Minimalist Homeschooling: How to Declutter Books

I never thought I’d ever utter this next sentence, but: I have too many books.

There. I said it.

That was tough.

If there was an organization for Book Collectors Anonymous, I’d be at my meeting every week.

I’ve always loved to read and, when my husband and I decided to homeschool our children, I was off and running to the bookstore. Books about homeschooling, books with homeschooling activities, classics I’d read as a child that I now wanted my kids to read, new children’s books that were written by promising authors, out-of-print books featuring wonderful hobbies I still wanted my kids to learn…you get the idea.

But after seven years of homeschooling, I realized that I just have way too many books. As part of my experience with minimalist homeschooling, I’m..gasp…getting rid of some of my books. If you’re ready to learn how to declutter books, here’s a look at how I’m doing it.

Minimalist Homeschooling: How to Declutter Books

I’m going to borrow from the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up to explain how I decide it’s time for a book to leave my home. In that book (and, yes, I realize the irony of quoting a book about getting rid of books), the author says to touch each item in your home and ask yourself: “Does this spark joy?” If it doesn’t, out it goes.

For me, I look at a book and think “Do I really want to use this book for our homeschool or do I feel like I should use this book for our homeschool?” If it’s there just because I think I should use it, it heads out the door.

Pictured: A look into my storage closet (almost)

Some homeschooling books are super, duper famous. And they are wonderful resources for many families. But, over time, I’ve realized that some of them are just not a good fit for us, especially since we’re homeschooling kids with ADHD. So there’s no point in keeping a homeschool library that won’t help with our specific educational goals.

“If a homeschooling book is in my closet just because I think I should use it, it heads out the door.”

Now, this is not to say that I won’t keep buying books. But buying them because I only think I need them or, worse, keeping them long after they’ve served their purpose, ends now.

So, what have I been doing instead of hoarding more and more books? Why, visiting my local library, of course! And there are so many great and trusted tips for homeschooling available online now, that I don’t really need as many homeschooling and education books as I did years ago.

Do you have a way to declutter books? How do you decide what to keep and what to get rid of? Share your tips!

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This post is part of the How to Homeschool as a Minimalist series! See all of our minimalist homeschooling tips by clicking the image below!