Homeschool Printing Supplies Checklist
Printable worksheets let you teach exactly what your child needs, when they need it, but only if printing is quick and painless. This checklist covers the supplies that make a home school or classroom run smoothly, and how much of each you're likely to use.
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The checklist
- A printer that suits worksheets (and spare ink or toner)
- Copy paper: a ream or two to start
- White card stock for flashcards and charts
- Dry-erase pocket sleeves and fine-tip dry-erase markers
- A laminator and pouches (optional, for things that get handled a lot)
- A paper trimmer and blunt-tip kids' scissors
- A 3-hole punch and one binder per child or per subject
- A file box or crate with one folder per week
- Beginner pencils, crayons or colored pencils, and erasers
- Reward stickers
1. A printer that suits worksheets
If you mostly print black-and-white worksheets, a monochrome laser printer is usually the cheapest per page, and toner doesn't dry out between school breaks the way inkjet cartridges can. If you print a lot in color, like charts, flashcards and art pages, an ink tank printer with refillable bottles tends to cost far less per page than cartridges. Whichever you choose, automatic two-sided printing saves paper on longer packets, and the manufacturer's cost per page is the number to compare.
2. How much paper you'll need
Most worksheets print fine on ordinary 20 lb copy paper. Use 24 lb paper for pages children color with markers, so the color doesn't soak through. Here's what a typical 180-day school year adds up to:
| Worksheets a day | Sheets a week | Sheets a year | Reams of 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 15 | 540 | 1.1 |
| 5 | 25 | 900 | 1.8 |
| 8 | 40 | 1,440 | 2.9 |
Five school days a week, 180 school days a year, one sheet per worksheet.
3. Card stock for anything that gets handled
Flashcards, reward charts, times-table charts and cut-out cards last much longer on 65 lb card stock. Print them one sheet at a time from the rear or manual tray if your printer has one. Our free multiplication chart and the 133 flashcards in the sight words pack are good candidates.
4. Reuse pages instead of reprinting them
Dry-erase pocket sleeves are one of the most useful homeschool printing supplies. Slide in a tracing page or a math drill, write with a fine-tip dry-erase marker, wipe it and use it again tomorrow. Handwriting practice, mazes and timed drills all work this way. For things that get handled every day, like a chore chart or a hundreds chart, a thermal laminator makes pages permanent: 3 mil pouches are the everyday thickness, and 5 mil pouches are stiffer.
5. Cutting, punching and organizing
- A paper trimmer cuts a sheet of flashcards straighter and faster than scissors; keep blunt-tip scissors for children's cut-and-paste pages.
- A 3-hole punch and one binder per child or per subject keep finished work in order.
- Try a “week in a folder” system: a file box with one hanging folder per week, filled in advance with that week's printed pages.
- Many families keep a portfolio of work samples through the year. Requirements vary by state and country, so check your local homeschool rules.
6. Small things that make a big difference
Young children grip triangular beginner pencils more easily than thin ones. Keep crayons or colored pencils, good erasers and a stapler at the table, and a sheet of reward stickers for finished pages and full chore charts. You will find most of these in the supplies list below.
Free worksheets to start with
Test your setup with our free printables: an addition worksheet with an answer key, a multiplication chart, handwriting practice sheets, a sight words worksheet, a maze and a chore chart. When you're ready for more, the Kids Worksheets Bundle has all four of our worksheet packs: 302 printable pages.
Homeschool printing FAQ
How much paper does a homeschool year use?
It depends on how many pages you print. At 5 worksheets a day over a 180-day school year, that's 900 sheets, or about 1.8 reams of 500 sheets. Reusable pages in dry-erase sleeves cut that a lot.
Do I need a color printer for homeschool?
Not for most worksheets: math, handwriting and reading practice work well in black and white. Color helps for charts, flashcards and art projects.
What thickness of laminating pouch should I buy?
3 mil pouches are the everyday choice and work in almost every home laminator. 5 mil pouches are stiffer for things that get handled a lot; check that your laminator supports them.
How can I reuse worksheets?
Slide the page into a dry-erase sleeve or laminate it, then write with a fine-tip dry-erase marker and wipe it clean afterwards.
Is it cheaper to print worksheets at home?
Often, especially for black-and-white pages and when you only need a few pages of a topic. Compare the cost per page your printer's maker lists with what a workbook costs.
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Addition & Subtraction Worksheets
44 worksheets from adding within 10 to 2-digit regrouping, all with answer keys. Ages 5–8, US Letter & A4.