7 Insanely Clever Ways to Add Homeschool Storage to Small Spaces

It can be challenging to keep the overflowing amount of homeschool materials organized especially if space is at a premium in your home. If you use a book-based curriculum like BookShark, you have even more resources than a typical textbook-using family. Focusing on the endless possibilities of creating storage options and having a tidy homeschool space at the same time, these storage hacks will have you rethinking small homeschool spaces.

1. Create a Wall

When I homeschooled with five of us in an eight hundred square foot cabin, I didn’t have enough wall space for a word wall, much less shelves. By creating a free standing divider using repurposed bi-fold doors, I had instant pseudo wall space.

2. Add a Shelf Above a Doorway

Every square inch counts in a small space, and the area above any door is untapped space you can maximize for your homeschool needs. By adding a small lightweight shelf above the door frame which rests on the door molding, you have instant storage.

I didn’t store heavy items or things I needed to use every day on the shelf, but it was extra space for infrequently used craft and art supplies.

3. Go Up

Vertical racks take up very little space on a limited counter top. A stacked plate rack which is normally used in a kitchen or a three-tiered storage container can hold a various assortment of pens, pencils, glue sticks, and supplies that might normally be stored in a desk. 

A nifty advantage of storing supplies in plain sight is that they don’t get lost in a sea of darkness in the back of a deep drawer.

4. Go Across

Though the cabin we lived in when I first started homeschooling was short on floor space, it had tall ceilings.

I made two retractable clotheslines to span across the ceiling area and added a few inexpensive clothespins decorated with washi tape. It became a fantastic place to showcase the boys' latest school work or art work.

Another option for a rope or clothes line is to add hooks. Grab beautiful painted buckets to hang on the hooks and you have squeezed out a bit more storage with hanging storage.

7 Insanely Clever Ways to Add Homeschool Storage to Small Spaces5. Use the Back of a Door

Though a clear shoe organizer is a great use for the back of a door to store flashcards, games, and manipulatives, there are some other ways to use the back of the door that you may not have thought of.

Add sturdy hooks to the back of a door and hang up colorful, oversized totes stored with books and curriculum. That is how I stored my first son’s curriculum. The oversized tote was his desk in a bag.

Keeping the books and notebooks in a tote not only kept him organized, but we could quickly hang it up and get it out of the way when we needed the dining room table.

Also, when you don’t have the room for a chalkboard wall, use the front or back of a door. It is just the right amount of space for kids to have fun with. Give it a coat of chalboard paint, and you are set!

6. Discover Underbed Space

I especially loved our antique beds in our small cabin. However, as I started homeschooling, I realized our antique beds had a surprising benefit. They were high enough off the ground to accommodate rolling storage bins.

Under the bed is where I stored my teacher items. I labeled clear rolling storage containers so that I could quickly grab teacher supplies I needed for the day.

Also, if you know that your homeschool space will be limited, building a bed frame on hinges allows you to lift the bed and access storage underneath.

7. Go to the Corner

Nooks and crannies count too, and that includes precious corner space. Using a straight piece of pipe and two 45 degree elbow pipes, add a DIY angled bar to a corner.

Hang a small vertical canvas bag with several shelves (a common closet organizer) on the bar, and you have floating shelves for your home library.

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About the Author

Tina RobertsonTina Robertson celebrated the graduation of Mr. Senior in 2013 and Mr. Awesome in 2015. Because of her love for new homeschoolers, she mentors moms through her unique program called New Bee Homeschoolers. She loves all homeschoolers, though, as she shares her free 7 Step Curriculum Planner, unit studies, lapbooks and homeschooling how tos. She can't sing, dance, or craft, but she counts organizing as a hobby. She is still in the homeschool trenches blogging at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

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