How to Organize Digital Homeschool Files

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In our homeschool classroom, we rely on digital homeschool files and resources for everything under the sun! Our digital homeschool resources are full of worksheets, ebooks, curriculum, fun activities, and so much more. I can’t imagine homeschooling my kids without these little digital lifesavers!

Over the years, I’ve accumulated quite the large library of digital resources that I keep tucked away in our homeschool toolbox. There are so many great homeschool resources you can get online, but none of them will do you any good if you can’t find what you’re looking for! Here are some tips for organizing your homeschool files and resources digitally.

Organize your digital homeschool files by subject

Organizing your homeschool files by grade level sounds logical on paper. However, there are so many items that were missed because we arranged our files that way! Just because something is labeled for third grade, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a great resource to pull out and use with my fifth grader.

Filing resources by grade level puts too many restrictions on your system and makes it difficult to search for the file you need. Instead, organize them by subject. This way, you’re more likely to get use of all your files and use them more than once.

Purge The Digital Homeschool Files You Don’t Love

There are so many great digital homeschool files out there for everything from science lessons to hands-on math activities. However, not all of these will work well for your kids and your family.

DELETE DIGITAL HOMESCHOOL FILES — Computer button on a keyboard with recycle bin icon symbol

Your kids could be a different style of learner, or frankly, you might just not have the time to do them. However, some just don’t compare to some of your better files. You don’t need 100 different math games, and your kids will never play them all! So, purge your folders of the files that you don’t need. Keep your files condensed down to just the stuff you love and will use.

Send eBooks and Readable Files to Your Kindle

There are a bunch of great ebook options out there, and having them all on your computer not only takes up valuable space but takes time to sort and find.

Instead, I organize any ebooks by having them in a folder called Homeschool Books. When I need to access these resources, I can use Amazon’s Send to Kindle option. You can also find your Kindle email address and email files to your device.

You don’t have to have a Kindle; you just need a device with the Kindle app. You can send documents or books right there on your tablet or phone!

Use Them and Remove Them

It’s easy to hang on to files longer than you need them. However, there is a simple system that can help you remove files you don’t need. Once the last child has made it through that grade and used the resource, get rid of the file. If you’ve already printed it out and used it, and won’t be coming back to that lesson, get rid of it! It’s served your purpose, and you don’t need it any longer!

using digital homeschool files — Stay home: Teenage girl sitting with laptop, notebook and tablet – online learning from home. Self isolation coronavirus concept

That’s not to say it wouldn’t benefit you to keep some of the resources that you love and could possibly use down the road. But those that are very specific to a grade or age range that you won’t be revisiting, you could definitely delete.

Name your files with great descriptions

One thing that has helped me keep my digital homeschool files extremely organized is giving them very detailed names and descriptions. This helps when I’m using the search function while looking for specific files.

Name your homeschool file with the subject, topic, and grade level or age range if possible.

computer at homeschool desk — Laptop with white screen mock up template. Office desk with computer; coffee cup and pen

For example, a worksheet with a Johnny Appleseed reading passage and reading comprehension questions would be named:

Johnny Appleseed Reading Comp Passage First Second Third

Yes, that seems like an extremely long file name BUT when you are searching frantically at 1 AM for resources to pair with your lesson for the next day, you will find this very helpful!

Digital files are a great way to save money when it comes to your homeschool classroom! You can use them to help you save paper and even help you better organize your lesson plans. But if you let them get out of hand, they can quickly take over your computer and your life!