Jump to content

Menu

What Student planner format works best for your kids?


Recommended Posts

I've did a search and looked at old posts about planners and followed links to look at them. But what format/style works best and why? My kids are going into 7th grade.

 

A generic planner like I use and just fill in daily, weekly or monthly items. We looked at them at staples and doesn't seem user friendly as far as looking to see what needs to be done during a week. More 'to do list' like than school like.

 

A planner that has the school subjects across the top and down the side? Which is better? Something like this is what I had in mind, but the subjects and space seem limited.

 

How many subjects needed? I was hoping to put extracurricular stuff on there too or should that be separate?

 

What features do you really like or wish you had?

 

What features don't get used or aren't as great as you bought they'd be?

 

Last year I printed out a weekly one page schedule with everything they needed to do. It was kind of cramped and I'd like to move them towards managing their stuff.

 

Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've bought all sorts of student planners (elementary, high school, generic calendars). My kids have never used them.

 

I tried again last year. My three oldest picked out some from Wal-Mart. None got used.

 

I'm done trying. Mine like to either have a checklist for each subject or they just keep a list of assignments in that subject's notebook, depending on the kid and the class.

 

Best of luck!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I gave up on pre-printed student planners because they all had to be massively adjusted to our needs.  And sometimes got lost or damaged or whatever.

 

What ended up working better here was putting everything into Homeschool Planet and just printing off everything each of us is doing on Sunday for the rest of the week.  Everything can be adjusted on the fly, if we find out we need to take a trip I can shift things around quickly and the kids don't have to worry about erasing and moving stuff around in their already printed and filled out planner.  And the kids can log on and add in things they need to do.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like a planner that has days across the top and subjects on the side. I started out making my own until I found one at Rainbow Resources that was basically the same (only better) than what I was making. I have been using it for several years now. I can't link but search for 'scripture planner' at RR if you want to see samples. They have a couple options; my kids use the secondary one. I really like the layout and they are only $5, IIRC.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My upper elementary kids like the smaller 5 star Mead planners. They have a lined section for each day with check boxes and then a whole month calendar. I write appointments in the calendar so they know when something out of the norm is happening. On the daily pages I list their work for a week in the daily slots. They check off the boxes as they complete their tasks.

 

My DD in middle school doesn't like you use her planner, but she has time management issues and always stays more on top of things when she does. Her planner has the month calendar and daily sections too. The only thing different is hers has time blocks so she can plan not just what she needs to do, but when she is going to do it. This helps because she has to be realistic with her time instead of Dorking around thinking she has plenty of time later and can play.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like a planner that has days across the top and subjects on the side. I started out making my own until I found one at Rainbow Resources that was basically the same (only better) than what I was making. I have been using it for several years now. I can't link but search for 'scripture planner' at RR if you want to see samples. They have a couple options; my kids use the secondary one. I really like the layout and they are only $5, IIRC.

Is the one you use called the Student Homework Book? I like the daily page setup of that of that a lot. Does it have a monthly two page spread as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the one you use called the Student Homework Book? I like the daily page setup of that of that a lot. Does it have a monthly two page spread as well?

 

It is this one. It has a 2 page spread for each month as well as the 2 page weekly spreads. There is a large version and small version. The large version is 8.5x11, which has always given me plenty of room to write assignments.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is this one. It has a 2 page spread for each month as well as the 2 page weekly spreads. There is a large version and small version. The large version is 8.5x11, which has always given me plenty of room to write assignments.

 

Okay, thank you.  I had bookmarked that one. I wish the daily/weekly pages were more blank instead of them putting information on them, but it's the closest to what I like.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What size is this? And what does the monthly page look like?

They don't list the student planner size or show the monthly page online that I could see. I love the look of the it. Is the 6 subjects enough?

I'll post some pictures of DD's when we get home. :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We use cheap student planners from Target with subjects down the left side and days across the top. I prefer the ones with tiny check boxes. I usually complete the planner as a to-do list for DD12 to follow, but with DD8 (and in general, with younger kids) use it to record what we actually do.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ds- focused child, dedicated learner- enjoyed detailed lessons plans with checklists when younger, now uses IStudiez

 

Dd- not as focused, not as "bookish"- she did best with very simple instructions pre-written in a huge block planner, for 3 years we used a huge 9x11 one by Teacher Created I think. To tell the truth now that she's older she prefers to have deadlines and then sort of keep checking on them and adjusting her plans as the week goes by. I think the adjusting is part of what keeps her focused!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks!

I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you!

 

I'm having issues uploading the pictures but here's a YouTube video that the company made to showcase their student planner:

 

 

The six subject sections do seem to be enough, but I had to combine subjects (reading & spelling, grammar & writing etc).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My oldest is going into 5th, so this is the first year I will be preparing a formal planner for her to reference. (Thus far, and with my younger child, I just go by my own notes/checklists, but I want my fifth grader to start seeing/using her own planner.) So, this year, I will be using Pam Barnhill's Plan Your Year, specifically the calendar pages and the student planner pages. I've been using Plan Your Year for a few years now for myself. I don't use all her available sheets, but I just cherry pick the ones that work for me. I really like these because you can edit the PDFs, fill in the blanks to suit your own needs (you could type in all the subjects you do, days of the week, whatever), and then print it all out. I think I am going to print out a year's worth of her calendar pages, a year's worth of the weekly student planner pages, and then have the whole thing bound at the copy shop so she has her own little customized planner notebook. Then, on a weekly basis, I will fill in her assignments and she will check them off as we go through the week. (I usually am a fan of clear-page-protectors-in-a-binder for homemade notebooks, but in this case, it would be a pain to take the pages out of the clear covers out each time you need to write on them/check things off, so I want to have it bound.) So, I haven't actually used this yet, but I'm hoping it will be a good first planner for her. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I make my own. That way I can type in all the actual subjects instead of generic ones. Then I print and proclick. We are already on version two this year. So I don't print out too many pages at once so I can tweak. I also put the subjects loosely in the order of our schedule.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...