Create Your Own DIY Homework Station for Back-to-School
Hi guys! I’m Kristin, owner of Postbox Designs, where all I do is Online Interior Design. I’m also a wife, mom to three, and confession time: I love the schedule of being back-to-school! And now friends, it is official: my family is officially back-topschool. Let me be real-we had an amazing summer: we hiked, we biked, we swam, we ate tons of ice cream and stayed up until unholy hours catching fireflies by the lake. Every memory was precious, and we had tons of them.
But this Mama loves Back-to-School time.
For us Moms it really is like a second New Year. I love having a new schedule, getting organized, cleaning up, and doing a home refresh. This time of year is the perfect excuse to do it: let’s get AHEAD of our kid’s paperwork this year and be ready for the piles of homework, permission slips, and new artwork. And with all three of my kids in full time school, I really do have to be ahead of the game with them. Which means every thing has a place. And every kid has a place to do their schoolwork.
My Kid’s Triple Homework Station The First Time
I actually created my triple Kid’s Homework Desk over two years ago, and it continues to be a place we use every single day. During the summer it made the perfect Lego and Playdoh table. But during the fall, it converts back to a place for our kids to do their homework.
If you want to see the ENTIRE makeover from the first time around, and all of the pretty pictures, just pop on over and check it out.
Farmhouse Triple Kid’s Homework Station Makeover
My Kid’s Homework Station: Updated
But since then I made some updates to get it ready for a brand new school year, and today I’m going to show you all of my changes…and where you buy it all for yourself!
The Room Pinned Over 200,000+ Times
Today, I want to show you how I created my own budget-friendly Kid’s Homework Station/Craft Center/Home Office Makeover in my own home. And I have to be honest, I was shocked when this went viral. Last time I saw, it had been pinned hundreds of thousands of times. But I think that goes to show you that simple solutions can be the best sometimes. I promise, there is nothing fancy about this room. It is budget friendly, durable, and easy-to-use…and I think that is why so many people could relate to it. If my kids can’t ruin it…yours probably can’t either!
The Before: Pre-Homework Station
You don’t need a dedicated Home Office or Playroom space to create a kid’s desk or Homework Station. You can find a nook in your Kitchen, Living Room, a Kid Bedroom…In our house, we had this oversized hallway right outside my kid’s bedrooms. It was great to have custom shelving, but since I don’t have a collection of a thousand….anythings….we really didn’t have the need for all of these shelves. Instead I saw a better use of this space for our party of five.
We ripped out all of the shelves, track lighting, and stained carpet…to create a very simple layout that worked beautifully for our three kids, and fit into the narrow space we had.
The After: Triple Kid’s Desk Area
Here is what it looked like after the makeover:
After we ripped out the shelves, we covered the wall with a very simple, rustic shiplap. And we also installed three sconce lights to give the desk space even better lighting. To give each homework station a personalized look, each of my three kids have their very own spot (with their own photo hanging above their space…so no fighting over whose seat is whose!).
Today: Our Homework Station Updates
But now we are starting the Back-to-School season of 2018, and like everything else, we have made some changes and updates. So I wanted to take you on the updated tour of our Homework Station, show you what worked best, and some things I have swapped out since. After two years my original $20 DIY rug finally got a bit faded, so we swapped it out with a new herringbone rug. I’ve also swapped out some of the desk accessories to make the space work even better for the kids. My favorite new addition was the Briley Desk Top Organizer, I love how everything matched in a modern gold tone, and all of it is uber-functional. One stop shopping my friend.
Here are my favorite few tips of what worked best for our kid’s desk area, and why we still have them:
Kid Homework Station Tip #1: Give them Space to Spread Out
I think the key to our kid’s Homework Station is that it is over 8′ long! Which means there is plenty of room for three work stations OR spreading out for big school projects.
And before you roll your eyes…NO, all three of my kids do not line up and do homework side-by-side quietly.
That would last about three seconds. Instead they each have their own STATION they can go to. And it just depends on the day and the homework who does their work at the desk, and who does theirs elsewhere. But just as often as it is used for homework, it is used for crafts, puzzles, and Legos.
And probably the #1 question I get asked about this room?
“Where is that desk from?” You will be thrilled to know it is actually just two table legs and a pre-finished wood top from Ikea. That’s it-no assembly required! (P.S. Grab the links to all of the sources you see in my Free Resource Library-scroll to the bottom of the post!)
Kid Homework Station Tip #2: Keep The Top Clear
Another question I have been asked about is storage for our Homework Station. You might be able to see a sneak peek of it, but we have a hallway closet right next to our kid’s desk area that we store their stuff in. If you don’t have a closet space nearby, you can easily add drawers instead of open legs to this desk top.
I think it is so important for everything to have a place to be stashed away. I’m a huge fan of drawers and baskets-they keep items contained but still keeps things relaxed and simple. I gave up labeling drawers a long time ago. Inside our storage closet, each of my kid’s has a shelf with all of their items in it. I also keep out a white tray that keeps basic desk supplies inside (pencils, pens, staplers, etc.) so it is always easy access.
You can also take advantage of vertical space by using shelves and wall organizers to help keep the desk surface clear.
Kid Homework Station Tip #3: Choose an Organizational System and Stick With It
My oldest is now in 5th grade, so it took me a couple of years to figure out which system worked best for our family of five.
My best advice? Keep it simple friends.
Here are the three items we use daily to keep our kid stuff organized:
I found this adorable glam desktop organizer kit from Wayfair, and it comes with all a vertical folder organizer, two trays, and a letter holder. And I used it all!
Individual Kid Folders: Inside my desk accessories kit were these cute folders and vertical holder. Each of my three kids gets their own folder. Inside their folder they can keep their weekly homework, or any information they need. When they are done, everything goes back into the folder until it is time to be turned in, and stored in this vertical holder. No more clutter on my countertops!
Inbox/Outbox: Secondly, I use this letter tray as an “inbox/outbox”. That means my kids are responsible for putting any papers that need MY attention. It could be a permission slip that needs to be signed, or sign-up schedule for a sport. If it needs a parent, my kids put it in the box.
Recycling Bin: I know it sounds harsh, but so many of the papers that come home aren’t “Keep Forevers”. If we recycle them as soon as they come out of the backpacks, it cuts my clutter factor in half. Special projects we put away, but the rest gets trashed immediately. They don’t even come into my house…because if they do, they come to stay forever!
If you are looking for a simple, inexpensive way to stay organized for the start of school this year, check out all of these cute desk accessories & organizers. I started at Wayfair because they have a bazillion options and they get me every time with that free shipping! Just a few small items will give you all you need to stay organized and ahead of the paper trail.
Kid Homework Station Tip #4: Give Them Their Own Space
I mentioned that I did a few different things to make sure each kid had their own space at their homework center. I used a super long desk top so that I could fit in three chairs. At each station I framed a photo of each of my babes (in birth order) so they all knew whose chair was whose. Each kid also has their own basket of “stuff” that they can bring back and forth from our storage closet to the desk. When they are done, they can simply pack everything back in their basket and put it away.
We do have some shared bins of all purpose items such as markers, crayons, pencils, etc. that stay in the general population!
Tip #5: Make it Fun…So they WANT To Be There
Don’t forget to make it fun! I let the kids bring snacks here, I let them bring their IPads to listen to music while they work, or bring some play-doh for a stress break. I want to make homework as painless as possible, so if they want to lay on the floor and do their homework? Fine. If they want to bring their dolls to hang with them to do their math? That’s cool. I try to make this whole area all about them, and give them a lot more lattitude to make this a relaxed place where they actually want to be.
For example, this little horse? She hung out with my first grader as she completed this years first school project. Here at Postbox Designs, and my own house, it is all about Real Designs for Real Life.
Need Some More Kid Homework Station or Kid Desk Ideas?
Well friend, I soooo have your back. My kid’s Homework Station has a Modern Farmhouse look with shiplap, rustic wood top, and metal legs. But if you want a different style, I have you covered. Two of these even come with Freebie Guides + Shopping Lists so you can click and buy. Here are a couple more kid-friendly designs for a kid homework station, or a Home Office that the whole fam can use:
10 Items to a “Wild & Free” Kid Homework Station (With Free Shopping List!)
Farmhouse Home Office + Kid’s Homework Station
Create a Mini Homework Station When You’re Tight on Space (Plus Shopping List)
Get Today’s Farmhouse Homework Station FREE Mood Board + Shopping List
And just as a reminder, you can grab my Kid’s Triple Homework Station FREE Homework Station Guide + Shopping List. It has the Mood Board along with the sources to all of the items I used to create my kid’s desk area. Simply click on the link below to take you to my Free Resource Library sign up. When you sign up, you will get free 24/7 access to all of my design freebies in there. Be sure to check back often, because I’m always adding to it. Plus, you can snag $50 off your first project with me (Hint: this is the only place you can get a discount on my services!)
Already a member? Just log in HERE with your password to access.
Have questions about anything you saw today? Want to chat more about Online Interior Design, or how to work with me? Sweet! Just drop me a line at kristin@postboxdesigns.com and we can chat all about you. Or see how it all works right HERE. You can order your custom designed room in an hour…in your PJs. Oh yah.
Cheers,
Kristin
P.S. Today’s post was sponsored by Wayfair, but all of the raving about the product is my own! I’ve been a huge user of theirs since I knew they existed. This desktop organizer is just one more of the gems I found there. I know you will love it as much as I do.
Sean Mahan says
This is exactly what my kids need to stay focused in their studies.
PostboxDesigns says
Oh good, I’m glad it was helpful for you! We love ours!
Katy says
How did you attach the legs to the top to make the desk with IKEA pieces?
PostboxDesigns says
Hi Katy, Actually you don’t attach the legs at all-you simply set the top on the legs. I was pretty uncertain about that, but it hasn’t been a problem at all…with my three kids being fairly rough with it. Good luck!
Katy says
How did you attach the legs to the top to make the desk with IKEA pieces?
Shannon Serbus says
Can you help me…I want this desk in my office. What size top did you buy to go with the ikea trestle legs?
PostboxDesigns says
Hi Shannon! I bought the 96″ size and it comfortably sits my three kids-it does come in smaller sizes if you just need a single desk. Hope that helps! Kristin
Deb Fritz says
I love this look. Am trying to find the 3 lights that are on the wall, where did you find them?
PostboxDesigns says
Hi Deb,
So, I found the sconces on Amazon and they were a deep bronze color, so I actually spray painted them black. But here is something with a similar look:https://www.google.com/search?q=black+gooseneck+sconce&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS844US844&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZtMHr_JDnAhXYQs0KHfrhAj0Q_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1229&bih=514#spd=4049229739634238067
Hope that helps!
Kristin
Michelle Hunt says
Hello! I absolutely love this idea. I have subscribed to your site but waiting for an email. Does the table top no longer come in the 96″ size? I can’t find it and need to create a homework space for three as well. Any suggestions where I can find this size? I would appreciate any guidance.
Thank you!
PostboxDesigns says
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad you like it-my three kids still use this area daily. Here is the link for the same countertop I used, I hope this helps: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/karlby-countertop-walnut-veneer-70335212/