Easy Homework Station Ideas
Egeo Rainey
As organizers, we have used these tips to create homework stations for elementary school aged children onwards and they can easily be applied to families looking to refresh their existing systems for kids of any age.
Back-to-school means back to homework! We're bringing you some easy homework station ideas that will have everything your kids may need at their fingertips. Give everything a home and you'll never have to worry about a disorganized school mess again!
We created our own homework station by adding some navy blue cabinets, a sturdy quartz countertop, lots of drawers and cubby spaces, and a MILLION power outlets under the desk. It has now become one of the most-used areas of our house because it doubles as a homework station and arts and crafts area.
Losing important school papers is the absolute worst! I should know, I used to be the queen of doing it. Those extra random papers can really accumulate. You know, those papers that don't have a due date, papers regarding extracurricular activities, or whatever else. We try to keep those papers somewhere in our homework station where they won't get lost or forgotten about.
Ever have one of those homework moments when you couldn't find a pencil or calculator for the life of you? Yeah. Not so fun. I recommend keeping common homework and art supplies within arm's reach of your homework station so there is NO excuse for them to not do their math!
Our kids have cubbies in our mudroom that they use when they're not actively doing homework. Otherwise, they hang their backpacks on the back of their designated chair at our homework station so they can easily grab anything they need from their bag and add the homework to it once they've finished.
We have Echo Dots all throughout our house, including one in our family room. I moved it over to the homework station so Jack can listen to music while he does his homework, ask Alexa questions, and if I use the drop-in intercom system (which is my FAVORITE feature of Echo Dots), he can hear me easily.
Think about how much more efficient your child could be if their homework space was arranged the same way. Simply ask your child what they need to have in their homework station to be able to do their job!
Clutter creates chaos. It also delivers the feeling that everything is rushed and nothing ever gets completed in its entirety. If you and your child have decided that the desk in their bedroom is best suited to be their homework station, then nothing else should be on that desk.
While it may be tempting to let your child do their homework in a new room each day, that defeats the purpose of trying to instill study skills and homework discipline. When your child asks if they can do their homework somewhere else besides their homework station, you may find it helpful to explain the importance of a consistent homework routine.
Little did we know in the summer of 2019 exactly what was in store for us in 2020. This homework station got A LOT more use than anticipated. All three children used this space regularly when schools were closed in March of 2020, although only two children used it for school.
My kids are in school most of the time now, however they do occasionally switch back to virtual school when the school is concerned about an outbreak. The homework station is available for them and they will often work there, however if they prefer, they may work at the kitchen table or in their bedroom, as well. The homework station still gets used daily for crafts and coloring.
We have most of our school supplies on a cube shelf to the right of this homework station. Check out this post to see. As far as school materials like workbooks, we reused that rolling cart I had initially used for supplies to hold books. One level for each child!
I did some looking around and I found tons and tons of amazing ideas on how to put together some awesome homework areas in my home! Some are a corner of a room and some are nothing but a little portable homework caddy but all look very effective at keeping all of the homework supplies right where you need them! Take a look below and see if any inspire you!
You can really set up a homework station anywhere! Some kids have one in their room, others may share a space in the family office area, and others might end up doing at the kitchen table. The important thing is finding out what works best for your child and your home space.
Again, not everyone has space in their home to have a designated homework room, so this modern, wall-mounted living room homework station from Brit Elizabeth is a great idea for families who are running out of kid-centric real estate. This space-saving idea could fit nicely into a dining area or kitchen nook, too.
3. Spray paint your wooden plaques to create your chalkboards for your homework station. Make sure to shake the can really well, as instructed on the back of the can. Hold your can 8 inches away from your surface and spray in a sweeping motion side to side with a slight overlap. It has always been my experience to go thin with the paint, allow it to dry, and then to add another layer for the best results and minimal drip. Allow the paint to dry for one hour.
I hope these portable homework station ideas will keep you and your kids organized all year long and that homework time will be easier. Keep it all together so they can focus on getting that homework done!
Very nice! I teach a class each summer to middle school and high school students that focuses on organization and study skills. One of the things that we encourage them to do is to create a portable homework station like this. This is such a great key to ensuring success each year! Thanks for a great example!
This portable homework station is a shower caddy that I spray painted silver, added a pretty chalkboard label along with some plastic cups (also from the Dollar Store!) to keep everything tidy. Simple right? You can easily make this and get organized before school starts!
Love this!! I will be featuring your homework station in a round up on the West Valley Moms website with a direct link back to this post. Would you mind if I use one of your photos in the post? Thanks so much!
I have another confession. I hate homework. Always have, always will. I know it's sometimes a necessary evil but still, I don't like it one bit. I'm also a procrastinator which doesn't help. What's that?? It's Thursday night already and we haven't done spelling words yet this week and your spelling test is tomorrow morning!? ::enter profanity words here:: SO I'm hoping my cute lil' homework station will help alleviate my homework issues and allow my kids to work in peace. I can dream right?
Another added benefit of having this homework station right on the table is that I can easily move it out of the way when it's time for dinner. Or I can grab it quickly and place it on the table and the kids can work on homework, or have a little fun with the markers and colored pencils, by drawing or coloring in a coloring book. My girls love to create fun pictures to give to their grandma!
Being organized for back to school makes studying at home a lot smoother. Having the tools to help organize your homework station is essential. This is why I have teamed up with Walmart to share how we organized our homework station this back to school season. I hope this inspires yours!
I will mention that while I believe a dedicated homework station is important I also believe it is okay to stray away from the desk or table to learn. This is why I recommend purchasing things like clipboards from Walmart to have hard surfaces to write on when away from the table. Taking studies away from a dedicated area can help clear the mind from time to time.
The most important thing about organizing a homework station is to have everything close at hand. This can lessen distractions by having the tools your child needs right at their fingertips. As a homeschooling mom, it helps me in preparing lessons each day without worrying about needing to walk away from the table for every subject.
Book bins are fantastic if you homeschool or your child needs a place to have their school books and notebooks organized. We have a dedicated space for these in our home. Book bins are perfect on a shelf near your homework station to separate each bin by subject or student.
I always think it is a good idea to keep extra paper, index cards, notebooks, and extra writing supplies for your homework station too. You just never know when your child might need them and no one wants to run to the store when short on time. Keep a few extra items for less stress.
With some of these ideas, you can put together your own homework station. Remember to keep things simple and close by for less stress during studies. When you and your children are equipped with the right tools and a study space, learning becomes easier to manage.
I love this idea of a portable homework station! I know there was some days I loved to do homework outside in the nice fresh air. I love how much Ipads are able to help kids with their learning and homework.
I love exploring anything that can make me more organised! This homework station seems to be a great thing to create! There seems to be an app for everything these days and computers and technology have come a long way! If the app helps in learning easier, I am all supportive of that!
And of course, there is the dreaded school paperwork! All those notes, permission slips and notices that come home. You need to keep them but where can you put them? The humble homework station to the rescue again!
For most kids, the stress of daily homework trickles into a headache for parents also, leaving both parties tired and frustrated as they struggle to fit the activities into everyday life. The best way to make this inevitable chore less of a pain is a dedicated homework station!
A homework station enables you to keep supplies at close reach and minimize distractions, creating a quiet, dedicated place to study. A centrally located space may also provide the added bonus of more time spent together as a family, and gives parents a way to more easily monitor their children's study habits.