How to Make a Homework Station for Virtual Learning - Parent Vault: Educational Resources, Lesson Plans & Virtual Classes

This week we are focusing on setting up our virtual learning / homeschool space so that we are ready for whatever the fall may bring for this school year. We discussed how to decorate a homeschool room on a budget. Now we will get into how to furnish a homework station. This is useful even during “in-person” school because our kids will still have homework to do after school!

How to Setup a Homework Station for virtual learning — Check out the AWESOME homework station set up by Kate N. (a member of our Facebook group, who generously gave us permission to use this photo!)

How to Create a Homework Station

Please keep in mind that your home classroom space does NOT need to look like it jumped off of your Pinterest feed! Some people are turning their dining room or a corner in the basement into a home classroom. Others have a guest bedroom that can be converted into an “online school” space. You can adapt these ideas to work with your budget and space.

File Box

A file box is a perfect way to keep all of your children’s assignments, finished work, artwork, and more organized! Your children’s workspace will get really messy with all of the worksheets and printouts if you don’t have a good system in place to keep things neat! I LOVE the minimalist / modern look of this clear hanging file organizer. It is a great budget option, compared to a VERY similar one at the Container Store. Don’t forget to grab some hanging file folders. I let each of my kids pick out their own colors so that it would be easy to differentiate the file boxes. They picked purple, pink, teal, and navy. I will also make DIY labels for on the side, which will be SUPER cute!

Desk

The fabulous parents in our Facebook group have been RAVING about this desk. EVERYTHING about the desk adjusts… the height of the tables, the tilt of the surface, etc. It even comes with a fully adjustable chair. This desk and chair set is perfect for ages 3 through 15 years old, so it will grow with your child. It even has built-in storage.

Standing Desk

Several parents have also mentioned that having a standing desk at home has been very helpful, especially for fidgety kids. It is helpful to be able to stand up for their zoom meetings. One parent even said her child prefers to jump on a trampoline while doing zoom meetings! Most standing desks are pricey, but a good trade off is this adjustable laptop desk.

Chair

Finding the right chair is important since many hours will be spent sitting in it! You want your children’s feet to be flat on the ground. You can also get a stool to put under their feet. This is why so many parents love this desk and chair set because everything is fully adjustable. Here are the top picks from the parents in our Facebook group!

1. Height Adjustable Basic Chair

Parents love how you can wipe this chair clean and adjust the height of the seat.

2. Super Comfortable Chair with Feet Rest

The SitRite Desk Chair receives RAVE reviews. The cushioned seat and back support make it ultra-comfortable. The height is fully adjustable and it can swivel. The detachable footrest and armrest make it the ultimate in support for kids of all sizes and ages.

3. Ball Chair

Some kids do much better with a balance ball chair, especially our more fidgety cuties. I have the adult version of this kid’s balance ball chair and it is fantastic, so I have no doubt that the kids one is great! (Plus, check out all of the fun colors!!!)

Bouncy Band

Do your children tend to lose focus and want to run around? Definitely let them run around and take breaks (I will do a post soon on great ways to get our kids’ energy out when stuck at home.) However, TONS of parents swear by bouncy bands, which are bands that go around the legs of a chair. Kids can kick or flick the bouncy band to help them focus.

Balance Disk

Another option, in addition to bouncy bands, is to use a balance disk. Your kids can sit on the balance disk or put it on the floor and place their feet on it. It helps to gets the wiggles out!

Time Timer

A mom in our Facebook group said “We’ve been using Time Timers at our house. It was recommended to me by an educator and really helps my young one who doesn’t have a clear concept of time yet. I’ve started using it to pace my own work as well.” This is the perfect way to give your kids a concept of time, so that when you say “we are going to work on this workbook for 20 minutes” they can visually see what you mean. The red section of the clock disappears as time goes along.

Another timer that parents swear by is the Miracle TimeCube Timer.

Table Divider

If you have a large table (like a dining room table) that you will be using to do lesson plans at, a mom suggested getting one of these privacy boards so that your kids don’t distract each other. Another option that works well even at smaller desks is this privacy board.

Basket

Place a basket next to each kids’ desk, to hold their dictionary, books, binder, notebooks, and everything needed to do their schoolwork.

Whiteboard

If you have wall space for a whiteboard, get one!!! If you don’t have wall space, you can still get a standing one (like this one that has AMAZING reviews!) This is perfect for kids to practice their school work on, as well as to write schedules for the day.

How to Setup a Homework Station - DIY Home Classroom - Virtual Learning — Check out the AWESOME homework station set up by Kate N. (a member of our Facebook group, who generously gave us permission to use this photo!)

How to Setup a Homeschool Room

You guys and gals send me the best messages (thank you! I LOVE getting to know you!!!) You’ve made it clear that you want help getting organized for whatever this school year may bring. Whether you are starting your school year off this fall with distance learning or not, you want to be prepared for if / when our schools go virtual again. Distance learning is not easy. Virtual online school is a challenge for kids, parents, teachers… EVERYONE! Therefore, this week we will be focusing on how to setup a virtual learning space or homeschool classroom.

Below are all of our previous (free!) virtual camps, in case you missed any:

Don’t forget to join our Facebook group to see our live classes and follow us on Pinterest, so you won’t miss a thing! You definitely need to follow Hannah at Inspired Sparks too, because she is posting all kinds of awesome videos to teach kids about science, crafts and cooking.