My all time favorite tool for my homeschool is the DIY Homeschool Binder. It is a super simple and affordable tool that will save you time and money! The biggest perk of the homeschool binder is that you don’t have to constantly print pages off for your kids, rather, you get to turn them into reusable sheets that they can do over and over until their skills or themed work is complete! This is a super simple system, that requires low prep for you! I know being a homeschooling parent takes a lot of time and energy, so the goal is to make homeschooling as simple as possible.
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What You’ll Need for Your Homeschool Worksheet Binder
You’ll only need a handful of items to make your DIY Homeschool Binder. This binder will hold worksheets for your child so you can have their materials organized and so they can actively work on their learning! You can pick these items up from a local store or you can order online (from Amazon for example). I try to shop as little as possible, so my go to is Amazon. You can even shop small there – there is a little sign that will indicate if you are ordering from a small business. Homeschooling takes A LOT of time, so for me, having all of my materials sent to front door make more sense to me. If you break your time down into an hourly rate, the convenience of ordering online vs driving to the store, shopping, and then putting everything together is a no brainer.
Here is what you’ll need (links will open in new tabs):
Three Ring Binder
For Preschool and PreK, I found that I only needed the 1 inch Binder for the Homeschool Binder. For Kindergarten up, investing in a larger binder might be incredibly beneficial as there are more in-depth mastery pages for them to work through.
Sheet Protectors
I love the Amazon Basics line. It is sturdy, holds up to cleaning, and they make homeschooling very affordable.
Dry Erase Markers
I know as a mom, how important it is to have washable markers when working with kids. I am a firm believer that learning SHOULD be messy. I found TWO washable dry erase marker brands that worked incredibly well, Crayola and Cra-Z Art. Both are available on Amazon but (at the time this post was made) Crayola was the cheapest. Your child, regardless of age, will be able to utilize the dry erase markers and their surroundings won’t permanently fall victim to rogue marks.
Grab Your Affordable Homeschooling Workbooks Here for Preschool, PreK, and Kindergarten
Additional Homeschooling Materials
Epson EcoTank Printer (I personally use the 2800)
I do my own printing at home, though I do know plenty of homeschool parents that have their materials printed from an outside source. I am sharing with you the printer that I use. Over the past 5 years, I have found that this specific printer is over the top efficient, provides incredible quality prints, prints quickly, and not only does the ink last forever but it also is very affordable when you need to refill your ink. The investment of the printer quickly makes up for itself in the savings you have with ink. I wish I had ditched my old printer (HP) a long time before I got this.
Epson EcoTank Ink Refills
You can definitely go with ONBRAND ink, but the beauty of this printer is that there are more options than just name brand available. Here is the Amazon Pick for the Epson EcoTank Ink Refills.
Printer Paper
With the goal of homeschooling being affordable, Amazon Basics comes to the rescue here too! Their paper works just the same as the other brands and helps give a little wiggle room in your wallet.
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