Homeschooling can bring a lot of clutter into your life, so I am sharing my tips for How To Organize Your Homeschool Papers. This list of tips is perfect for keeping track of the things you must have on hand, while not feeling overwhelmed by always being on task sorting paperwork. Keeping your homeschool tasks on target is easier than ever with these simple tips.
How To Organize Your Homeschool Papers
Only keep what you have to have for tracking purposes. If you really want to know how to organize your homeschool papers, it comes down to understanding what you actually have to keep track of for state regulations. Make sure with your state homeschool department division of the board of education what is required of you each year. Some states don’t require any paperwork to be submitted, thus your organization may be just for your own use. Other states require you to submit testing and a portfolio of work each year. Before you begin anything, find out what you actually have to have and build your method around that information.
Once you know what you have to have for your state requirements, simply weed out anything that isn’t required. This usually consists of review sheets, worksheets, pop quizzes, and in some instances all quizzes. You can keep these for a few weeks, or even for a semester to go back and use for review if desired, or simply store for later or even shred right away.
Use a color coding system for each subject. One of the easiest ways to grab and go in the homeschool classroom is to organize by colors. Give each subject a specific color and have all paperwork, quizzes, assignments, and even manipulatives stored in folders, binders, or boxes with that same color. This is ideal for keeping things orderly and is also great for working with younger students who can’t read yet but want independence in the classroom.
Utilize 3-ring binders for each student. 3-ring binders are an amazing addition to your homeschool organization needs. They come in many different widths, so you can easily house an entire school year of work in one binder for each individual student. This keeps clutter to a minimum and will help you to always stay on top of each student work as they turn it in or have something due. Color coding the binders is an extra step that also helps keep things easy to manage week to week and year to year.
Store year to year in “bankers boxes”. At the end of the year, choose bankers boxes or a storage tote and pull all of the paperwork from each binder and folder. File them into these boxes and label with the school year. I recommend adding a folder on top with the basic portfolio information including grades, academic standing, and any areas your student excelled or struggled so you have a quick glance without digging through files later unless you wanted.
Keeping things orderly is a must in homeschooling. Knowing how to organize your homeschool papers isn’t as tough as you would imagine. In fact, using just a few simple tricks makes it a super easy method of storage and organization that works year after year easily.
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