Workbox System Tags & Planning Sheet
Yesterday I told you about Sue Patrick's Workbox System. If you are struggling to homeschool more than one child, I highly recommend this system. You can get her book as an eBook from her website or from Amazon. You certainly do not need the book to set up workboxes, but the book is well worth the money.
If you're looking for the basic idea, let me explain.
Using workboxes is a work management system. The drawers/boxes hold a different activity in each one. The number of activities is up to you.
A workbox can be any container you would like to use. Many people use drawers.
Some people prefer magazine boxes.
We use the Trofast system from Ikea.
What I like about the Trofast system is that the bins come in a variety of sizes. The green ones shown above are the perfect depth for almost anything. The white and red buckets are deeper and are great for work that has more bulky items. All the bins come in a variety of colors too. Ours are red and green.
How you decide on what your going to use depends on 2 things:
1. The amount of space you have to dedicate to this system.
1. The amount of space you have to dedicate to this system.
2. The amount of money you want to spend.
So you get your boxes, drawers, bins, etc. Then you label them with numbers or subject tags. I used Velcro sticky dots. Put one part of the velcro on the bin and the other on the back of the tag.
Each of my kids have 6 boxes. On three of their boxes, I put an additional Velcro dot for a "work with mom" tag. I use these for activities like a spelling test, which can't be done by themselves.
Each of my kids have 6 boxes. On three of their boxes, I put an additional Velcro dot for a "work with mom" tag. I use these for activities like a spelling test, which can't be done by themselves.
I fill most of the boxes with work that can be done without me sitting there and walking them through. The kids work through their boxes in whatever order they wish. BUT, if they see that their brother or sister has a "work with mom" box, they need to choose one of theirs that doesn't. Make sense? Of course, I am always available for a question.
As the kids finish their boxes, they can either put them back or stack them up. You can create a laminated poster with Velcro dots for the kids to put their numbers on as they finish. The freebie today has posters with a variety of kids, so find one that looks as much like your kid as possible. If you wish, you can also just have the kids toss the numbers in a basket or keep them on the boxes.
Another modification is to put subject tags on the drawers rather than number tags.
I've also created a planner for you.
Download FREE from
