What Type of Planner Is Best for Your Students?

Effective time management is crucial for student success in today’s fast-paced world.

As their name suggests, planners are critical tools in helping kids organize their schedules, set their goals and track their assignments.

With numerous types of planners available — ranging from traditional printed formats to innovative digital solutions — educators must do their utmost to select the best options for their students’ needs. 

Consider these different types of planners for students, paying close attention to the distinctive features and benefits they provide, to motivate your learners’ future academic and personal planning.

How to Define the Best Student Planner

Educators should assess several key factors when selecting a student planner for their classes. They’ll want to ensure it meets the diverse needs of all students, so the following criteria form excellent starting points in defining a planner capable of providing valuable assistance: 

• Usability: The planner should feature a clear and intuitive layout that is easy for students to navigate. A user-friendly design will encourage consistent use.

• Format options: Consider whether students prefer printed or digital formats — a combination of both may be preferable in some instances. Various planner formats can cater to contrasting learning styles.

• Customization: Planners allowing personalization, such as customizable covers or layouts, can help students feel more connected and encourage greater use.  

• Goal-setting features: A capable planner should include areas to set and track academic and personal goals, encouraging an accountability culture.

• Time management tools: Weekly and monthly view options, to-do lists, and priority sections can help students manage their time and responsibilities.

• Durability: A planner that lasts with daily use is a practical choice for a full-time student.

Concentrating on these elements can help educators choose planners that will enhance organization and support student success throughout the school year.

The Best Types of Planners for Students

This list serves as a guideline for teachers and administrators seeking a starting point for identifying suitable planners for their students, classes, schools or districts. Each one has notable benefits, with some standing out more than others in different sectors.

1. Success by Design: Best Overall

Success by Design has been a trusted partner for educators for over 35 years, providing high-quality resources that cater to the diverse needs of K-12 students. The company’s Planners with a Purpose brand includes a range of planners expertly crafted by professional educators to integrate character-building and life skills content directly. This well-thought-out approach helps students stay organized while encouraging personal growth and academic success.

The Planners with a Purpose range features user-friendly layouts in well-designed print formats, with a focus on character development and academic skill sets.

Success by Design produces these planners to support students throughout their educational journey. They feature strong, customizable covers built to withstand the rigors of full-time study. The company offers substantial discounts on bulk orders, scaled by quantity. These products are available in various formats, catering to defined preferences.

Key features:

• Wide variety of layouts — daily, weekly, subject-specific or religious
• Grade-specific editions from elementary through high school
• Custom, durable construction
• Significant discounts for bulk school and districtwide orders

Success by Design is committed to quality and effectiveness. It chose printed planners for its Planners with a Purpose brand to encourage writing by hand, as this skill promotes cognitive development and memory retention. Success by Design is an optimal choice for a comprehensive, curriculum-aligned printed planner for schools and districts.

2. myHomework: Best for Digital Integration

myHomework is a leading digital planner app specifically designed for the modern, tech-equipped student. This cross-platform application allows users to track assignments, deadlines, classes and tests through their smartphones, tablets and home PCs. This makes it an accessible tool, especially for high school and college students. 

myHomework’s interfac streamlines the organization of academic commitments and ensures students stay on top of their workloads. 

The myHomework app syncs seamlessly across iPads and iPhones, Android phones and tablets, Kindles and Windows, and Mac and Chromebook devices. It sends push notifications for upcoming due dates to assist with improved time management and avoid last-minute cramming.

There’s a free version, containing ads, for students. The myHomework Premium subscription plan is upgradable to myHomework for schools, which includes features for managing hall passes, rewards and assignment planning. myHomework has a role for everybody within the educational system.

Key features:

• Almost 15 years in operation
• Syncs across nearly all electronic devices, with included push notifications
• Free and premium versions for students
• myHomework for schools with additional features for educators

The myHomework application is best suited for older students and educators wanting to replace physical planners with digital options to streamline planning accessibility.

3. Erin Condren: Best for Customization

Erin Condren is the go-to brand for students, teachers and administrators seeking personalized and stylish planners. The company offers a wide range of options for people in all walks of life, but its Academic Planner collection provides a high degree of customization specifically for educational scenarios. Erin Condren planners enable students to express their individuality while keeping them organized and on track. 

Options include interchangeable covers in designs that resonate with personal styles, making organization a truly intimate experience. The Academic Coiled Planner collection is the most customizable, with softbound options also available.

Both feature vibrant designs and layouts that students and educators can tailor to fit preferred needs, including weekly spreads and monthly overviews. The flexibility motivates students to engage with their planning process, enhancing their incentive and productivity.

Key features

• Interchangeable, customizable cover options
• High-quality paper and durable spiral coils or lay-flat portable format
• Large ecosystem of organizational accessories, including stickers and bookmarks
• Teacher lesson planners available

Erin Condren planners will suit students motivated by aesthetics who are keen to build a unique academic planning system. While these planners are among the more costly options available, their robust construction and extensive personalization make them a worthwhile long-term investment for students and educational entities.

4. Passion Planner: Best for Planner Range

Passion Planner offers an impressive range of physical and digital planners, making it easy for students to set and track their goals in a way that suits their preferences.

Distinctive layouts are designed to combine planning with personal development, encouraging students to focus on their futures while keeping their daily tasks manageable and up to date. The Passion Planner inspires learners to dream big by helping them create actionable goals to achieve their aspirations.

The brand is committed to community engagement, gifting planners to those in need. It offers bulk order options for schools and districts, allowing educators to equip their students with planning tools that meet their educational requirements.

Passion Planner provides a helpful online quiz to help students and educators identify the tools that can make a positive difference. This dedication to accessibility makes Passion Planner a top choice for many educational institutions.

Key features:

• Broad range of high-quality physical and digital planners
• Unique layouts integrating goal-setting and personal development
• Strong community presence
• Quantity-based discounts for bulk orders

With its diverse planner offerings, Passion Planner stands out as an outstanding option for educational institutions and students seeking a selection of options to conduct their yearly planning.

Print vs. Digital: Which Is the Right Planner for Your Students?

Most products you invest in have potential benefits and drawbacks, and student planners are no different. Assess the areas you want to prioritize when choosing between printed and digital options for your students, which could be age- or grade-relevant, depending on your educational environment. 

Print Planners 

Physically printed student planners help improve memory retention and cognitive skills in students by promoting handwriting, which enhances their learning, especially during formative years. They also minimize distractions, as learners don’t require a smartphone for planning purposes, allowing them to focus on their tasks without the temptation of notifications or social media. 

Thoughtfully crafted printed planners make organization straightforward and effective, and teachers would face fewer distractions from students in classroom environments. 

Digital Planners 

Depending on the learning environment, features like automatic reminders and accessibility across multiple devices and platforms are handy educational tools, especially for older, more responsible student groups. They provide on-the-go organization and ease of editing, simplifying updates and adjustments to planning schedules.  

The potential for distraction remains, and students will also spend more time on screens with digital planners. For high school and college students with established routines, digitizing planning can save time in environments where learning and task completion are key, offering immense benefits.  

Ultimately, the choice depends on the school and governing body to assess which type of student planner makes the most sense in its particular environment.

How to Choose the Right Student Planner for Your School

Before investing in either digital or printed student planners, schools should consider several key factors from the facility’s perspective:

• Student age group: Tailor planners to the educational development stage of the students. What works for high schoolers may not suit younger learners.

• School budget: Evaluate the prices of your shortlisted planners and maximize resources by assessing the cost-effectiveness of bulk ordering versus individual purchases.

• Curriculum goals: Ensure the planner you choose aligns with schoolwide initiatives, such as character education or study skills development.

• Simplicity vs. features: Strike a balance between a planner’s functionality and simplicity to prevent distracting or overwhelming students with access to too many features.

Educators who select their planners with these points in mind can invest in products that streamline their efficiency to support student success effectively.

The Right Student Planner Encourages Lifelong Skills

Ultimately, the best planner for your students is one they will consistently use. You already understand the critical role that effective planning plays in their success, so use this knowledge to assess and decide on the right option for your learners’ needs. What works for one classroom may differ substantially from what is best for another. 

A proven planning framework that encourages organization and accountability, while resonating with your students, can equip them with essential skills that serve them well beyond the classroom and lay the foundation for lifelong success.