• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Whitney English

Mindful Tools for a Meaningful Life

  • Planners
  • Desk Accessories
  • Health & Wellness
  • HEART GOALS™
  • SHOP NOW
  • Show Search
Hide Search

How to Teach Kids to Use a Planner

August 11, 2021 Whitney English 2 Comments

My children have watched me use planners in my daily life forever, and they’ve seen me design and share planners with others throughout their lives. It shouldn’t have surprised me, then, that they were curious about planners and asked me to make one for them.

Great idea, kids. GREAT idea! Another great idea? Let’s make it together!

I asked them what their “perfect planner” would look like and the requests came rolling in. They wanted stickers, a place to paste pictures, something they could decorate and personalize. And of course, it needed to help them track important things in their lives: homework, school events, activities, and get-togethers with friends. As their mom, I wanted a planner that was simple and easy for them to use. High quality, good paper, and plenty of writing space were also high on my list.

With the help of my three little ones, we’re thrilled to introduce you to our newest product, the 2021-2022 Kids Planner! We are so excited to bring this planner out into the world. It’s great for any kid, whether you’re 6 or 96. Want to see my kids’ reaction to seeing their new planner? Watch here!

Now that you have the perfect planner option for your child to start school, you might be wondering about the best way to teach them how to use it. Learning to use a planner is a valuable skill to teach your children – one that is not only important during their school-age years, but one that will carry them throughout their lives!

Want to teach your child how to use a planner? Here are five tips for teaching children to use a planner.

Choose a great planner!
We love the Kids Planner we’ve created but any planner will work as a first start. You can even involve your child in choosing their perfect planner! A few things to look for when helping your child choose a planner (these suggestions came straight from my own kiddos!):

— Flexible format that allows your child to make it their own
— A place to decorate, add stickers, doodle, and personalize!
— Plenty of space for your child to write down tasks and track important things in their life
— High-quality paper and materials
— Durability is of the utmost importance! 

Show your kids how you use your planner!
Your kids watch you plan, so it’s important that you model how to take ownership of your personal responsibilities, goal setting, experience, and satisfaction. This is a tool to help them prepare for real life. By all means, set expectations for and encourage them… but this tool is theirs. Don’t try to force it. Let them have fun with it, and enjoy watching their planning style evolve as the year goes on.

Teach your child that writing things down helps you remember them!
One thing we know for sure: writing things down helps you remember them. Share a few basics for what to include in their planner, depending on your child’s age! For some children this might be assignments, homework due dates, or tests. Encourage them to create their own system by asking what helps them be successful. Then, don’t be afraid to check in and help them hold themselves accountable to their planner.

Encourage your child to make their planner their own.
This is where we let go and let be! Tell your child not to be afraid to write it, even make a mess of it! Tell them to have fun setting goals and planning their life, but not to forget have more fun living it. Encourage using the planner however they’d like to use it. There is no wrong way to use a planner – draw pictures! Write down memories. Use stickers and photos to decorate the pages and fun markers and pens to doodle in the margins. Jot down encouraging notes, whatever makes sense to your child!

Just start! The most important thing is to get your kids started by teaching planning as a habit.
Get your child a planner and just start! Consistency is key here so figure out a way to help them build the habit of using their planner. As a busy mama myself, I never want to encourage adding one more thing to your already full plate. So involve your children in your own planning habits and routines. That might mean including them in your weekly planning sessions or having a regular family planner meeting. One final tip, save their planners as a record of the year. It’s so fun to look back on them!

Did your children use a planner? What other kids’ tools and resources would you like to see? We’d love to hear more as we decide what’s next in our Kids Collection! Shoot us an email at hello@whitneyenglish.com.

Related

Family, Productivity and Planning

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gwendolyn Filardi says

    August 11, 2021 at 2:34 pm

    Thank you! This is good info!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Find Your Perfect Planner • Whitney English says:
    June 15, 2022 at 12:10 pm

    […] and I’m working on longer-term projects, the Week on One Page Planner is my favorite. When teaching my kids how to use a planner, the Academic Agenda has been […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About

Recent Posts

Caring for Wood Furniture

January 18, 2023

The Kitchen Remodel and Re-remodel

January 17, 2023

How to Care for Metals in Your Home

January 11, 2023

Favorite Recipes

Not-Your-Mama’s Green Beans (Recipe Download)

December 14, 2022

Key Lime Muffins (ish)

October 30, 2022

Tomato Soup Recipe: A Family Favorite

October 25, 2022

Perfect Summer Recipes

June 24, 2022

My Favorite Family-Friendly Recipes

October 28, 2021

4 Great Fourth of July Recipes

June 28, 2021

More Posts from this Category

Popular Posts

Footer

Recent Posts

  • How to get the Whitney English look in your home
  • The 2023 Snow Day Movie Marathon
  • The Next Big Thing: 2023 Trends
  • Caring for Wood Furniture
  • The Kitchen Remodel and Re-remodel

Follow Along

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · WhitneyEnglish.com