Ways to Use Graphing Paper in Your Homeschool

There are so many ways to use graphing paper in your homeschool. My daughter uses standard graph paper for a variety of math problems, and we have used different types of graph papers for handwriting.

Ways to Use Graphing Paper in Your Homeschool

You can use graphing paper to help line up numbers when working out math problems, and even to help kids memorize times tables. Read on to learn about all the ways you can use a graphing type of paper in your homeschool.

Writing out Math Problems

My kids do their math lessons on the computer but they still have to write out their equations for long division and even multiple-digit multiplication. However, their pages look less like neat problems worked out and more like mass chaos trying to use every inch of the page.

This makes it very difficult for them to not only solve their math problems quickly, but see their work so they can find and correct mistakes. It also makes it difficult for me to help them when they have trouble. So I learned a long time with my oldest to use graph paper to help them keep it all neat and straight.

When I showed my oldest how to use graph paper for math problems, it was amazing the difference in his math work. Suddenly he was seeing his mistakes and correcting them before he entered them into his lessons. He was also able to see work more clearly and things finally stopped making silly mistakes.

Using Graph Paper for Handwriting

Do your little ones (or big ones) struggle with letter spacing? I know all my kids have so far. Children learn to write letters within the black lines or blue grid lines, but their spacing leaves a lot to be desired.

Sometimes they write letters on top of each other, some big, some small, and sometimes they leave a huge space between them. So once my children learned their letters and could write them on their own, I would give them graph paper to work on their spacing.

Another way to use a different type of graph paper for handwriting is for letter sizing. I know once my kids got their letters down, we also had to work on the size of their letters. Most of the time they were just inconsistent and graph paper really helped them with sizing.

I have also used it for my kids when they start learning cursive. They can get a little loopy with their letters, so it gets out of control, and graph paper helps them see where new letters need to connect a little more clearly.

Graph Paper Uses for Math

As I mentioned before, helping kids organize their math problems is a great way to help them work on keeping their problems neat. My oldest was the worst at keeping his problems organized and in columns.

He was always getting his columns mixed up and therefore missing easy triple-digit problems. Graph paper helped him keep them lined up and suddenly his grades improved and he could see his mistakes easier, which meant he could correct them.

Have your kids ever done a times table chart? I love using them to help kids see the patterns of multiplication while they’re learning skip counting. Using graph paper helps keep the numbers in a line to make it easier to spot the pattern.

Teach Place Value Using Graph Paper

Do your kids get mixed up with place value? Learning the different place values can be hard for some kids. And sometimes it’s difficult to understand greater than less than without a little help. The multi-line graph paper helps keep the columns separate so kids can learn the place value of numbers, both before and after the decimal.

Practice Fractions Using Graphing Paper

Using graph paper to introduce fractions is a great way to help kids visually see them. I learned fractions by working with my mom and grandma in the kitchen, but I still had trouble “seeing” them when I did math.

Graph paper helped me and is a great way to help kids tangibly see fractions as they work on not only learning them but also adding and subtracting them.

Area & perimeter is another great use for graph paper. Of course, a lot of designers and architecture students use graph paper, so why not use it to work through area and perimeter problems for your own kids. Who knows, you might be teaching the next great designer!

Graphing Paper for Geometry

Graphing in geometry can be hard with a plain or even lined piece of paper. Have kids use graph paper to plot coordinates while they work through their problems. 

If you’d like to use graphing papers & grids with your kids, then you will appreciate having access to printable graphing pages and grid size blank templates.

Uses for Graph Paper in History

You might think it a little strange to use graph paper in your history lessons, but it will come in handy when you’re making those timelines. I have never been able to draw a straight line to save my life, so having graph paper to make timelines neat and organized is a great idea!

Other Uses for Graph Paper in Your Homeschool

When learning spatial awareness and design, drawing to scale is important. Whether you’ve got a budding artist or a future design student on your hands, graph paper is a great way to help kids learn to draw to scale.

Do your kids love drawing their own geometric math designs? Have they ever created their own? I remember drawing these when I was in school and loved the final results with all the colors that overlapped and designs. 

Bullet journals may seem like a “mom” thing, but it is a great resource for older kids to start their own journaling process. Bullet journals are perfect for weekly writing assignments, keeping a diary, jotting down ideas for stories and so much more.

And graph paper helps keep your bullet journal nice and neat. It also allows kids to do some doodling on their journal pages.

Use the free graphing worksheets and free printable graph paper below to practice these different ways to use graphing paper as a powerful tool in your homeschool.

Graphing Paper for Students

Free Printable Graphing Worksheets for Elementary – Building a great graphing foundation begins with plenty of practice. Through graphing activities, elementary students can learn to organize, sort objects from information, or make bar graphs even. Learn why graphing is important and grab some free graphing worksheets for elementary students.

Graphing Papers and Grids for Upper Grades – Now that students know the basics of graphing and how to use them, grab these extra worksheets and freebies to help your older children comprehend math graphing problems. These free papers and grids will save money on printable pdfs graphing paper and provide a resource for graphing practice in simple pdf files.