Who loves back-to-school commercials? Even though our children don’t head off to a traditional classroom, I still enjoy the excitement of seeing all the colorful school supplies displayed—fresh notebooks, pens, pencils, and more! Walking through the aisles filled with back-to-school deals feels like an adventure in creativity. Brand new boxes of crayons, stacks of construction paper, fancy notebooks, and folders in every color seem ready to jump right into my cart.
My husband went out today and picked up some surprise homeschool supplies for me—one of my favorite traditions! For homeschoolers, homeschool shopping might look a little different. Instead of rushing through crowded stores, maybe you browse curriculum catalogs, order online resources, or receive boxes of new materials to enrich your lessons. Perhaps your kids even join in, circling their favorite books, board games for gameschooling, or art kits for electives.
We’ve been blessed not to need a lot of new materials each year, but homeschool shopping always brings a sense of renewal and excitement. When our oldest attended public school, his grandparents made a tradition of taking him school shopping for supplies and new clothes at the start of every year. They’ve continued that tradition now that all our children are homeschooled, and it’s become a fun family event that kicks off our new learning season.
Whether your homeschool shopping list includes new curriculum, art supplies, or even whiteboard markers, it’s about more than just restocking—it’s a celebration of learning. My husband surprised me this year with fresh binders, notebooks, tape, new whiteboard markers, and an eraser for our family’s learning space. Our large whiteboard helps us organize lessons and goals, while our younger two love their smaller boards for daily practice.
Homeschool shopping may look different for every family, but the joy of preparing for another year of discovery and growth is something we all share. What homeschool supplies will you pick up this year?
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Thank you to Kristen at A Mom’s Quest to Teach for writing this article. Kristen is a housewife and mother to a teenage stepson and two younger children. She is a certified social studies teacher and has worked as a volunteer at a National Park site, in the education department of a metropolitan zoo, and as a high school history teacher.