Figuring out the right homeschool Supplies can be very overwhelming – and end up costing you a fortune. I am here to help save your sanity and your pocketbook! Homeschooling preschool with my sons has been some of the best times of my life. Spending this time together – watching them learn and grow has been absolutely amazing. Now that they are 9 and almost 6 I am looking back on what made our homeschooling preschool days so successful.

A Look Back- 

I vividly remember when my mindset changed – and I decided that my daily parenting was not going in the direction that I thought it should. Greyson 9our oldest) had just turned 2 years old. Christmas was approaching and people were asking for his wish list.

I looked around our home and saw toys, everywhere. Toys that all required batteries and “played” for Greyson. I was annoyed. Greyson was watching his toys play for him, and found them semi amusing. He was not really interacting with them or learning very much.  So Scott and we decided that the toys had to go. We had made a mistake, but it was not too late to make a course correction. We added some foundational type toys, games and supplies to his Christmas Wish List. Thus starting my preschool homeschooling journey.

The following is a list of items that I personally found imperative to our homeschooling / supplemental schooling. This can completely change based upon your teaching style, your child’s age, and your child’s learning style! Before you run out and make any purchases I think it is important to figure out how your child learns best, and how you can adapt your teaching style to best fit them.

For My Son and our Family- Some important things to note:

• We are more traditional in our learning and teaching. I do not subscribe to the unschooling group.
• I follow (create my own) curriculum. You can see them here.
• Greyson really loves reading and doing worksheets.
• I have to work hard to incorporate play and exploration
  • I do this because I know how important it is to a child’s education and growth. But it does not come naturally to me. :-/

The following are my must-have items… that we currently use or we have used in the past and loved (Greyson may have outgrown some, but Hudson will be using them in the future).

Make sure you go over and grab some of the preschool & kindergarten curriculums – ready to print and begin right away!

Homeschool Supplies – The Must Haves:

Homeschooling Supplies | Manipulatives:

These are the homeschooling supplies that we use for math, exploration, discovery, and creativity. Manipulatives are so versatile and can be brought into almost every instruction. From giving your children a visual into addition and subtraction. To pattern recreation and duplication. They are wonderful tools for gross motor function, too!

• Snap Cubes make sure you print off the free SNAP CUBE NUMBER AND PATTERN CARDS!
• Counting Bears
• Building Blocks
• Oversize Shape Buttons  – Bonus these buttons work great for hand-eye coordination when used to string them into a necklace!
• Pattern Blocks

Additional Math Content You Don’t Want To Miss:

• Writing Guides For Kids {Letters & Numbers}
• Preschool Math: Greater-than, Less-than
• Teaching Numbers 1-10
• Preschool Assessment {Free!}

Homeschooling Supplies | Handwriting:

Having the right tools for your child to practice their writing skills, makes all the difference in their success. As your child ages, you’ll need to adjust their writing instruments accordingly.

• Handwriting Worksheets
• Leapfrog Pencils– these are perfect for earlier years when they are just starting to begin writing, great for Preschool and Kindergartners!
• Crayola Crayons
• Markers (1st the thick markers – working up to the skinny ones)
• Ticonderoga Pencils  – These are my FAVORITE pencils!

Printable Handwriting Content You Don’t Want To Miss:

• Handwriting Practice
• Handwriting Worksheets for kids
• Handwriting Practice Pages – Highlighter Inspired
• Handwriting Practice & Lowercase Letters

Homeschooling | Creativity:

When you are teaching early learners the emphasis on creative play – exploring – and hands-on fun is crucial! Kids like to be moving and doing. Sitting all day at a table doing worksheet after worksheet is the wrong way to give your kiddos a life long love of learning. Get their hands dirty. Let them paint. Teach them the fun in allowing the glue to dry on your hand and peeling it off. 🙂

• Playdough and a whole bunch of accessories
• Arts and Craft Goodies!
  • Glue
  • Pom-Poms
  • Colored Cardstock (I prefer this over construction paper)
  • Scissors
  • Wooden Craft Sticks
  • I could seriously go on forever!
• Do-A-Dot markers! *Must Have!*
• Paint Brushes – an assortment of shapes and sizes are best!
• Water Color and Tempera Paints

Related Creativity Content You Don’t Want To Miss:

• Help your kids improve their drawing skills!

Homeschooling Supplies | Exploring:

Whenever possible get outside. Doing lessons on flowers, and leaves in the fall are perfect examples of fun outside. Collecting flowers – pressing flowers, painting with flowers, etc. The options are endless. My boys have always loved going outside and having me read to them. If you have a porch swing they can spend hours out there with you reading. Those are my favorite afternoons!

• Magnifying Glass
• Binoculars 
• Clipboard – They make kids feel so grown up – and they really help when you have any sort of journaling or writing exercises when they are outside. Scavenger hunts with the images clipped to the clipboard are always a HUGE hit.

Homeschooling Supplies | Teacher (Parent)

Don’t forget about yourself when it comes to the homeschooling supplies you start to stock up on. Homeschooling is no joke – it takes a lot of effort but the payoff is beyond worth it. Below are a few of my absolute must-have items (And a few really nice to have) – I use all of these on a weekly basis!

• Laminator
• Planner – So you can be prepared! *Blue Sky are my favorites*
• Binding machine – Itis insane how often I use this. My kids LOVE seeing their hard work bound into books
• HP Printer with an Instant Ink subscription!

Homeschooling Supplies | Books

I think the most important “tool” you can add to your homeschool list is a weekly trip to the library! Surrounding your kids with books – and actively reading to them is setting them on a life long path towards success!

If you are looking to build your personal library you can never ever go wrong with Usborne books. I have ordered countless books from them over the years and have never been disappointed.