With four kids homeschooling this year, along with managing my own work and family life, I’ve had to pay close attention to what truly helps our days run smoothly. 

I’m always on the lookout for ways to feel more prepared and confident as we start our day. Every little change — from prepping meals in advance to creating daily systems to adding ways for my children to do some tasks and schoolwork independently — can make a huge difference and help us all feel more capable and less chaotic.

If you are searching for intentional ways to help your days run smoothly, these are the tips and tricks that have made the biggest impact on our family’s homeschool so far this year.

In this blog post:

• Nine homeschool tips and tricks to set you up for success and ease
• Favorite helpful homeschool resources from Treehouse Schoolhouse

Nine homeschool tips and tricks to set you up for success and ease

This is a list of tips and tricks that are saving my homeschool this year.

Simple weekly kid’s meal list

Each week I make a simple meal list for school days and post it on the fridge. (As you may know, we love visual schedules.) I write out what we are having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. This has been so helpful! Now instead of my children asking what we are having for every meal, they can see what we are having and easily prepare meals or make their own lunch using this as a reference. I switch dinners out each week, but breakfast and lunch mostly stays the same. I also add to this any things we have scheduled during the week that may interfere with meal times so we are all on the same page.

Meal prep lunches the night before

Each night after dinner, I prep our lunches for the day, including mine! When lunchtime hits in the middle of a busy morning or crazy day, I just grab our lunches from the fridge and we continue on without needing time to decide on and prepare lunches. The kids often have lunch while I read-aloud to them and I may have lunch before or after this time while they are playing outside or doing work independently.

Midweek homeschool planning and prep

One of my goals this year is to spend more time prepping for the upcoming homeschool weeks so I can smoothly facilitate homeschool days for four kids. I used to prep each weekend before the upcoming week, but this year I am spending time doing this on Wednesday or Thursday night so our weekends are free and I have a few extra days to gather supplies if needed. I chart out everything for each child in my homeschool planner, set up stacks of books we will read, and print out any lesson sheets my children may use.

Easy, grab-and-go book baskets

With four kids in formal lessons this year, I have found that having multiple book baskets helps me move throughout the day without looking all over for what books we are reading though. I have a basket for Morning Time, group lessons with the little kids, and Lunch +Lit where we do read-alouds and do activities related to the story. I also keep their different menu covers, narration notebooks, and other resources in these baskets.

Individual bins with labels for each child

To help us stay organized, each child has their own sturdy bin with handles labeled with their name. When it is time for independent work, they can grab their bin and take their work anywhere in the house and go through their various workbooks and school work.

Simple schoolwork checklists

Every child has a laminated checklist for their school work they complete throughout the week. Ours is labeled Monday-Thursday, and each day they check off their work with a dry erase as they go. We put these lists on a clipboard that stays in their bins. Grab the template here.

Turn-in trays for finished schoolwork

When the kids finish their schoolwork, they put it and their checklist in their labeled “turn-in tray” that we keep on the kitchen counter. I check their work each afternoon and return it all to their bins.

Reserve library books 2-3 weeks in advance

Using the library for four kids and various curriculums can honestly be hard to plan for and juggle. This year I am looking 2-3 weeks ahead and reserving everything I need ahead of time. Then I go about once a week to grab new books or drop off returns. Once I am home, I sort out the books into stacks of what we are using them for.

Weekly supply bins for homeschool arts and crafts

Rather than hunting for materials all over the house every day, I am gathering all of the art, craft, or other materials needed for the school week and putting them in one bin before the week starts. This way when it is time to do a project, I just pull out the bin and all of our supplies are in place. It also helps me notice any supplies I need to purchase or gather ahead of time.

Favorite helpful homeschool resources from Treehouse Schoolhouse

Prepare for smooth, peaceful homeschool days with these best-selling resources from Treehouse Schoolhouse.

Homeschool Planner

Map out all of your family and homeschooling responsibilities with our customizable Homeschool Planner. This simple and beautiful planner allows space for each child’s curriculum plus your family activities and responsibilities.

Daily Rhythm Bundle

Set up your homeschool days with ease with the Daily Rhythm Bundle. Rather than trying to stick to a rigid schedule, this set helps you create a general rhythm for your days by creating a visual schedule for your family. The daily rhythm worksheet is laminated and dry erase and the cards can be moved around offering you flexibility and adaptability. 

What are your favorite tips for managing your homeschool day? Share your best tricks in the comments below.