Homeschooling in Small Spaces

This photo is from one of my favorite homeschool spaces we've had. We lived in a three-bedroom apartment when our oldest was in kindergarten. We also had a two-year-old and newborn baby. This photo is of our dining room which also served as our learning space and office. 

I loved the coziness that this space brought. In this home, we did not have much storage so I used every space I could find to store things for our learning adventures together. Our kids did not need much in their bathroom. We kept their towels under the sink and used the bathroom closet to store homeschool supplies. 

In our living room, we had shelves from IKEA that housed all of our books (minus the ones in the girls' bedrooms). Those shelves also held baskets of math manipulatives and puzzles!

Everything we needed was always right in front of us. When your kids are little, you do not need much to make learning magical. We lived in a second floor apartment so their outside space was our balcony. We played out there for hours and hours reading stories, having our snacks, playing with sidewalk chalk, and even riding their little tricycles around.

I say all of this because I have often heard, "we just don't have the space to homeschool." You do not need a specific space. Get creative with the spaces you have. Just because your closet is in your bathroom doesn't mean it can only house towels and linens. Use your space! 

In that same apartment, our girls ended up sharing a room and our son was a newborn so he was still in our room. We ended up turning our 3rd bedroom into a playroom. I took the closet doors off and created a really fun space for the girls to read and play pretend.

In our last house, we transformed our closet under the stairs into an office. We put shiplap on the walls to make it feel cozy and had a built-in floating desk as well as one bookshelf. I will always miss this cozy little corner. We have always used our space in unique ways. There was absolutely no need for a coat closet in Florida, so we made it into an office instead.

When the kids were little, we would use their closet spaces for learning shelves and play. We'd keep all of their clothes in our closet or in their dressers. Just because most people keep their clothes in a closet doesn't mean you have to; it's your home. Make it work for you!

As I am scrolling through photos on my phone I am quickly realizing that I could share hundreds and hundreds of small space homeschool ideas. Our kids have always had all of their art supplies either on a small shelf or in a rolling cart. It helps to keep things accessible for them (so they use it) and also organized!

So this is where I will end for today.

1. Get creative with your space. You are allowed to use rooms and closets in unconventional ways. You really are.

2. Use a rolling cart or small cube shelf.

3. Remember that you do not need a homeschool room. You can keep little bits of school all throughout your house.

You got this! And as always, if you ever have questions about homeschooling, reach out to me on Instagram or in my email; I'm always eager to help new families navigate homeschooling.

All my love!

Chelsea