{I received this product for free and was compensated for my time. Â All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.}
“Begin with the end in mind”
As our children are growing older, one of the best gifts we can give them is the gift of organized independence. Â I’m not talking about turning kids loose to do whatever whenever with hopes that they stay out of trouble. Â I’m talking about guiding them to create good habits that last a lifetime. Â Sometimes as homeschool moms we can be guilty of doing too much for our children, making life too easy. We are with them to guide their every move – which is good – and bad.
Our job, as parents, is to be working ourselves out of a job!
That’s where a planner from A Plan in Place enters the picture.
Benefits of Using a Homeschool Planner
A good habit to instill in our children is effectively using a planner. Â Effective is the key word here. Â We can all jot appointments down on a calendar, but if we aren’t using the calendar as a tool to help guide our day, then it can be pretty pointless. Â Using a planner daily is a good way to gradually stop spoon feeding our students and help them to manage their own school work and their own day.
A good homeschool planner can go a long way in helping to make for a smooth homeschool year. Â Beginning around 3rd grade is when I like to have my children start keeping a planner. Â They keep students on track and particularly helps moms of many stay organized! Â A quick glance at the planner tells me what has or hasn’t been completed for the week. for each of my children.
My kids can start the day knowing what needs to be completed. Â They can “begin with the end in mind”. Â When their subjects are checked off for the day they are finished. Â They also can review what is coming for the week as well. Â Perhaps we have a field trip at the end of the week so my older child needs to plan accordingly, or just want to be done early on Friday and can work ahead. Â It fosters independence and allows them to take control a bit of their own education.
What I Like About A Plan in Place Planner
– Flexible – easy to customize to the needs of my family
– Space to jot down goals – makes it very easy to refer to/review during the year
– Space to remind of chores – no need to nag, it’s all written down!
– Ample writing space
– Scrapbook of the year – no need to spend time pulling together an end of the year portfolio, it’s done!
Whether or not your state requires much reporting, this is a nice keepsake of the year. Â On those days when you or your child feel like not much is being accomplished or not much progress is being made, you and your student can look back on the year and feel good. Really good.
A Plan in Place planner would be a excellent addition to any homeschool and your year will be better for using it. Â Be sure to check out the Customized Student Edition Homeschool Planner, prices range from $19.99-$29.99. Â Functional and affordable, even when buying for several students.
Order now through June 30, 2014 and receive a FREE accessory pack! Â Use code FreeSmallAP
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A Plan in Place is giving away 10 $25 gift cards to do some planner shopping. Â Be sure to enter!
This would be helpful for my first time homeschooler in 7th grade!
That is a nice planner. My son could really use help in the time management area. lol
Stephanie Brewer recently posted…Freezer Cooking and Meal Planning
I love the simplicity of this planner! I think my kiddos could really benefit from a plan for independence.
I would love to win a gift card! These planners look wonderful!
We use one for each of our future and it helps me keep track of what we’ve accomplished and what we’ve got to look forward to. Great article!!
I love this idea and I really need to start it with my boys! This is the year 😉
This would be great to have for my up coming 4th grader!
My daughter will be in 7th grade next year & this would be great for her 🙂
I would love to give this planner a try!
Cassie recently posted…Used Curriculum Sale 2014 Link up
Wow, what a great looking planner. Thanks for the giveaway!
A planner that the kids keep themselves is an interesting idea. I usually give them a weekly assignment sheet.
I have a 3rd and 4th grader this year and would love to help them be more independent.
We’ve tried different planners in the past, I think this could work much better!
This would be a great tool to get my rising 5th grader to be more independent.
I like the concept of using the planner more as a record of what you have done for younger students.
Looks like an awesome planner
I use a planner myself but have not done so with my children. I think my oldest is at the age to give this a try.
My daughter is starting high school next year this would be great for her.
These look amazing! Thanks!
This looks like a fantastic planner! Thanks for the chance to win a gift card!
I’d love to have one of these for my daughter, who is starting 3rd grade.
I love using a planner for my teen. Now I just make the general lesson plan, but she writes down what she should be doing each week in her planner, making her more responsible for getting it all done!
Shannen recently posted…10 Things I Wish Someone Told Me About Parenting a Teenager
This would be perfect for my daughter to help her feel in control of her day.
Charmaine recently posted…Emotional Scars
We’re starting the ninth grade at the end of the month. We’ve been doing a student planner for a couple of years; he writes everything down from my master planner.
This looks great!
This looks like a great planner.
That looks like it might be more effective than the cheap agenda planners I’ve gotten at Wal-Mart for my oldest. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
Hugs,
Melinda
Melinda Hollis recently posted…Why I love homeschooling #934
I love planners for kids. My youngest is ready for her own.
this fall, my boys will be in 6th and 4th grades and this will really help them stay on track!
Thank you so much for sharing this! The year will be our first year home schooling and I am trying to find ways that will help simplify our days.
I’m on the hunt for the perfect planner and I would love to give this a try!
I’m on the hunt for the perfect planner and I would love to give this a try! It looks great.
Looks like a great tool!
This looks like a great first planner for my 7th grader.
I roadschool my four children; grades 8th, 6th, 4th, & 1st.
Having these customized for each kid would be super helpful! All the customized options look like they would work well for our family!
In a few weeks I’ll have three kids “officially” homeschooling, so I’m looking for something to keep the older kids more organized and heading toward more independent learning, this would be a great place to start!
Thinking this would be great for my daughter.
This will be our 2nd year using A Plan in Place planners for my teen girls. We love them. You can totally customize the layout to fit your needs and Kim is great to work with (after seeing our proofs, I asked about making a change- she said it was no problem and even made a suggestion for further tweaking it to make it work for us).
I had considered ordering a different planner, but my girls revolted and insisted on using this one again. They love to help make the page set-up and this is the 1st planner they’ve actually stuck with all year.
I’m so glad you guys were happy with the planner!