Helping your Child Use a Planner
Play this Episode by Clicking Below
How to Help your Child Use a Planner and Beat Empty Planner Syndrome - Episode 066
Keeping up with classes, a social life, and extracurricular activities can overwhelm anyone, especially school students. A quick fix or this is simply keeping a planner. The problem is, that as an academic coach - few of my students use planners!
Many kids struggle with using a planner as they are forced to use it at an age when they absolutely hate writing down anything. It also is given at a time that students only have one assignment to remember. While writing things down does wonders for remembering important events this forced activity at a young age, is one of the reasons that some kids hate using planners for the rest of their lives.
Students need to have a purpose to keeping their assignments in order, and with the push of technology at schools - writing things down is not as urgent a reason as in the past.As things are uploaded on certain applications, like Canvas, Blackboard or Skyward, children do not feel the need to write them down.
It is true that you do need to have a daily planner to write each day’s homework, but it is essential to have a visual of all essential things to know how to break them down. For this, you can use a to-do list, Trello, Google Calendar, or phone applications. There are various options than just buying a paper planner.
There is absolutely no point of using a planner if you do not want to follow a routine. I wish buying a planner was sufficient enough to organize my life- but you need to use it.
Here are some tips on how to make proper use of a planner.
Pick the planner that fits your lifestyle. If you are always on the go a paper planner might not be convenient. I focus on three different types of systems for my students and we analyze the pros and cons of each.
Think about the ways your teacher provides work. Do they post homework and due dates online or in class? Depending on your answer, you might need a different strategy for each class.
Do you need to share your planner with other family members? There are some extracurricular activities at school other than your subjects which you need to remember. For example - sports events, recitals, school functions, etc.
It is also important to make the planner a part of your daily routine. Assignments, events, and even get-togethers should be recorded daily. You must check your planner every morning and night to make sure that you are not forgetting anything.
We go much deeper into this in my course Beating Empty Planner System- The Awesome Student’s Guide to Planners, Routines and Systems.
It's not just a planner that solves everything but there is a process that must be followed. As a parent, you need to understand why you want your kid to use a planner.
Is it because of missing work or work being done at home and not reaching school? Is it because of your child not being able to manage time or being overwhelmed with activities? What does your child think?
Using a planner improves organization as it something that does not come easily to all students. Planners help in keeping up with many classes, assignments, and so forth. Planners are indeed a creative way to take notes and keep important things in mind.
A planner also helps in tracking achievements as students can use the planner to write down their to-do list and goals. As they achieve them, they are able to build momentum and get inspired to work harder.
In the younger grades. using a planner promotes communication as information can get distorted when communicated from teachers to parents through children. Planners help to overcome this challenge as they act as an excellent line of communication between students, parents, and teachers.
Some of you might think that keeping a planner and organizing every second of your life will stifle your creativity. But in reality, it will enforce it.
In Closing
By being organized and being on the right track, you will find that you actually have time to be spontaneous and you no longer need to choose between going out with friends and studying for a Math test because you are already prepared.
It is the best of both worlds and all due to a planner. But it doesn’t have to be the tired, old school paper planner that a student uses. If you want to look at the multiple options, help your kiddo build a routine, and track goals and progress click here to grab my course Beating Empty Planner System- The Awesome Student’s Guide to Planners, Routines and Systems.
Listen to the full episode for more tips and front line stories of the transition to middle school. You can subscribe to the show on iTunes, Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Googleplay, or Iheartradio or visit http://www.schoolcounselorgonerogue.com each week for the full episode (though let’s be honest, subscribing is so much easier!)
You can also sign up for the waitlist for The Organized School Year at teampasch.com/theorganizedschoolyear. It’s an intensive workshop to help your child create and implement an organization system that meets their needs.
Sign up for the waitlist here!
Follow me on Instagram: @team_pasch, follow me on Facebook, subscribe to the show, leave a review.
Highlights
How to help middle school and high school students with time management
What planner is right for my child
Why does my child refuse to use a planner?
Recommended Tool This Week
Need to keep your family events in one place? Check out Cozi! It’s the app I use with my family and it’s FREE!
*While this is a free service this is an affiliate link
Marni Pasch| Host of School Counselor Gone Rogue| Academic Coach | Team Pasch Academic Coaching
I work with students in grades 6th and higher, who struggle with academic confidence and motivation. I help them survive school with less stress by helping them create concrete goals, tackle procrastination and learn creative study techniques. I empower students to take charge of their education and reach their goals. I do this through individual or group coaching so students achieve success in life, school, career readiness and their social endeavors. I provided in person academic coaching in Orlando, FL, but work with students across the country through Zoom!
