“Planner Review: Simplified Student Planner and Fun Planning Accessories for Students”

It’s almost back-to-school time, and we have never been more uncertain about the school year. Fortunately, we are not the only ones in this boat.

Unless you are a seasoned homeschooler or don’t have school-age children, you are probably trying to figure out what to do. All virtual? In-person classes? Perhaps one of the hybrid models that some school systems are trying to roll out in an effort to get kids back in classes but not spread the virus?

Just trying to figure out what to do for our kids this school year is enough to give me an anxiety attack. And, it’s based entirely on one feeling: fear. Like many parents, I fear what might happen if I keep them home – will they learn? How will the curriculum work? What about their social lives? But, I also fear sending them back– what if they are the rare child who gets sick from the virus? What if they get us sick?

A quick pep talk for us moms who need encouragement right now.

I’m grateful that a friend sent me a video from her pediatrician who reassured parents that there is simply no making a wrong choice in this situation. And that is because there is no “best” or right choice to be made.

This is a tough situation all around, and none of the options are going to be ideal. We are either going to keep our kids home for a semester or two, in the hopes of keeping our families and communities safe (especially for those with at-risk loved ones), although at the expense of our kids’ in-class instruction and in-person social lives. Or, we will send them to school and worry about the possibility of the kids getting ill or making others sick.

Each option comes with its costs and benefits. And, we just need to look at our family situations and figure out what will work for us. Talk with your kids, have a family meeting, pray about it. But, ultimately, decide and try to let go of the worries after you do.

Having choices is a blessing and curse. I’m going to try to take this one as a blessing and be glad I’m not being forced into a situation that I don’t want. I’m also going to take this situation one day at a time.

Just remember that whatever you choose, it’s not going to be perfect. And, the choosing will be hard- agonizing even. But, we are all doing our best during one of the most challenging times to be a parent.

So, give yourself some grace (there’s that word again), and know you’re a good parent for caring so much. Then, remind yourself as I have to do (a lot these days, actually): that this too shall pass. This situation won’t last forever, and we are going to give ourselves a huge pat on the back for making it through once we get to the other side.

On to the Student Planner

I have often said that planning is a sign of hope. And, I believe it. Now, if we use planning as a way to control for an unpredictable future, we will drive ourselves crazy and turn a positive practice into an unhealthy obsession.

However, I truly believe that when we use planning to leave room for good things in our futures- by setting goals, making sure we meet our obligations, and creating space in our lives for things that are important to us– this daily practice can become a positive way to live our lives with more intention.

This is one of the things I want to pass along to my kids. I have two children- a son in high school, and a daughter just starting middle school. The high schooler resists planning in all of its forms. I think it’s his version of teenage rebellion, and if that’s the worst he does, I’m going to consider myself lucky. 😊

My daughter, however, seems to enjoy planning. As I noted in my post a few weeks ago, she has started using a Cultivate What Matters Girls Goal Planner, and really seems to be taking to the idea of setting her own goals and working toward them through regular habits.

But, while the Girls Goal Planner has a monthly layout, it is a hefty book and is not designed to keep up with what she’ll be doing in middle school. So, we knew she would need some sort of student planner this year.

In elementary school, we often had to purchase a student agenda from the school store. Sometimes the teachers would lead the kids in using the planner, while other years, the kids were on their own in figuring out how to use it.

But, with the amount of support the teachers give in elementary school, I found that my daughter really did not need to use the agenda to keep up with her homework assignments or tests. Middle school will be a whole different story.

With a different teacher for every class giving out a variety of assignments and having tests on different dates, my daughter is going to have to learn different skills. So, she and I recognized that she will need a student planner to manage her new schedule and assignments.

We started looking at planners online (since, we are still pretty much sheltering at home while virus infections continue to climb in our state). Deciding on the planner was tough given all the options out there.

We looked at fancy planner companies, Amazon, and big-box office supply stores. But, none had what she was looking for- a streamlined planning system in a portable format. And, for me, one that would not break the bank.

Then, while I was scrolling through Facebook, I found a post on the Simplified Sisterhood page gushing about these new Simplified Student Planners that were being sold at Target. These were new products and represented a collaboration between Emily Ley and At-A-Glance, and the pictures had us so excited.

I immediately started calling my local Target stores to see if they had any in stock. No luck. I went online to see if they were being sold there. Also out of stock.

I was beginning to lose hope until I decided to reach out to the lovely ladies on the Simplified Sisterhood page and asked if anyone would be willing to purchase one and mail it to me- I even offered to cover shipping and throw in a little extra gift for their trouble.

As luck would happen, one of the first responses to my post was by a sweet teacher from halfway across the country. We exchanged information and she shipped one out to me the next day.

My daughter had no idea that the planner was on its way. She even went out of her way to say that it was fine, because she knew we would find one next year, and she would be happy with whatever we got for her to use this year. (Sweet kid).

When the planner arrived nearly a week later, my little girl about fell over when she saw it. She immediately opened it up and began gushing about how pretty and functional it is. And, having seen my own Simplified Daily Planner, she pointed out some of the similarities.

Before she had a chance to start writing in it, I asked if she thought I might be able to write a review on it, and she generously agreed. She oversaw most of the photos I took and made sure that I didn’t do anything to scratch or harm the beautiful cover. (Okay, so she’s sweet, but a bit of a perfectionist). She also helped come up with the list of supplies we recommend with this planner.

The Simplified Student Planner Review

Here are some of the features, which will hopefully help you figure out if this planner will work for you or your student.

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Overall features-

• The Simplified Student Planner is a monthly-weekly, dated planner.
• As you would expect from a student planner, it follows an academic-year calendar, running from July 2020 to June 2021.
• It comes in 2 cover designs: Floral and Small Stripe (which is the one we purchased and is featured here).
• The planner is bound with a single, flexible silver coil and has two, sturdy laminated plastic covers.
• The inside design of the cover is white with small navy-blue polka dots.
• Attached to the back cover is a navy-blue elastic band, which keeps the planner securely closed.
• Inside, the months are marked with laminated tabs in alternating Simplified flagship colors.
• The paper is definitely not the Mohawk paper you find in the Simplified flagship planners, but instead a thinner version. But, it is an At-A-Glance product and similar to the paper quality you would find in those planners.
• The planner retails for about $12.99 and is currently being sold only at Target stores (if they’re not already sold out).

Size– This is a very slim and compact planner. While it has room to write down assignments and deadlines, it is small enough to tote around in a backpack without adding any bulk.

• Closed, the planner measures about 7 x 9 inches (including the coil and cover).
• Each page measures about 5 x 8 inches.
• It is about a half-inch thick.

Monthly Layouts– This planner has a full year of monthly layouts that are all dated.

• The monthly calendar spans two-pages, with each day of the month having a slot of about 1 1/8 x 1 1/4  inches. The days of the week start on a Sunday, and basic holidays are written in small print within the day’s assigned slot.
• To the right of the calendar is a lined notes column for monthly “To Dos”.
• Unlike the Simplified Daily and Weekly Planners, which change the colors of the writing from month to month, the months are written in the same navy-blue ink throughout. However, the days of the week at the top of the monthly layout are set within brightly colored boxes in classic Simplified colors.
• Each daily slot in the monthly spread has the date listed in a small box in the left-hand corner. Only the days of the featured month have corresponding dates.
• Like the Simplified Daily and Weekly calendars, the monthly spread header includes the name of the month on the left and a simplicity tip on the right.

Weekly Layouts. This student planner has weekly layouts that begin in June and go through July 4, 2021.

• Each week is a two-page spread.
• Like in the monthly spread, the days of the week at the top of the weekly layout are set within colored boxes.
• Unlike the Simplified Daily and Weekly Planners, which change the colors of the writing from day to day, the range of days is written in navy-blue each week.
• The week begins with a Monday start, with a full vertical planning column for each weekday. Saturday and Sunday share a column.
• The layout has colorful daily headers with the words “My Day” written in a small font to the left of the first row for each day’s column.
• On the left side of both pages is a small column to write down the class period or name of the class. Each class slot is lined, and the bottom of each day’s column has an unlined notes section. There is room to write in assignments for 7 class periods each weekday.
• The weekly page header includes the week date range on the left and an inspiring quote on the right (something that used to be in the Simplified Daily and Weekly Planners).

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Bonus Features– This planner is different from most student planners, which often include academic features such as world maps, periodic tables, metric conversion tables, or country and state capitols. Instead, the Simplified Student Planner has added pages that focus on goal-planning and building routines.

• Bookmark. This is the first bonus feature we saw, and it was a really nice addition. The bookmark is beautiful. It is clear and meant to snap into the coil. It is decorated with a 6-inch ruler and the Simplified logo, all in gold foiled lettering. The bookmark is held in with just two fasteners. It is thin plastic, so I’m not sure how it will last over a year’s worth of being removed and relocated within the planner.
• Stickers. The very first pages you find when opening the planner are two pages filled with student-themed stickers. They are pretty but functional and include yearly benchmarks such as the 1^st Day of School, Fall and Spring Break, etc. They also have several heart stickers and 30 Test stickers.
• Nameplate Page. The first page is a nameplate page, which is one of two glossy, cardstock pages, so be sure to write on it in ink that won’t smear.
• Letter. As in the Simplified Daily and Weekly Planners, a letter from Emily Ley is included where she provides some encouragement to students and explains why she created a student planner.
• “About Me.” The next two pages are “About Me” pages. The first includes sections for a name, grade, school, phone number, address, and three goals. The second has a chart to write down school accounts and passwords.
• Looking Back and Ahead. As with the Simplified Daily and Weekly Planners, there are two pages for Looking Back and Looking Ahead, which encourages students to assess what worked and didn’t work the previous school year as well as ideas for new routines for the current school year and a list of things they’d like to do (much like the Bucket List found at the start of the flagship Simplified Daily and Weekly Planners).
• Routines. There is a Daily Routines page which has space for writing out before and after school routines.
• Class Schedule. As with many student planners, there is a class schedule chart with room for writing 12 classes and their corresponding teachers and locations. Below that is a small notes section.
• Weekly Schedule. There is also a weekly schedule for Monday through Friday, which my daughter plans to use for her extracurricular activities.
• Yearly Overview. The planner includes an academic year overview, with room to plan out important events for the school year.
• Future Planning. At the back of the planner, after the monthly and weekly spreads is a two-page spread of lined “Future Planning” pages with a small month’s calendar for each month that can help to plan into the next academic year (July 2021 through June 2022). One of the pages is the second of the glossy cardstock pages, so again, I would watch out for inks that might smear.
• Additional Resources. At both the beginning and end of the planner, students are encouraged to go to the Simplified webpage to look for printables and other resources. Last I checked, there was nothing specifically student-related, but I’m wondering if they might be adding more.

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Features You Will Not Find– this planner has some great features, but to keep it small and portable, it would be impossible for it to have every feature that you find in other planners:

• Folders or Storage Pockets. The Simplified Daily and Weekly Planners have a pocket attached to the front cover and other planners have a pocket or folder attached to the wire binding. There is no pocket or folder in this planner.
• Extra notes pages. With all of the bonus features, I am not surprised that there are no dedicated notes pages. However, each layout has some space for notes.
• A pen holder. Although the planner does not come with a pen holder, you can clip a pen within the wire coil or to the top of the planner using the elastic band (see below).
• A masculine cover option. Like most of the Simplified products, these planners, with their pretty colorful designs and swooping, gold-lettered writing on the covers seem more geared toward girls. If you are interested in some planner recommendations for boys, leave a comment and I’d be happy to offer some suggestions!

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Fun Accessories

As always, I find that you are more likely to use a planner if you make using it a fun experience. Here are some accessories that my daughter and I recommend:

Because it doesn’t come with pockets, these adhesive pockets will stick onto the front or back covers and provide space to hold extra papers:

Or try this variety-pack, which has different sized pockets so you can have different options for pockets to attach to the planner:

Since the planner doesn’t come with additional note pages, this pack of sticky notes not only has room to write, but it has tabs that stick out so you can easily locate them in the planner:

Or try a variety pack for more note-taking options:

These sticky notes are pretty for school with their chalkboard theme:

If you’d rather not use the coil to store a pen  (removing and inserting it scratched my daughter’s Frixion pen), try a stick-on pen loop:

Or, store several pens in a cute pencil case that wraps around the planner:

Although the planner comes with a couple pages of stickers, here are a few other sets to provide you with more options, such as these, which are great for middle and high school students:

I’m a big Happy Planner fan, and their sticker books have tons of stickers. This one is filled with school-themed stickers:

For older (high school and college) students consider these:

These College Essentials stickers are also great for older students:

Of course, I always recommend using erasable gel pens. I think it’s particularly helpful for kids, since pencil can be messy. Here are my favorites:

And, highlighters are great for color-coding planners. These Frixion highlighters are erasable a lot of fun.

All in all, the Simplified Student Planner is a great product for a fantastic price. It is lightweight, portable, and has some really unique features that make it both functional for school kids and geared toward teaching them to be intentional about their planning for the school year.

What student planners have you used? Is there one you would recommend? Are you interested in learning about ones for boys? Leave a comment below!

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**Image credits- Business meeting, “set goals,” goals list, detour sign, and “Plan C” images found on Pixabay.