Dollar Tree Homeschool Deals
I earn a commission from products purchased through links in this post.
I love the Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree was one of my favorite stores to pick up classroom supplies when I was a public school teacher. They have so many things that can be used for lessons and classroom organization.
A trip to the Dollar Tree is never quick for me. I want to wander down every single aisle. You never know what you will find. I try to keep an open mind when I am looking at everything. Some items are clearly meant for educators, but others can have multiple purposes.
Dollar Tree also has a website. This is great if you need large quantities or can’t find something in stock in your local store.
Dollar Tree Homeschool Deals
These Dollar Tree homeschool supplies are almost always in stock.
Dry-Erase Boards
Dry-erase boards are an easy way to quickly quiz students. Simply ask a question and let the student write down the answer. My kids would play a game similar to Jeopardy – They would choose a card, I would ask the question, and they would write down their answers. The first one to answer correctly won the card.
Play Money
Play money is an essential part of teaching money in an elementary math curriculum. I don’t love that this pretend money set is in black and white, so it doesn’t match our actual dollars, but the price is right. Each pack has:
- 20 $1 bills
- 20 $5 bills
- 20 $10 bills
- 20 $20 bills
- 20 $50 bills
- 20 $100 bills
Inflatable Globe
An inflatable globe is a great addition to any geography curriculum. Students, especially young learners, benefit from seeing where different countries are located. I pulled out my inflatable globe all the time in my classroom teacher days.
Dry-Erase Foam Blocks
Dry-erase foam blocks are a fun way to make questions a little more interactive. Simply write a question on each side. Then, the kids roll the block and answer the question that is on the top.
Veggie Tray
Segmented trays like this are not just for veggie platters. They are great for organizing craft supplies. You can put one component of a craft project in each section. This keeps the supplies organized and not rolling around the table. Trays like this are also perfect to use during sorting practice with preschoolers. For example, little ones can sort buttons (with supervision, so it isn’t a choking hazard) – just put one color in each section.
Alphabet Stickers
Alphabet stickers make spelling practice a little more enjoyable. I found a variety of stickers in the school supply aisle at the Dollar Tree. They are available in a plethora of sizes and colors. I even found a pack of foam alphabet stickers. This is great for kids to trace. They can spell a few words with the foam letters and then close their eyes and try to ‘read’ the word with their fingers.
Traditional School Supplies
I am usually a little leery of buying school supplies at dollar stores, but I found some great choices. The three-ring pencil pouches will be perfect for days we do school out of the house. A new mini stapler will be great to bring along, too. The composition books are a little more expensive than the back-to-school deals at Walmart and Target, but the covers are really cute and fun. I would avoid the crayons, though. They are usually of very poor quality.
Shaped Mini Erasers
Mini erasers are a fantastic math manipulative. You can use them for patterning, counting, and comparing. They are small and easy to store. I like to have different mini erasers for each season. Ironically, we have never used them for actually erasing.
Large Dice
I was so excited when I spotted these dice in the school supply aisle at my local Dollar Tree! Each side has a dry-erasable label. The uses for these dice are limitless. I plan to use them for addition, multiplication, greater than, less than, and building compound words. You could demonstrate probability with these dice, too.
Alphabet Cookies
We don’t have store-bought cookies in the house very often, so Hannah and Ben are always extremely excited when they see these in the pantry. They have a competition to see who can spell the most words during snack time. Allison at No Time for Flashcards has these wonderful free printables to use with alphabet cookies.
Sponges
Sponges without the scrubby side are great for craft projects. You can easily cut them into shapes for a fun painting experience. You will need one piece of sponge for each paint color.
Clothespins
Clothespins can be used to hold small pieces of sponge and dip them in paint. This is a great way for kids with texture issues to use finger paint. Clothespins are also useful for marking choices on cards. Here are pizza fraction clip cards. Clip cards are easy to make at home for almost any subject. When Ben and Hannah were learning the alphabet, I wrote uppercase letters on index cards and lowercase letters on clothespins. Their job was to correctly match the letters.
Pony Beads
Beads are an obvious craft choice, but they are also a great math manipulative. They are perfect for sorting, counting, demonstrating fractions, and patterning. Beads are a fun way to practice these skills because the kids just think they are making a bracelet. They don’t necessarily realize they are learning!
Baskets
Dollar Tree has an entire aisle of plastic baskets. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. These inexpensive baskets are perfect for organizing. I use a few in my laundry room to organize my arts and crafts supplies. Having all of our paint supplies in one basket makes it quick and easy to set up a painting activity.
Keep reading . . .
Ways to Save on Your Homeschool Budget