the kids will be using it for their artwork.

PRINTER PAPER – Like I said above, if you’re not using it for printing, the kids will be using it for artwork! We go through a ton of paper over here, so printer paper is definitely on our homeschool supply checklist.

LAMINATOR – Laminate all the things! You want your homeschool materials to last, so laminate them! This is especially useful if you have multiple children because, when the time comes, you’ll want the youngest child to be able to use the same materials as your oldest, right?

DRY ERASE MARKERS – We use dry erase markers every.single.day, so they are definitely on our homeschool supply checklist. I like to have a variety of both chisel and fine tip dry erase markers on hand for all the different uses. Be sure to get the “low odor” option!

LAPTOP – Whether the boys are learning how to type, typing up an assignment, or doing an activity or lesson through one of our subscriptions, laptops are used each and everyday. I totally appreciate having the touchscreen option as some activities are easier to complete by touching the screen versus manipulating a touchpad.

ELECTRIC PENCIL SHARPENER – Those pencils don’t just sharpen themselves, ya know? Having an electric pencil sharpener gets them sharpened quickly!

WASHABLE MARKERS – When it comes to kids, it’s smart to stick with the washable markers, amiright?! We love Crayola brand markers because the colors are always vibrant and, as long as you make sure to “snap” the caps back on, they seem last forever!

COLORED PENCILS – Colored pencils are our go-to for coloring in coloring pages because it’s easy to control the depth of color.

PERSONAL DRY ERASE BOARDS – We’ll use these for a variety of activities pretty much every day, so personal dry erase boards are definitely on our homeschool supply checklist! I especially like using personal dry erase boards to spell out words and such for my kids instead of wasting a piece of paper each time.

GLUE STICKS – Glue sticks are easy for little hands to hold and (typically) won’t make as much of a mess as typical glue would.

GLOBE – Our globe lives on our homeschool table, making it easily accessible whenever we need or want to look up a location. My boys love looking at our globe and will often create their own “challenges” using the globe!

WALL MAP – Because it just doesn’t feel like a classroom without a map on the wall, right? Having a wall map lets us see the “big picture” all at once and makes it easier to measure distance.

WALL CALENDAR – Every morning, one of the first activities we do is the wall calendar. It helps with number sequence, days of the week, months, spelling, and more. My kids love putting the numbers on the calendar every morning!

FOLDERS – So so so many uses for folders, making them a perfect addition to our homeschool supply checklist! I’ll assign a color to each subject and, if the kids have loose worksheets for that subject, I’ll put them in the folder for the day.

SINGLE SUBJECT NOTEBOOKS – Another homeschool essential, my kids especially like using single subject notebooks for their science journals.

STAPLER – Use to staple together worksheets, writing journals, and more!

POST-IT NOTES – Post-it notes of all sizes are a part of our daily homeschool life, but I especially like these smaller Post-its because they’re the perfect size for marking book and workbooks pages. When we’ve finished with a lesson for the day, I move the Post-it to that page so we know just where to open up the next time! Definitely a must on our homeschool supply checklist!

WATERCOLOR PAINT – Another favorite of ours from Crayola. These water colors seem to be more pigmented than others we’ve tried. They’ve never let us down! Definitely a part of our homeschool supply checklist since we use watercolors so often!

DRY ERASE POCKETS – Dry Erase Pockets totally come in handy for us! You stick worksheets and such inside and then complete the activity with a dry erase marker. Great for when you want to use worksheets more than once! My kids love using these for our daily schedule. It serves as a great visual because they’ll mark off each activity as they finish.

Aside from a number of items you probably already have in your home like rulers, pens, erasers, scissors, and such, that about wraps up our homeschool supply checklist! Every homeschool experience is different, but these items have been a part of many positive homeschool activities, so they are all important items on our homeschool supply checklist.

Want to print out a copy of our homeschool supply checklist for yourself? I got you! You could totally print out a sheet each time you need to inventory your homeschool supplies or…take that organization up a notch and stick the paper in one of those dry erase pockets we linked above! Just fill out the form below and we’ll get that Homeschool Supply Checklist sent right over!

Until next time, stay safe and enjoy lots of quality time with your families!