top of page
Humble Homeschooler Mama(4).png

45 Early Elementary Homeschool Supplies That Are Actually Worth Buying

HumbleHomeschoolerMama
Sep 12
6 min read

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you shop through them — at no extra cost to you. I only link things we've actually used or genuinely researched. Thank you for supporting our little homeschool this way! 💛


If we were doing public school, my son would be starting second grade right about now. But we're not — this is our third year homeschooling, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that your supply list changes every single year. It shifts with your kid's age, with the subjects you're diving into, and honestly, with you — with who you're becoming as a homeschool mom.


I already shared our homeschool starter kit a while back, but early elementary is its own beast. It's sweet, it's fun, it's occasionally chaotic, and it needs its own set of tools to make the day actually work. So I sat down and pulled together everything I've personally tested, researched, or wish I'd bought sooner — organized by category so you can shop for exactly what your family needs right now, not a giant overwhelming list of everything.


Once you're through this, go peek at my prize box ideas or our favorite card games for early elementary— they pair really well with this list and hit this age from a few different angles. Consider this your foundation. Once you have the essentials covered, it's so much easier to improvise on the days that need a Plan B (and there will be days that need a Plan B).


Let's get into it.


📚 Reading & Language Arts



This is where the magic really starts to click for early readers.


- Magnetic Letters by Learning Resources — hands-down one of our most-used items for spelling and word building

- Learning Resources Sight Word Swat! — turns sight-word drilling into something my son actually asks to play

- Melissa & Doug See & Spell — great hands-on spelling practice

- Bob Books Set 1: Beginning Readers — simple, confidence-building, and honestly a rite of passage

- Primary Composition Notebook with Picture Story Space — for the earliest "write and draw" stories


⭐ My pick: the magnetic letters. We still use ours almost daily, and they travel well for on-the-go learning.


Read on: If you're looking for great books for the early readers, check out these posts:




✏️ Writing & Handwriting


Nothing fancy needed here — just the right basics.


- Ticonderoga #2 Pencils — the classic homeschool staple for a reason

- Mr. Pen Pencil Grips — a small thing that makes a real difference for little hands


⭐ My combo: Ticonderoga pencils + pencil grips + the composition notebook. That trio alone will get you through most of the year.


🔢 Math Manipulatives


If you only splurge on one category, make it this one — early math really does need to be touched, not just written.


- MathLink Cubes Early Math Activity Set — comes with activity cards, which made this an instant favorite in our house


⭐ My pick: the MathLink Activity Set. It makes counting, adding, subtracting, and patterns tangible in a way worksheets just can't, and the activity cards mean you're not the one constantly coming up with what to do next.


🎲 Math Games


Because sometimes the best way to practice math is to stop calling it math.




We keep one of these in our "if Mom needs five quiet minutes" drawer, and nobody ever complains that it's secretly schoolwork.


🔬 Science & STEM


This is where I splurge a little more, because the wow-factor really does drive curiosity.



⭐ My pick: the STEM Explorers Builders set. It blends building, early math, fine-motor skills, and creativity into one toy, which for this age is basically a homeschool cheat code.


Need more info on microscopes? I wrote about them before, check it out:



🎨 Art Supplies



Skip the 25 individual crayon boxes and go for sets exciting enough that your kid wants to dig in.



⭐ My pick: the Imagination Art Set. It's a real "unbox and gasp" kind of gift, and it covers crayons, colored pencils, markers, and paper in one carrying case — worth every penny for how often it gets pulled out.




🧑‍🏫 For the Homeschool Mom (aka You)


Don't forget yourself in all this — a few teacher supplies make daily life dramatically smoother.



If you buy only two things from this whole list, make it these: a laminator and a big pack of pouches. You will find yourself laminating everything — chore charts, flash cards, the good drawings you don't want ruined. It's a weirdly satisfying homeschool rite of passage.


🗂️ Organization


You don't need a Pinterest-perfect homeschool room. You just need somewhere to put all this stuff. 😂



Keep it simple. A cart that rolls from room to room has honestly saved our sanity more than any dedicated "school space" ever could.


🌎 Geography & Social Studies




The globe is one of those pieces that looks as good on a shelf as it works as a learning tool — genuinely one of our most-touched items.



🌳 Nature Study


Homeschooling isn't just what happens at the table — some of our best learning happens outside.



A bug viewer and a nature journal turn an ordinary backyard walk into "school," which is honestly one of the best tricks in the early elementary playbook.



🧩 Quiet, Independent Learning


Not technically "school supplies," but any homeschool mom knows exactly why these matter.



These are our go-to for the twenty minutes I need to make a phone call or just breathe. No guilt required.


A Few Final Thoughts


You don't need everything on this list, and you definitely don't need it all at once. Start with what solves the problem you're actually having right now — whether that's a kid who resists handwriting practice, a math concept that isn't clicking, or just needing five quiet minutes in your day. Add the rest as you go.


That's the beauty of this stage: it's forgiving. You have room to figure out what works for your kid, in your house, this year — and next year, it'll probably look a little different all over again. That's not a failure of planning. That's just homeschooling.


If this list was helpful, I'd love for you to pin it for later or share it with a homeschool mom friend who's building her own supply list right now. 💛

Comments

bottom of page