Is it possible to homeschool in a small space? Absolutely. I’m going to share the top tips I’ve learned these past couple of years that have helped me keep my sanity whilst homeschooling in a small apartment.
I will start this by saying that the definition of a tiny space is completely subjective. If you’re a minimalist, homeschooling and taking care of 2 or 3 kids in an apartment less than 1000 square feet might not seem that daunting. For others, like myself, who would label themselves more towards the middle of the spectrum (minimal in some areas, but collector of all the books), trying to homeschool in a small apartment has forced me to be creative with how I use spaces and organise school materials.
My husband and I have been living in a 900-square-foot apartment since I started homeschooling. It’s in a great location and until we have the finances to move to our dream home, it’s just not worth the hassle to pack up everything and move. So we’re in our third year of homeschooling and I also have an active 2 year old to keep busy in what I would consider quite a small space.
How do you make homeschooling work in a small space?
- Absolutely nothing unnecessary is allowed to live in the apartment. Period.
- Everything has a home and it’s NOT on the kitchen table (or whatever multi-tasking space you’re using).
- Each type of paper has a place, usually an appropriate binder or a paper tray.
- School has a routine end time that’s followed by clean-up time.
- Rotate work / activities for younger kids.
- Keep things in perspective.
Absolutely Nothing Unnecessary
When it comes to small spaces, the number one tip anyone will tell you is that clutter has got to go. It’s the only way to keep your sanity. Otherwise, it will feel like you are drowning. It’s stressful and not worth the headache, trust me. Just get rid of it.
I’m ruthless about getting rid of things we don’t use and that I can’t foresee us using in the near future. One of the keys to minimalism is to count the cost of storing items that you don’t actually use. I’m constantly thinking of items in this sense. For example, it’s nice having this particular craft item, but we don’t have any projects coming up that will use this. Is it worth it to me to store it until I can find a use for it? Most of the time, the answer is no.
Everything Has a Home and it’s NOT on the Kitchen Table
Everything has its own place away from where we do school, which is the kitchen table. In the morning, after breakfast, I bring out the basket with our daily necessities: pencils, erasers, coloured pencils, rulers, number blocks, flash cards, etc. All the little stuff has a home and that home can be tucked on a shelf out of the way when school is not in session. If you’re having to multitask a space, most commonly the kitchen table, I highly recommend making it easy to bring school to the table AND take it away again.
Because science is a big priority in our homeschool this year (I have a wannabe chemist) and materials for experiments and activities are not always cheap or easy to come by, I’ve started collecting the materials in a rubbermaid container this year so they’ll be available for when my son gets to 2nd grade and will most likely be using the same materials. And they aren’t just floating around our small space in the mean time.
No Loose Papers
I also make sure loose papers all have a home. My daughter has a binder for her school papers, I have a binder for my school papers (and I actually have multiple binders depending on the type of paperwork). Basically, I don’t do floating papers… I keep a tray for scratch paper, but anything else that doesn’t fit in a binder gets tossed. In my experience, paper clutter is by far the hardest thing to control when it comes to homeschooling. If I find myself with a pile of papers that seems to never disappear, I know it’s time to update a binder and make space.
School Has an End Time Followed by Clean-Up
Since I work (not just this blog), I have to treat school as a job with specific start and end times. This is one of my productivity hacks that I talk about in another blog post. But because we have a routine time to wrap up school, we also have a routine for cleaning up. Books, materials, papers, etc all go back to their homes and school is officially done for the day. This means, at 3 pm, my kitchen table is cleaned off and my kitchen/dining space does not look like a school room (except for the wall décor… map, periodic table, calendar…). And when school is done for the day, that usually means the kids play together and I can put away my son’s work too.
Rotate Activities for Younger Kids
When it comes to my 2-year-old son, I still actively try to keep a Montessori environment for him. This means a clean and tidy space with work laid out for him that has been chosen based on his age and interests. He has access to age-appropriate games, he can get himself water and a snack. He can be quite independent if he’s in a good mood and I love this about Montessori. I also love this aspect of living in a tiny apartment. I can work with my daughter and observe my son at the same time.
It takes a bit of planning and preparation and constant rotation of materials, but it’s worth it to have the school day run smoothly and not constantly be interrupted by my son who is bored. It also keeps our homeschool tidier throughout the day when he cannot access absolutely every toy in the apartment. Win win.
If this concept is new for you, I highly recommend checking out this blog post by one of my favourite Montessori bloggers.
Keep Things in Perspective
My final tip for homeschooling in a very small space is to simply keep things in perspective. Would it be nice to have more space? Sure. Would it be nice to have a homeschool room and a music room? Absolutely. But then I remember the advantages of living in a tiny space: I can’t keep clutter. It’s not physically possible. We just don’t have space. And that can be very liberating. We are forced to be close to each other. I can work at the kitchen table on my laptop and hear my kids playing in the next room. I can easily observe my son playing while helping my daughter with her school work. It’s also, believe it or not, a lot easier to keep your homeschool tidier when you’re forced to keep it clean and clutter-free on a daily basis. Living in a tiny space, even if it’s not your ideal, really does have its advantages.
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