How to Build Your Homeschool Binder + Free Cheat Sheets & Dividers

Back to school season is here again for most of us, and do you know one of my favorite parts? School supplies. Seriously. I love going into an office supply store and looking at all the school supplies. And who can resist the smell of new pencils? 

When you’re gathering your school supplies for this new year of homeschooling, one of the items on your list is probably a binder. Maybe it’s a planner for mom or a kids planner. Maybe it’s a binder the kids can store their work in. Whatever kind of binder you’re putting together, we have some free resources and ideas to help you build your own binder.

What’s the purpose of a homeschool organization binder?

Homeschool families often homeschool in the dining room, which means that the kitchen table might be full of papers, planners, and cheat sheets (or is that just me?). If you want to put together the best planner for homeschool, you can find free ones as well as paid ones. In this post we will share with you all sorts of freebies. 

If you are new to homeschooling, these posts may be super helpful to you:

• How to Start Homeschooling: All You Need to Know – If you are wondering how to homeschool, this is where to start.
• The Many Benefits of Homeschooling Your Children – There are so many benefits of homeschooling. This post covers them.
• Deschooling: Transitioning to Learning at Home – If you are transitioning from public school to homeschool, learn about deschooling.
• How to Create a Homeschool Space Your Kids Will Love – Discover all sorts of great homeschool room ideas for all budgets.
• How to Create a Homeschooling Schedule That Works – Learn how to create a homeschool schedule that works for your family.
• Homeschool Record Keeping: What You Need to Know – Discover all you need to know about homeschool record keeping. 
• Homeschool Co-Ops: What You Need to Know – Should you join a homeschool co op?

What’s in a Homeschool Binder?

A homeschool binder system is like the command station for all-things homeschool-related. In it you’ll find all sorts of things for general planning binders as well as multi-subject binders, such as:

• editable calendars
• homeschool log
• homeschool planner printable
• field trip log
• attendance
• grade trackers
• printable goal setting worksheet
• homeschool report card template

What do I add to my homeschool binder?

Besides the obvious homeschool records listed above, a homeschool binder is a great place to record milestones that you may want to move over to your homeschool portfolio. I like to look at my homeschool binder as my one-stop-shop for all my important day-to-day homeschool organization papers. 

My husband appreciates that I can cram everything in there and clear off the table. :-)

Planner Help

Do your kids have their own planners? How about including this Copywork for the Months of the Year? Simply print it and have the kids insert the pages for each month. When they begin each month, they can do the copywork for that particular month.

Goals & Subjects

Next, let’s talk goals. Do your kids understand the importance of setting achievable goals? Do they understand that Scripture has something to say about doing our best? These Copywork & Goal Sheets can help them think through their goals for the year and then copy a key verse. 

This same printable pack will also give your kids copywork sheets they can use in their student binders. This pack includes a goal sheet for 11 different academic subjects as well as copywork from Scripture about each subject.

Encourage them to think about what they’d like to learn and achieve in each subject this year and write it down. They’ll be able to look back at it throughout the year. 

You can use free printable dividers for your binder to separate subjects. 

Cheat Sheets

Do you ever find yourself trying to remember simple facts – like the capital of a particular state or what a coefficient is? If you have, you know how handy it can be to have a simple list of facts close by. Check out these FREE cheat sheets in many subjects, and explore this full list of cheat sheets: 

Art

• Famous Artists Cheat Sheets – list of 45 famous artists, where they were from, what style or period they were part of, and at least one of their famous works

Civics

• U.S. Presidents Cheat Sheets – handy printable list of U.S. Presidents, Vice Presidents, terms, party, and number

Foreign Language

• American Sign Language Study Pack – printable cheat sheets, cards, and more

History and Geography

• 50 State Cheat Sheets – list of state capitals, geographic region, time zone, and postal abbreviation for each state
• 50 States and Capitals in Cursive Copywork – Practice writing the states and capitals in cursive.

Language Arts

• Figurative Language Anchor Chart – Great for your language arts binder.
• DIY Book Report– use these templates to organize your book report
• Letter Template for Kids – These are great for teaching students how to write friendly letters.

Math

• Math Cheat Sheets for Grades 4-8 – helpful abbreviations, conversions, and more
• Math Facts Copywork
• Number Chart 1-100
• Roman Numerals Printable – Print and use these handy Roman numerals charts in your math binder.
• Bar Graph for Kids – Includes a handy sheet you can store in your math binder that explains different types of bar graphs. Includes worksheet practice. 

Music

• Famous Composers Cheat Sheets – 45 famous composers, where they were from, when they lived, and the name of at least one famous work they are remembered for

Science and Health

• Periodic Table of the Elements Cheat Sheets – handy reference list of the elements along with their class, atomic number, and chemical symbol

Notebooking Pages & Diagrams for Student Binders

Get started with Free Notebooking Templates you can use for any subject or topic!

Art

• Famous Artists Notebooking Research Journal – record the date and place of birth, date and place of death, famous works, and facts about the lives of 50 famous artists
• Artist Study Notebooking Pack – record facts about the artist and his or her work alongside pictures of one of their famous pieces
• Artists Notebooking Pages – learn about past and more recent artists 

Bible

• Authors of the Old Testament Notebooking Research Journal – pages to record the author, date written, key verse, and main theme of each of the books of the Old Testament
• Authors of the New Testament Notebooking Research Journal – pages to record the author, date written, key verse, and main theme of each of the books of the New Testament
• Old Testament Kings list – notebooking pages plus list of kings and which kingdom they ruled over

History and Geography

• United States Geography Notebooking Research Journal – place to record what borders each state, key mountains, rivers and lakes, major cities, geographic land regions, and landmarks
• Countries of Europe Notebooking Research Journal – place to record what borders each country, key mountains, rivers and lakes, major cities, geographic land regions, and landmarks
• Wonders of the Ancient & Medieval World Notebooking Research Journal – place to record the history of 14 of the world’s wonders

Music

• Famous Composers Notebooking Research Journal – record the date and place of birth, date and place of death, famous works, and facts about the lives of 50 famous composers

Science and Health

• Human Body Systems Labeling and Diagramming Worksheets – label the main parts of several systems
• Diseases of the Human Body Notebooking Journal Series – learn about diseases that impact six of our body’s systems
• Natural Disasters Notebooking Research Journals – record information about historic floods, hurricanes, volcanoes, and earthquakes
• Wonders of Space Notebooking Research Journal – record information about 27 wonders that are out of this world
• Layers and Spheres of the Earth Notebooking Research Journal – record information about many parts of the world – beneath our feet and above us in the atmosphere
• Ocean Animals Notebooking Research Journal – record the oceans the animal is found in, the type of water it is found in (shallow, deep, etc.), a physical description, and interesting facts about 60 amazing animals that live in the ocean

Binders for the Little Ones

• All About Me Templates – fun way for little ones to record their name, birthday, height, hair color, number of brothers or sisters, and favorite color
• My Feelings and Emotions Tracker – help kids learn to identify what they are feeling and why with this handy printable
• Phonics Sound Cards – fun way to see what happens when small sounds join to form big ideas
• Name Tracing Generator – Crete your own customizable pdfs for name tracing practice!

Reading Logs and Charts

• Reading Logs, Bookmarks, and Charts – dozens of printable logs, charts, bookmarks, and more for kids to enjoy

In Conclusion

Using free cheat sheets and charts in your subject binders are a great idea. It helps students to have a quick reference for specific topics.