How to Choose the Best Journals and Planners for Kids?

Life skills you want your children to learn include understanding how to manage time and be organized. One of the best ways you can help your kids begin to learn these skills at an early age is by working with a journal or planner.

There are plenty of journals or planners to choose from. And many of these organization tools help engage your kids to be more organized, to manage their schedules, and to teach them how to keep track of important dates and events properly.

So, how do you choose the best journals and planners for kids? Below, you’ll find some of the things that you should look for when helping them find the best way to stay organized.

Paper or Digital?

Technology is ever-evolving, and many younger children get an early grasp of how to do things more digitally than on paper. You may want to see if utilizing a digital or paper planner can be more beneficial for your kids.

Sometimes, using a phone or computer isn’t the most convenient, even though it may seem more manageable. Many distractions can arise, such as scrolling and losing focus on the task. However, digital planners can be less costly and far easier to edit. They also can be synced across devices so your child is never without one.

Paper planners are sometimes more helpful for kids because they require more complete focus without distractions. The act of physically writing down goals and aspirations actually has a neurological effect that can ensure you achieve them, too!

Goal Setting and Size

Before committing to your planner or journal, your child should also consider how customized you want it to be for their goals. What is the thing that they need to get out of planning? Do they need more help managing time or keeping track of specific days and events?

It can be helpful to identify the end-game for your kid’s planner so that you are more apt to choose one that suits their needs. Some questions you might want your kids to answer when selecting the right planner include the following:

• Do they need more space or a bigger surface to write on?
• How often will they plan on writing – daily, weekly, or monthly?
• What key elements will they need to organize their days? (hour by hour, blocks, etc.)
• Can they benefit from a more minimalist approach, or need more engaging tools? Things like stickers, lots of lines, or tracking every half hour may be another element to consider.

Size may also be a factor in their choice of a planner. Since it would be difficult, you wouldn’t want to get a massively heavy one for a young child to carry around. Also, if your child attends school, you want something lightweight for a backpack to carry.

Regardless of which path you choose for your child to plan – paper vs. digital, size of the journal, etc. – some specific types of journals and planners can be more beneficial for your kids. It depends on factors like their age, personality, and busy schedules.

Creative Notebooks

If you have a child who seems more into drawing and artistry, you can easily enhance that creativity by getting a planner with blank doodling pages. Your kid can express his or herself, including sketching or drawing, along with organization.

These types of planners are also an excellent option for younger kids who are just beginning to learn how to organize and set up their schedules. Maybe your child has just started to learn to write stories and construct sentences. It’s the perfect type of planner to help them understand how to improve self-discipline.

Academic Planners

An academic journal is a perfect option if you have children in school or are making a transition into early adolescence. Plenty of spiral notebooks with custom designs have spaces for things that include ways to keep track of homework and classes.

These types of journals help promote planning and academic growth. Many notebooks have areas where students can set goals and track extracurricular schedules and events. They also have varying monthly, weekly, or daily views found for more specifics to write down, depending on how they want to view the month, week, or day.

Themed Journals

If your children are younger, consider a more thematic planner to help them be organized. Some more theme-oriented journals include characters or hobbies that may appeal to your kids, like sports, space, music, dinosaurs, cartoons, and more.

The goal is to get your child in the habit of beginning to track things throughout the day, week, or month. It fosters a sense of achievement, raises self-awareness, and gives your kids more independence. Many of these types of journals include an interactive element for more engagement. The interaction may have puzzles or games to keep their attention and ensure more success in planning.

Extra Bells and Whistles

Maybe your child is ambitious and likes to try everything. In this case, start with a planner or journal that has a lot of extras, including habit tracking, financials, gratitude lists, or even journal prompts.

Maybe you have kids who enjoy things like “To-Do” lists that they can check off to feel accomplished. Sometimes, having extra notes pages in the planner can help dump out all their thoughts and feelings and organize them later.

Experiment to Find the Right Choice

Finding the right planning system for your kids and seeing what works best may take some trial and error. Ultimately, you want to discover a journal or planner that suits their needs and helps them set goals, track their schedules, and, overall, be more productive with their time.

Take some time to assess your kids’ habits and capabilities, and let them have a say in the type of journal they feel will work best. You may try a few before settling on the best one to keep them organized.