Designing A Homeschool Room For Your Kids
Certainly creating a homeschool room (or study workspace) has become an increasingly high priority since early 2020. What was once just referred to as your beautiful abode instantaneously become a communal classroom, cafeteria, playground + (gasp) your workplace!!
Since things have returned to normal + kids have gone back to school, it only felt right to take a peek at how to design a homeschool room for those kids who aren’t headed back to school.
But so much of life has evolved for adults + kids that creating a workspace for kids to do school at home isn’t just for children that are homeschooled. It’s for parents who want their children to have a place to complete school work at home, too.
P.S. If you find yourself living in tight quarters or you don’t have space to create a full blown homeschool room don’t fret — we explain why you don’t need what you don’t have + how to create a workspace instead.
Without further ado, lets dive into designing a homeschool room + a workspace for schoolwork at home :)
Determine A Workspace For School
Mentally transitioning from home-to-school can be difficult for some kids, parents, or private educators but one incredibly helpful consideration is to determine a workspace in your home for school work.
As much as reasonably possible, this should be “their spot.”
It should be the place they come to whenever they have school work to do. Because habits are formed with repetition + so “their spot” will start to feel more + more like a productive work area for them.
Don’t be afraid to ask your kids where they feel like working, where they think they'll be most productive. When you define a workspace, it’s not about forcing them to work somewhere that they’re uncomfortable or feel less than inspired.
In fact, when deciding the location of your homeschool classroom (+ your after school workspace), consider a few things…
Surface Space
Whether it’s a simple desk, the dining table or our countertop kids need the space to spread out a bit. But they also need a hard surface area to write on (+ not destroy) + a place to type.
Ergonomic Seating
You’ll definitely want comfortable seating for your kiddo. If you’re looking for new stylish seating options make sure it's both comfortable + ergonomic because they’re going to be spending many hours sitting in it :)
Natural Light
As much as possible, let the beauty of the outdoors in.
Simply gazing outside can have a powerful effect on our productivity + it doesn’t take much to open your blinds to let natural light flood the homeschool room you’re setting up for your kids.
Limit Distractions
There are a thousand things that can make kids feel less inclined to do their school work but simply limiting distractions is one way to encourage focus. Whether that’s music, TV or things happening around them — as much as you can, limit distractions. ‘Nuff said!
Remove Clutter From Their Homeschool Room
Like anything good in life, getting organized takes a little bit of time + some diligence.
But trust me, there are a ba-zillion benefits to organizing your kid's homeschool room (or workspace).
Not to mention including them in the process helps to inspire positive productivity.
Psst.. if you need help getting organized you can get started with our organizing membership.
Start by removing the excess stuff + anything that isn’t necessary.
Then to maximize productivity, categorize each zone based on what they will need in order to complete their homeschool work. It allows you to clearly make decisions (what to keep vs what you’d like to get rid of) based on essentials + again, involve them as much as possible in this process.
Spaces to consider organizing in your homeschool room:
Work area (table, desk etc.)
Drawer space
Bookshelves
Baskets, Bins, Containers
If you don’t have an entire room in your home to dedicate to a “homeschool room” don’t stress. Follow your kiddos lead. Look at where they’ve set up shop + tend to do their school work... start there.
Oftentimes, we suggest keeping only essential items accessible while working at the desk, table or countertop + making everything else still easily accessible to them but not within arms reach.
This way, it keeps their surfaces free while still maintaining a functional workstation.
Encourage Them To Give Input
Whether that’s a conversation with our design team or yourself, helping them to decorate + personalize their space in a way that showcases their uniqueness is a huge part of them embracing “their spot.”
Remember that by engaging + encouraging kids to be a part of this design process it in turn creates a vivid sense of ownership, pride + it allows them feel both seen + heard (not to mention accomplished!)
Block Time On The Calendar
There is a ton of evidence that supports the power of productivity + success come from creating routines + good habits.
Just like we get up + go to work (or our favorite pilates class) each day — help your kids create routines around their day.
What most kids struggle with in homeschool is that they’re not familiar with the flexibility of “choice.” Instead of fighting something we have zero control over, embrace choice with them.
For instance: Maybe they hate mornings because they struggle to get things going. So consider, giving them the opportunity to sleep in a bit + allowing them to do their school work in the afternoon. If they feel more inspired + productive — allow it.
The goal is fewer frustration + more smiles all around!
As long as the habits they're creating + the routine they’re acclimating to work for them it’s ok. Just be consistent. Do things at the same time, each day, on a schedule...they should get up, get dressed + when it’s time to nestle into their homeschool room it’s all about learning.
By allowing them to have a bit of say in the "when" of doing their school work gives you a leg to stand on with the "what" or “why” they’re doing it.
And the same goes for after-school work.
Use A Digital Calendar
So — you’re decided on “when” their school work will get complete. Now, calendar that time for them on a digital calendar.
There’s about a trillion different calendars to use but a good place to start is with a calendar that also syncs with their email.
A lesson learned from our dear friend Dennis Green –– it's incredibly important to have a plan and to work that plan, each and every day.
Keep in mind though, just as you would calendar your day for work, kids need to not only calendar their school work but they should also calendar breaks (exercise, relaxation, times to eat meals not simply a snack, activities + socializing with their friends).
It’s the world we live in… embrace it :)
Incorporate Healthy Habits Around Technology
As adults technology contributes to nearly everything we do on a day-to-day basis + to be honest, kids aren't much different. The world we live in is only engaging with technology more + more.
Whether they're in grade school, high school or navigating a new semester of college (from home) technology plays a massive role in their education.
At Elegant Simplicity, we’re embracers of new technology because when properly monitored, technology enables us to be more productive, more efficient + oftentimes better communicate with one another.
Allow your kids the flexibility to communicate with friends during their "at-home school day." Remember, that if they were in school, they would’ve encountered moments of conversation with their friends while walking the halls or eating lunch so don't think because they're taking a break from school and jumping into a zoom hangout with friends that they're not going to ever be productive.
Here is a list of software you might consider to help ease your workload of monitoring health habits around technology with your homeschool kids.
Digital Calendar for Scheduling (school, breaks, exercise, etc.)
Task Management for keeping track of your kids school work (if they check it off as it’s completed you can maintain an eye on how much their getting done)
Time Tracker for tracking time (truth be told, this is probably more for you to realize how much you’re doing + where your time is being spent)
Toggl (free)
Cloud Based Folders
Google Drive
Dropbox
iCloud
Help your older kids to get set up with a task management software that ensures they're getting all their school work done. This does a couple of things, it benefits them by having a target of what they need to get complete today (in the morning or the afternoon) but it also allows you to give them the freedom to complete the work on their own.
Instead of asking: did you get your schoolwork done? And sounding like nag, you can simply check their task software.
Setting up a cloud-based storage folder specifically for their school work is another way you can keep track of the school work they are completing.
When it’s done, they upload it to the cloud + all you need to do is open up a cloud folder to check on their progress + the work they're doing.
If you’re thinking this is too complex for kids, then scale it back. That said, by incorporating technology in healthy doses your kids are acclimating to the world that only gets more indebted to technology.
Kids are bright — which is why it’s important to give them structure by setting boundaries + then let them do their thing.
Setup Space For Their School Supplies
Whether that’s a bookcase with cubbies, open shelves or closed cabinets — setting up space for your kids binders, books + other school supplies like pens + pencils is an integral part of creating a homeschool room that’s functional for them.
These should have a permanent location as they’ll be brought out but also put back in their place.
It’s important to remember when it comes to designing your homeschool room, peace of mind is the ultimate luxury. From determining a layout + workspace to minimizing clutter there’s a lot to consider when it comes to designing a homeschool room so don’t be afraid to drop your comments below OR if you’re completely overwhelmed by all of this (which we totally get) + you’re in need of a bit of help, then let’s chat.
And if you absolutely loved this article about designing a homeschool room for your home then trust me boo, you’re going to really enjoy this FREE video course: 4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home.