Setting up a homeschool classroom for twins can seem like a daunting task. Below I’ll detail how to set up a fun and organized homeschool classroom that you and your kids will love spending time in!
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Setting up a Homeschool Classroom
I set up our homeschool classroom bit by bit in 2020 when we decided we wouldn’t be sending our then 4-year-old to preschool in-person in the fall due to the pandemic. We started out with a folding table and little chairs for all the kids which evolved over time with some trial and error.
Since then we’ve added adjustable desks, my own teacher/craft desk, and other fun items shown below!
Folding Table
We have two of these four-foot folding tables that we got for guests but have worked out wonderfully for our classroom before we got the kids desks. This table not only can easily fold up when not in use but also can be made low enough for kids under 5 to sit at or high enough for adults to sit at.
Kid Sized Chairs
As you can see in the photo above, we used the chairs that came with the Kid Sized Folding Table below but there are many different kid-sized chair options out there.
This kids chair comes in a 2-pack with different color options and they are adjustable to grow with your child, for a while at least!
If you’re looking for a table and chairs, they have that too!
Kid Sized Folding Table
This 5-piece colorful folding chair set is great to have for kids. It’s nice that it all can be folded up and put away when not in use but also sturdy enough that it can uphold kids using it (I have 3 boys who love to climb on things and this worked well).
Each of our kids have their own “color” which became a necessity when our identical twins were born, so this has been perfect as each kid has a designated chair so there aren’t any fights. This would be a perfect set for a classroom though we also used ours in the kitchen for coloring and could even be used as the kids table at grandma and grandpa’s!
Adjustable Desks
We had used all of the items above when the kids were toddler-aged but once they were all preschool-aged and above, and we needed a legit classroom to be set up, we got them each one of these adjustable desks.
These desks are great because they have their own space, including a drawer, so they aren’t fighting each other for space on a table. They are easily wipeable too so even when crayon, dry erase, or washable markers get on the desks I can easily clean them with water and a cloth.
Small Storage Cabinet
We have a cabinet like the one below that we put school supplies like markers and paint in to keep little hands out of it. We put a baby lock through the handles so the kids can’t get into it unless it’s school time and supervised. We have the white version of this cabinet but currently, it’s hard to find so I’ve linked the dark cherry color. As you can see below, we fit quite a bit in it!
Can I give you a tip if you want to get one of these? Check your Facebook Marketplace first and keep an eye out over a month or so for one to pop up. You can even set an alert. I paid full price for my first one and the other two I got for $10 each on Facebook Marketplace! I have two of the white ones stacked on top of each other now and it works really well (do be sure to attach the top one to the wall if you do this).
Bookcases
I honestly feel one can never have too many books or too many bookcases. This is very apparent in our house! Bookcases are especially important for a classroom. We have three in the classroom, two in the living room, one in each bedroom, and one in the family room. Oh! And two 4 HUGE bookcases in our office. We (I) really like our bookcases!
These shorter ones are great for a classroom, especially with little kids. It’s best to not have one that is huge and can topple over on them. As always, make sure the bigger and heavier books are on the bottom of any bookcase to prevent it from becoming top heavy and tipping over.
There are also some great straps you can use to secure your bookcases to the wall.
Craft Organizer
There are so many great options for storing craft items such as paint, pom poms, construction paper, and so much more! Here are some of our favorites.
Wide Rolling Storage with 12 drawers
This one is great because it’s wide enough you can craft on top of it or store your upcoming project. The deeper bins are perfect for larger craft items and being able to have acrylic paint stored upright.
Colorful Rolling Storage
If you don’t have enough room for the wide storage, this one has served us well. It’s colorful which is helpful when you want to ask a child to grab something from the bin you can say it’s in the purple bin, perse.
This is another one I’d suggest keeping an eye out for on your Facebook Marketplace listings. I got ours for free from a neighbor! Since then, I’ve seen many of them for low prices on Facebook Marketplace.
Desk Organizer
I LOVE anything that relates to organization. When I saw this I had to add it and even though I have things very similar to this I really want to buy it because I love anything organizational! (I won’t though because I don’t need it) BUT if you don’t have something like this already, I highly suggest it!
This is really great because it’s sturdy since it has the upright magazine holders connected to the letter tray organizer plus a drawer that you can use or remove, your choice. It also comes with two pen/pencil holders!
Electronic Pencil Sharpener
Pencils get a lot of use within a classroom, even a homeschool classroom! Hand sharpening works for a while but getting an electronic pencil sharpener makes it much more tolerable!! Plus, they tend to do better than hand held ones, at least in my experience.
Posters
We have these educational posters hung in our classroom at home and the kids love them. I adhered them to the wall using velcro-type command strips so I can take them down when needed to show the kids more close up what I’m referring to. These posters are laminated and very durable.
The command strips I use I cut them in half because the posters aren’t heavy and that way I don’t have to use as many velcro-type command strips!
Below is a picture of the front room of our house that we have been using as a classroom lately. These posters are durable enough to have kids be able to handle them without being concerned. I attach them to the wall with Small Command Picture Hanging Strips that are similar to the hook and loops of Velcro. For these posters, I cut each strip in half since they aren’t very heavy. This way I can take the posters down and show them closer to my kids when I’m talking about the poster. They’ve gotten to the point that sometimes they even pull them down to get a closer look and then put them back up, it’s really cute.
Daily Schedule
This daily schedule is customizable in that you can use a dry erase marker to write what time each thing is going to happen during the day. There are also a lot of blank ones that you can fully customize in terms of time and what is going to be happening. These are great for if something like a doctor’s appointment, play date, etc. happens.
Melissa and Doug Calendar
This is a great calendar that we love using to help the kids get used to a morning meeting type start to the day. They love taking turns changing the day, date, month, season, and everything else.
It’s extra special when there is a holiday!
Dual Sided Dry Erase Boards with Markers and Erasers
These white boards are really durable and easy to use. We’ve had ours for 4 years now and they’re still holding up great. We used them DAILY for quite a while when we first got them as the kids were quite enamored with them.
One side is blank and the other, as you can see below, is lined. These have been great for homeschool/online school for our oldest who used his almost daily last school year during Kindergarten and I’m sure will use it a lot this year as well. He actually hoarded a few of them at a time because he didn’t want to erase what was on them! Finally we convinced him to just take pictures of his drawings and then we could use the boards again.
This pack comes with 5 whiteboards, 5 makers, and 5 erasers. The markers and erasers are awesome as well. The erasers are easy for my littles to hold, as well as for me. They erase really well and are small enough to sit on their desk without being in the way.
We use these all the time from showing the kids math problems or how to spell something or them working it out on their own. I highly, highly recommend.
Larger Desks
When our twins started online school, they needed bigger desks so they could fit their laptops and workbooks so we got them desks similar to this. I highly recommend getting them the same desks or at least rather similar if they tend to compete like mine do.
Many more modern desks these days don’t have drawers which boggles my mind. I love putting things in my desk drawers, I can’t imagine not having them! I made sure that we got our twins desks with drawers.
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As a mom of identical twins and a son two years older, I have gained invaluable experience in the realm, and chaos, of parenting. With a Master's Degree and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology, I spent years as a school psychologist, helping children navigate through their educational and emotional challenges. Now as a stay at home mom and professional blogger, I combine my areas of expertise to help you in your parenting journey.
We are new to k12 starting this august. Reading your blog was super helpful
I have a kindergarten student (boy adhd) (held back so we are 6 )
4th grader girl (ahead one grade)
6th grader girl (ahead one grade).
My question is about what month do you get schedules and supplies figured out? I’m due with my fourth and final child in about 4 weeks. I also nanny 2 littles as well so making a plan is a MUST.
Thank you, I’m so glad my blog is helpful!
In terms of getting schedules and supplies, I believe that depends on the school district that you’re doing K12 through. The district we used to go through we start school in September and we would get the supplies list a few weeks ahead of time but typically wouldn’t know the schedule until the school year started or maybe a week before. I’m very type A so I always want to be organized and that was frustrating to me.
With the new district that we switched to who follows the K12 platform completely instead of just a couple classes like the previous district, I’m hoping that things will be more streamlined and we’ll get information in advance but at this point I’m not sure.
I’d check with the district that you’re doing K12 through to see what to expect and if you want you could explain why you’re asking in advance like you did to me. That might help them get you the information sooner if they have it.
With the district we’re starting to go through this fall, they have said that the kids will have 2 video calls with their class a day that they’re expected to be on. Otherwise, it’s up to us as learning coaches, and our kids, to figure out a schedule that will work for us for the rest of the subjects.
My oldest is 7 now but started Kindergarten when he was a young 5 year old and I suspect he has ADHD though he hasn’t been diagnosed. We found that getting through everything, for a lack of better terms, worked better than taking a lot of breaks – which is counterintuitive because typically kids with ADHD do better with a lot of breaks. When we did breaks he’d just get too into the weeds of whatever else he wanted to do and it was a struggle to get him to come back and do his work. That’s just him though. Your Kindergartener might really work well with breaks between each subject, which you can decide and build in as you go along.
One of the hardest things for me was needing to be flexible, especially when I have younger twins who aren’t in school yet and a business. It’s not easy to be flexible when there are so many moving parts but the more I let myself expect a bit of chaos for the first month of the school year, the better it has gone.
I have found that blocking off time in Google Calendar helps us be able to visualize when the video calls are with his class and what he needs to do. I even laminate it, or you could put it in a laminated pocket, and he can mark off things when he completes them.
That was probably a way longer answer than you wanted and not as specific as you’d hoped but that’s my experience thus far, I hope it helps a little bit.
Congratulations on your 4th little one!! Hats off to you, mama!!