50 Useful Homeschool Supplies (2025)
Are you looking for the right homeschool supplies for your kids?
With COVID-19, we all don’t know what the next school year is going to look like. We could be homeschooling our kids every day, a few times a week, or not at all. But, being prepared is the smart thing for us all to be!
Quick Links: Supples For Home Learning
-
Category #1: The Basics
-
Category #2: Art Supplies
-
Category #3: Organization
-
Category #4: Learning Supplies
-
Category #5: Craft Supplies for Learning
-
Category #6. Fine Motor Tools
Do not feel like you need to get everything on this list. I don’t want to make anyone feel overwhelmed by looking at this list. However, I do want to provide you with a list of the best resources out there so you can teach your children from home!
This list for you to think about things that will help enhance your child’s education!
Category 1: The Basics
#1: Box of pencils
This is the most important supply you will need. Whether you have a preschooler, elementary-aged child, or older kids, pencils are a must.
I would make sure to stock up on a few packs as well. I was a teacher for 10 years; I saw how often kids lost their pencils! So, it’s important to keep a few extra handy.
These pencils are the BEST in the world! Plus, they come pre-sharpened, which is nice!
#2: Pencil sharpener
You have to keep all those brand new pencils going for a while, right? Grab a pencil sharpener to make those pencils last as long as possible.
Plus, your kids will LOVE them. My daughter loves sharpening her pencils and colored pencils!
Don’t want to waste time with these sharpeners when you can make them sharpen quickly? I suggest getting an electric sharpener! These are what classrooms have, and it makes the magic happen fast!
#3: White paper
You’ll be going through a bunch of white printer paper; I can guarantee that! I use white paper all the time when I am doing activities with my kids.
They draw on it, color pictures, paint, you get the drift. Most likely, you’ll also be doing some sort of virtual learning with your kids if they are school-aged.
That means you’ll need a printer to go along with that white paper!
When I did some research on printer’s for this article, I did see the printer prices are up due to COVID. I found this printer that I believe is a great price, and it has gotten great reviews. I currently use a Canon printer. I searched for it, but it’s $300.00 at the moment, and that is nowhere near what we paid for it.
#4: Lined paper
During the school year, my kids came home with a bunch of lined paper sheets with their letters, numbers, and even sentences written on it.
Handwriting is one skill that you want to make sure you keep up. Especially if your child will be virtually learning. Writing is an essential life skill that your kids need to know.
Handwriting can be tricky for some kids. I also have some play-based learning ideas if you head over to my article.
RELATED: Handwriting Activities For Kids
#5: Tape
I go through SO much tape when I am creating activities for my kids. I tape things to the wall, the floor, or even outside!
I use Scotch tape for art projects and to fix things that ripped. The tape I like to use the most is painter’s tape!
I use easel paper a lot while I am working with the kids. To tape the paper down, painter’s tape is the best! It doesn’t ruin the wall or the floor, which is important, right?
This is just one example of how I use painter’s tape for activities with the kids. I could go on and on about how many ways I have used this tape! Check out those ways here.
RELATED: My 10 Favorite Learning Supplies For Kid’s Activities
# 6: Scissors
Scissor skills are critical for your child to know how to do! It’s a skill they will use for a lifetime.
Depending on how old your child is, they will either need a pair of safety scissors or child-sized scissors.
If you are looking for a fun way to practice scissor skills with your kid’s Melissa and Doug, have an excellent workbook that my kids enjoy.
There are a bunch of different pictures for your kids to practice cutting with. Then, they can play with the pieces that they cut out. You also get a pair of child safety scissors with this book! It’s perfect for kids who are just learning to cut.
#7: Stapler+ Staples
Keeping all those worksheets together will be essential! Having a stapler and staples handy keeps papers organized and grouped for easy grading.
If you are working on several worksheets at a time as well, stapling them together will be easier for your child to work with. They will know what’s exactly expected of them to complete!
#8: Ruler
Having a ruler around makes making lines for kid’s activities so much easier! Before I grabbed a ruler, I was just running around the house, trying to find something that had a straight edge to make lines.
What I like about this pack is that it has a 6″ ruler as well as a 12″ ruler! So it’ll make doing creating activities for your kids easier, depending on what you are doing!
Rulers are also a great way for your kids to work on learning how to measure objects.
In this activity, my daughter sorted the counting cube towers by smallest to tallest. Then, we used a ruler to see how long each one was. We talked about inches and centimeters!
#9: Calculator
If you have an older kiddo at home, introducing them to a calculator is a good idea! Depending on how old they are, they will need a higher functioning graphic calculator.
But, when they are in their early elementary years, having a basic calculator is all you need!
I wouldn’t introduce the calculator to kids until they were in 1st or 2nd grade when they know how to do some addition and subtraction problems on their own. You don’t want kids to rely on the calculator to answer the questions for them instead of thinking them through on their own.
#10: Post-Its
If you follow me on Instagram, you know my love for Post-Its. They can be used in so many fun ways to make learning exciting for kids!
The possibilities are endless. Numbers, letters, sight words, rhyming, active learning games- you name it, you can do it with Post-Its!
If you don’t follow me on Instagram, I’d love for you to join me there! I post daily learning and play activities that will help give YOU inspiration on what to do at home with your kids!
My Instagram handle is abcdeelearning.
Category 2: Art Supplies
Color makes everything more fun!
Kids are drawn to doing art. If your kids are staying home for learning, some supplies are vital for you to have. When my daughter was doing some virtual learning last year, we needed art supplies for some of the activities the teacher wanted her to do. So, it was good we had these things on hand!
#11: Art Tray
I’m not kidding when I say I use my art trays every single day!
We use them for art projects, sensory play activities, and completing worksheets! I don’t want my table getting ruined, so these trays have become a lifesaver.
Below, you see an example of one way that I have used these trays! Play-Doh is messy, so I control the mess by using the trays. Plus, it doesn’t get stuck all over the table this way!
The possibilities are endless; you won’t regret purchasing these at all! It’s a must-have for at-home learning.
RELATED: Simple Number Recognition Activities
#12: Glue sticks
I find it easier for kids to use glue sticks instead of a tube of Elmer’s glue. But, either way, make sure you have some glue at home!
When you are working with little ones, stick glue is the way to go, especially when they are first learning.
#13: Crayons, Markers, Colored Pencils
I just thought it would be easier to group all of these together! Crayola is my favorite brand when it comes to choosing art supplies for the kids. The colors turn out bolder and better than other brands, in my opinion.
How awesome is this bundle? You get all of these Crayola products together for a low price! I love it too that there are thin and thick markers included together. There are times it’s nice to have both depending on what you are working on with your kids.
#14: Construction paper
While I’m loving on Crayola products, I’ll give you one more!
I love this bright construction paper! We have used this paper for many learning, play, and art projects! There are so many sheets that come in the pack too, so you won’t run out for a while! 8 colors are included!
When teaching my kids the letters, we have done letter collages to bring the letter come to life! We use construction paper to make the letter and create an object that begins with that letter to work on sounds.
#15: Cardstock paper
There are sometimes when I need the paper to be a bit more sturdy, so it holds up to do certain activities, I use cardstock paper.
I love the colored cardstock paper because the colors are so fun. But, I also make sure to grab the white cardstock paper as well. The kids do art and learning projects with white a lot as well.
We did an outdoor activity where paint exploded on the white cardstock paper! It was SO much fun! The white paper wouldn’t have held up so well with this activity, so the cardstock was the way to go!
If you want to see how I pulled this activity off, check out the article linked below! You will also find a bunch of learning, play, and active ways to play with your kids outside!
RELATED: Exciting Outdoor Activities For Kids
#16: Rubber bands
Yes, rubber bands are still a supply schools use! Isn’t it so funny, rubber bands don’t seem to be something on people’s list.
However, I love to use rubber bands to keep my supplies organized as well as for geoboard letter /number building activities.
We have this exact set, and the kids just love it! They make fun designs or practice letter or number formations with them! It comes with different sizes of rubber bands.
This is a great exercise to build those fine motor muscles as well, which is an important skill for them to build.
RELATED: FUN Fine Motor Activities
#17: Easel
I wanted to start this off by saying that this is an optional supply. I’m going to tell you why it’s a fantastic product to have, but it’s not a necessity.
This easel is a magnetic whiteboard on one side and a black chalkboard on the opposite side. I have an ENDLESS amount of learning and play activities popping into my head.
You can paint, draw, practice letters/numbers/sight words, handwriting, build words with magnets, or work on phonics activities.
It’s also just nice to have your kids do their painting on the easel, so it doesn’t get all over your kitchen table! You can tell this has happened to me… :).
#18: Easel paper
Whether or not you choose to get the easel, having large easel paper at home is one of my FAVORITE learning supplies.
You can create activities for them on a much larger scale. They can work on the ground or the wall, even using the easel paper.
When I use the easel paper, I tend to use the painter’s tape, which I talked about earlier! It helps keep the paper down without any damage.
I decided to use the paper to create a sight word search for my daughter! She had an absolute blast doing this activity! She loved that it was blown up on the big paper and hung on the wall.
RELATED: ENGAGING Sight Word Activities
Category 3: Organization
Being organized is everything! It makes life so much easier to know where things are located, right?
The supplies below will help you keep your worksheets and supplies organized!
#19: Reusable Folders
These reusable folders will save you money, believe it or not! Instead of wasting away your ink and printer paper, you can do activities over and over again with these dry erase folders.
This is just one example of how I have used these folders. This is my FREE Bug Jar Math Worksheet that focuses on addition and subtraction. Write the equation that you want to work on with your kids at the bottom. Have them identify the number and add in the toy bugs to find the solution to the problem!
Also, you can work on handwriting skills this way as well! It’s a perfect way for kids to get hands-on math experience!
RELATED: 30 Kindergarten Activities For Kids
#20: Expandable File Folder
When quarantine started last school year, one of the first things that I purchased was this file folder.
My daughter’s school was providing us with worksheets that we could complete. I also was having her do the sheets I create. So pretty much I’m saying, worksheets would have been all over the place if I didn’t have this folder.
There are 6 folders inside! I would organize worksheets that we needed to get done each day. This made our lives so much easier so we could get done what we needed each day, and worksheets weren’t all over our house!
RELATED: Teaching Resources
#21: Utility Cart
I’m obsessed with this utility cart! I just ordered this from Amazon as well!
This is not a NEED at all… this cart is a WANT. I can’t wait to put all my art supplies on this cart and get them organized!
I have accumulated so many art supplies over the past few years. My desk area is completely full of all my supplies. I can’t wait to get that space back for other things.
This cart is also really nice because when you are ready to do activities with your kids, you can wheel it right out to the area where you are working. You don’t have to carry all the supplies back and forth!
#22: Supply Storage Center
Don’t want to go all-in for the utility cart? You can still organize your supplies on a much smaller scale.
This storage area is great to put at the space where your kids will be working. They can pick out the supplies they need, and when it’s time to clean up, there are specific spots where each supply can go!
The other fantastic thing about this supply storage center is that you can change out what you want in there very easily! If you don’t have a ton of supplies, I would choose this option.
#23: Lesson Plan Book
Having a brand new lesson plan book for the school year is one of my favorite purchases!
You can organize the units you want to cover each week, the lessons you want to do each day, and write down any special memory that happened that day!
If you click on the link above, you’ll be able to check out what the planner looks like inside. I know I am picky about what my planners look like, so I totally get wanting to see if it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
What I love about his planner is that there is enough space for me to write everything that I need for each day!
Category #4: Learning Supplies
Now, we are going to talk about the subjects! Before we start, I want to tell you I have in-depth articles dedicated to learning toys that are linked below. Check these out for more resources!
The BEST Open-Ended Toys For Kids
Hands-On STEM Toys For Kids
Best Learning Toys For Toddlers
These are the supplies that I feel are most important to have when teaching your child at home. If you want to take a look at some more options, please take a look at my other articles!
A. Math
Math skills, like number recognition, counting, subitizing, patterns, and shapes, are essential skills that you will need to work on with your kids at home.
These are the skills that will be taught in pre-k to early elementary math classrooms! The supplies you will see will help teach these important concepts.
#24: Counting Cubes
There is an endless amount of math activities that you can do with these counting cubes! Work on counting, adding, subtracting, patterns, measurements, and much more!
I have a FREE download available on my Teaching Resources page to practice number building, recognition, patterns, and simple equations.
Counting Cubes Download
This is just one way these cubes can be used! You won’t regret adding these to your school supply list!
#25: 100 Board
My kids go to a Montessori preschool, and they work on building numbers 1-100 using a 100 chart similar to this!
I don’t like to brag much about my kids, but you guys, she picked up her numbers 1-100 after one year at her Montessori school by using this tool.
The best part about this is that you can change what kind of math you want to do with the board. You can practice odd numbers, even numbers, numbers 1-20, numbers 1-50, numbers 1-100, count by 10’s, you get the point!
#26: Wooden Number Puzzle
Puzzles are the way my kids learned their numbers hands down. I believe it’s because they can manipulate the numbers, and they can place them in a specific spot.
Hands-on learning is best for kids because it helps them create memories about their learning experiences!
I would grab this if I had to teach numbers again to my kids. This puzzle works on number recognition, shapes, counting, and number building!
Counting to 20 and recognizing those numbers is also crucial. That’s why I grabbed this puzzle by Melissa and Doug. We work on this puzzle several times a week with my 3-year-old son.
If you have a younger kiddo, I’d grab the first puzzle to work on those numbers first. Then, as they get older, the second puzzle is better so they can learn those higher numbers.
RELATED: How To Teach Your Toddler Numbers
#27: Magnetic Numbers
Who doesn’t love sticking magnets on the fridge, dishwasher, or oven?
I mean, I still love it when I am working with the kids! Grabbing your kid’s attention when learning at home is going to be half your battle. You have to get supplies that will excite them to want to participate in the learning.
These magnetic numbers can be used on surfaces where they can stick, but the great thing about them is that you can also move them around to do other activities!
RELATED: Simple Number Recognition Activities For Kids
#28: Teaching Time Clock
Learning how to tell time is can be fun with this talking time clock toy!
Your kids can work on seeing the digital clock and moving the hands of the analog clock to make a specific time! You can either just play with it can it’ll tell you what time you have the hands at or you can do the quiz mode.
We have this clock at home, and it has helped my daughter learn how to tell time! It’s nice that it has the number of minutes next to each big number!
If you want to check for understanding, I also have a FREE clock worksheet available. I suggest practicing with this toy and then do the sheets after your child has a basic knowledge of how the clock works!
Clock Learning Download
#29: Foam Dice
We just got a set of these, and the kids just can’t get enough of them! Using dice dots is a form of practicing subitizing.
Subitizing is when you can say how much of an object there is without needing to take the time to count them.
You can use these dice for math games, active games, and learning activities. We used these dice with our hole puncher set that we have! The kids rolled the dice, and they made the number of holes with the punchers on the construction paper!
Want a math learning worksheet activity to go along with this? Check out my FREE Dice Math Worksheet
Dice Math Download
B. English Language Arts
Letter recognition, phonics, sight words, reading, and much more are included in language arts!
Personally, this is my favorite to teach kids. I love coming up with play-based learning strategies to teach kids how to read!
#30: Magnetic Letters
If you saw earlier, I mentioned magnetic numbers from my math section, so if you want to grab a set, you’ll get the numbers and the letters! I use the letters way more for activities than the numbers.
I’m talking about the same set since there are 253 pieces in the pack. The pack that I have doesn’t have this many, and it actually drives me crazy because I can’t build certain words with them since there aren’t enough of each letter. So, this is on my list as well to buy!
We use the magnetic letters on the fridge to practice alphabetical order, missing letters of the alphabet, and lower case to upper case matching!
If you grab the set above, you’ll also be able to work on building words, sight words, rhyming words, and much more! These magnetic numbers and letters are the best open-ended toy out there, in my opinion. There’s so much you can do with them!
RELATED: PERFECT Alphabet Activities For Preschoolers
#31: Alphabet Puzzle
You’re probably seeing a trend now. I tend to buy similar products that have been successful for me in one content area because I know they will most likely work just as well with a different subject.
This alphabet puzzle by Melissa and Doug is fabulous because it has upper and lower case letters. Most products out there only see upper case puzzles from what I have seen, so this is a great find!
I always started teaching upper case before lower case because I only had an upper case puzzle. However, I believe you should teach your kids lower case letters first. I have changed my beliefs on this subject!
Your children will see lower case letters printed in books way more often than upper case letters. If you teach them lower case letters first, they can identify those them in text when you are reading them stories! Once they learn the lower case, move onto the upper case!
RELATED: How to Teach Toddlers the Alphabet
#32: Eyewords- Sight Words
Teaching sight words to kids is the first step to learning how to read! Sight words don’t follow the rules of spelling, so kids are taught to memorize them!
To help make these words more memorable, we use our Eye Word cards! They bring the words to life because they have fun pictures inside the word. There also is an option to get cards that have your kids make motions along with the words, how cool, right?
What are Eyewords?
Eyewords are sight word cards that are interactive and fun for your kids to help your kids memorize these words! Eyewords is evidence-based and was researched by Stanford University and the research study published in Learning and Instruction. Want to learn more about this? Click here to see the article!
RELATED: Sight Word Activities For Preschoolers
#33: Osmo
When I talk to teachers that have Osmo in their classrooms, every one of them has said GREAT things about it! This is currently on my list of things that I want to purchase as well.
Osmo is an interactive gaming system for learning! Say what?!
Yes, kids love Osmo because they are playing games. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel too badly about some screen time when it engages my kids in learning.
There are games that involve math, science, and art! The tablet doesn’t come along with the Osmo; a piece goes on top of your tablet.
Want to learn more about Osmo? Take a look at the following review!
#34: Matching Letter Locks
How cute are these upper case and lower case popsicles? They are a perfect resources to practice upper and lower case matching!
You can also check for understanding using these popsicles. Quizzes at school are given to check for understanding, right? Well, we don’t give preschoolers written quizzes. Instead of doing that, we can ask them questions to see what they know.
Directions:
1. Pick out one lower case letter and have your child identify it.
2. Layout three upper case choices and have your child pick out the one that goes along with the lower case letter.
3. By having the option of three items, it will show you they can figure out the correct answer when other choices are placed in front of them!
#35: Kickstart Reading
One great website that works focuses on learning how to read is Kickstart Reading!
Kickstart Reading– This is such a fantastic reading program! I also have a promo code that you can use to get some money off of your subscription! You will receive a FOREVER plan for $39.00(normally $57.00). This is a program that focuses solely on reading, which I think is better than anything else out there. Your little ones will learn about phonetics, sight words, vowel sounds, digraphs, and MORE!
PROMO CODE: ABCDEE
Here is a short demonstration of just one of the segments included in Kickstart Reading. This is my 5-year-old daughter working on multi-syllable words.
#36: Books
I don’t have a specific product here for you to check out. Books are just important to have one hand. Whether or not you buy them from the store or you grab new ones from the library, new books are essential to have when you are teaching your children at home.
We own a few of these books, but most of them came from the library. I pick a topic to work on with the kids, and then I order books related to the topic at the library. I do a little bit of research beforehand to see the best books out there.
There’s just something special about opening new books that you haven’t read before with your kids. They get excited to learn about the characters and see what happens in the story!
C. Handwriting
#37: Tracing Alphabet Boards
Alphabet tracing boards are so much fun! Kids can practice how to form letters with a wooden stick. They also can practice pencil grip by holding onto the wooden stick!
These tracing boards are a perfect way to introduce handwriting to your kids because they don’t actually have to write anything. The first step to learning how to write is learning how to form the letters correctly.
You can also use these boards with sensory fillers like colored rice, chickpeas, or pom-poms! This will give the kids some more fine motor practice. Plus, it adds some color to the board, which they will enjoy!
#38: Mini Dry Erase Board
One of my favorite supplies that I use with my kids for learning is a small dry erase board! This dry erase board has lines on it to practice handwriting! I love that you don’t have to waste paper by printing a ton of sheets, and you can use this over and over again for learning!
Your little one can get good practice on how to hold a writing utensil and form letters in a fun way! I would also get some fun colors of dry erase markers to make it more exciting for them!
RELATED: Fun Handwriting Activities For Preschoolers
#39: Sandpaper Letters and Tray
Like I said earlier, my kids go to a Montessori preschool. Sandpaper letters and this sand tray is how they were introduced to handwriting! I believe this is why they enjoy writing so much because it is a FUN way to practice writing skills.
Handwriting can be a tough thing to grasp. They may have negative feelings towards it if they can’t form the letters correctly on paper or on a dry erase board. If writing is presented to them in this fashion, they won’t be so intimated by it.
These sandpaper letters can be used for kids to practice tracing the letters with their fingers. This is an essential skill for them to practice, so they can know how to make the shape of each letter.
To go along with the sandpaper letters, you can get the sand tray! They can practice tracing the letter; then, they can try to form the letter in the sand with the wooden writing utensil. They won’t get frustrated because they can’t go outside of the lines doing this activity. It will give them the confidence to keep practicing to be able to move on to writing on the lines.
#40: Dry Erase Handwriting Book
Especially during these summer days, I have been breaking out our dry erase writing workbook a lot for some quick practice.
There is an upper case and a lower case workbook available! I recommend getting both, so your kids get the chance to work on each of the letters.
I like using this book because it’s something that I can use repeatedly. It’s also fabulous because your kids can get practice tracing the letters then practice it on their own. Giving them the chance to trace the letters with the marker is different than any of the other activities that I have listed.
D. Geography
#41: Interactive Globe
This is an interactive globe that talks! My kids are really into maps and learning new information about different countries.
This is also an excellent way to discuss the topic of diversity to your kids! You can discuss different countries, race, food, cultures, religion, and main historical buildings.
In my opinion, now more than ever, these facts are crucial to introduce to our kids at a young age. We need to teach our children about diversity, so they know that not everyone looks the same, but we should all be treated the same.
I’m hoping this globe can help make conversations begin to happen!
#42: Map Puzzles
My kids LOVE the map puzzle that we have. They enjoy taking all the pieces apart and working together to put them back together.
We talk about the different states, where we have traveled to, and where we would like to go on future vacations!
This map set is terrific because you get the USA map as well as the different continents on another! The animals on the puzzles will make this a fun learning experience for your little ones!
Category 5: Craft Supplies For Learning
My specialty is coming up with play-based learning strategies to teach kids. Why? Well, kids like to play, so why not add in play to their learning?
It’s easier to get them engaged in learning when they are excited about it. They will be more willing to sit and concentrate for a longer time if they are enthralled with the activity you have set up for them.
Below, I list some of the craft supplies that I use the most for activities. If you’re looking for play-based learning strategies, you need to check out my Instagram account. Every day I post daily learning and play activities that work!
#43: Popsicle sticks
How cool are these colored popsicle sticks? There is an endless amount of ways that these can be used. I have used them for DIY Father’s Day gifts, alphabet activities, fine motor play, and sorting activities!
They are also perfect for crafting and color recognition! I love it when supplies can be used for many different purposes. It feels like you get your money’s worth ya know?
Most recently, I did a money sorting activity with my kids. This is a perfect way to introduce the concept of money to them. The colored popsicle sticks worked perfectly for this sorting activity, so the kids knew exactly which section they should put each coin in!
#44: Clothespins
This is the best pack of colored clothespins! There are so many of them, so you won’t run out for a long time! Plus, there are mini and large clothespins! So you can do a wide range of activities with these!
I have used these for crafts, fine motor activities, and recycled play and learn activities!
I have a FREE Dinosaur mini-unit for ages Pre-K to 2nd grade available! Click below to grab yours! To go along with the lessons, we created a paper plate dinosaur craft! It had to be easy guys because I’m not the best crafter in the world. But, the little mini clothespins worked great for little legs for the dinosaurs!
Dinosaur Learning Download
#45: Pom-poms
Pom-poms are always a winner! They are so colorful and fun. You can use them for fine motor play, art projects, tray play activities, and sensory play!
Directions:
1. Materials you need: pom-poms, a colander, bbq sticks/pipe cleaners.
2. Set-up: Put about 50 pom-poms in the strainer. Have your kids put the pipe cleaners through one hole and out another hole on top of the pom-poms. Once the sticks support the pom-poms, flip it upside down on a stack of two books (see picture).
3. Activity: Practice the skill of taking turns by having one person pull a BBQ stick/pipe cleaner out, then the next person will take their turn. See how many pom-poms fall out each time! You can work on counting skills as well! Focus on making a point of who’s turn it is, so they realize that they are taking turns.
#46: Pipe cleaners
Pipe cleaners are fun because they bend and twist; however, you want them to go! We have done countless crafts, fine motor activities, and tray play activities with pipe cleaners.
My favorite way that I have used pipe cleaners was to make a rainbow abacus for my kids to practice counting with beads! They loved how this turned out so much! They also helped string the beads on the pipe cleaner, which works on fine motor skills!
You just need white play-doh for the bottom to make clouds and rainbow colors for beads and pipe cleaners! Then you can practice counting skills with your little one! Even work on counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s to make this more complicated for older ones!
Category 6: Fine Motor Tools
Build fine motor skills is essential for kids to perform everyday life tasks. I’m sure you want your little one to be able to button their shirt, zip-up their jacks, and tie their shoes! By working on these skills and using the following supplies, you will help build their skills!
#47: Droppers
We got these droppers a few months ago, and I can’t even tell you how many times we have used them already. Science experiments, learning activities, art projects, there are so many possibilities!
I love that they have big colorful tops because it’s easy for the kids to squeeze and pick up liquids with them. It’s also a great way to work on color matching!
One of my favorite ways that we have used these droppers is by creating a rainbow with cotton balls, a few drops of food coloring, and these droppers! Grab some cotton balls and put them inside a tray in a rainbow formation. Fill up the cups about 1/2 way with water and a few drops of food coloring. Put the droppers inside the cup and have your kiddo squeeze the liquid onto the cotton balls to create a rainbow!
Afterward, my daughter loved mixing the colors to see what it would look like. That’s why I love using trays, so it makes for easy cleanup! Here is a link to the tray we have.
#48: Fine Motor Tools
We LOVE our fine motor toolset. Almost every time that I do a sensory activity (which is a lot), we use our tools. My kids particularly love the scoop scissors and the tweezers.
In the sensory bin you see below, I hid some of our bugs in water beads. I challenged the kids to search for the bugs and grab them with either the scoop scissors or the tweezers. They also enjoyed digging through the water beads and picking those up with the tools.
RELATED: BEST Sensory Bins for Kids
#49: Fine Motor Boards
These boards are fantastic for working on those essential skills that I was talking about earlier. By practicing with these boards, your kids will build up those skills to be able to do all the boards!
I suggest starting with the zip, snap, and button boards for beginners. Once they have mastered those boards, they can move onto the buckle, lace, and tie boards. My daughter is 5 years old, and she is working on learning how to lace and tie right now. These boards have been so helpful while she is learning!
RELATED: FUN Fine Motor Activities
#50: Alphabet Stringing Beads
I love this set of alphabet beads. I can just imagine all the different activities that you could do with these.
Stringing is a great fine motor activity. Kids have to use both of their hands to be able to string the letters on the string!
Work on building their names, build words, or make fun designs with these fun beads! One thing I haven’t talked about yet is shape recognition; this is one way that you can talk about shapes!
RELATED: 6 PROVEN Ways to Teach Your Toddler Shapes
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Wow, I just dropped a whole bunch of school supplies for you to think about. The reason why I made this so long is because I wanted to make sure I provided you with a complete set of resources to be able to teach your children from home.
Like I said earlier, don’t feel like you need to drop hundreds of dollars. Pick and choose from my list what works best for your family! Grab the supplies that you think would be most beneficial for your children to learn.
Happy Learning!
