Planner Tips for Students with ADHD

If your child has ADHD, you’re probably already aware that organization and other executive functioning skills may be more of a challenge for them. Organization is key to success in school, however, especially as students get older. A good planner could make all the difference. Here are some planner tips written up with ADHD students in mind.

1. Pick the right planner. The best school planner (paper) will be thin, with a spiral binding to prevent pages from falling out, and a weekly page layout. A monthly planner may be overwhelming and unwieldy, and won’t have enough room to write down daily assignments. Avoid bulky planners and leather covers. Finally, look for a planner that has a pocket or sleeve for storing papers to and from the teacher.

2. Keep the planner at your child’s fingertips. Experts recommend that students keep their planner in the front pocket of their book bag or a binder that they carry to their classes. It should take no more than two small actions — reach and open — for your child to retrieve his planner. Have him keep a pen in the spiral binding to avoid the “pen hunt” that often causes kids to stop using a planner. Use a binder clip to mark the current page, so he can access it with one flip.

3. Review what to write down and when. This is one of the essential planner tips. Suggest that your child use “texting” language, so he can write quickly and save space. You should also go over the times of day when your child should use his planner:

• In class, when the teacher announces assignments and due dates
• At transition times, such as packing up at his locker at the end of the day
• At home, when he checks the homework assignments he needs to do (and marks them as they’re done)
• Before bed, when he ensures that all of his assignments are in his backpack.

4. Have the teacher check the planner. Many students with ADHD swear they wrote down their assignments only to find that they left out critical details. One student wrote down that she had reading homework, but forgot to note the questions that were to be answered. Encourage your child to write down assignments word for word and ask her teacher to look over the planner before she leaves class.

5. Schedule fun stuff and school stuff. Using a planner can help your child develop skills that those with ADHD usually find challenging: juggling responsibilities, allotting time, planning ahead. Have your child schedule extracurricular events — concerts and martial arts lessons — and activities with friends in her planner, as well as academics. It will get her to take the long view and learn to spot and avoid time conflicts.

6. Customize the planner with add-ons. Parents can place sticky notes of various sizes and colors in the planner to remind their child about special school events or tasks — asking the math teacher for help with last night’s homework, say. A notation about Thursday’s piano lesson may include a prompt to practice every day for 15 minutes. Make a checklist of books and materials your child needs to bring home each day and paperclip it to the planner.

7. Use the planner to sharpen long-term planning skills. All kids, especially those with ADHD, have difficulty with long-term planning. When your child has a big test, or is assigned a complicated project, use the homework planner to break it down into manageable mini-tasks. If he’s been assigned a report, mark the due date with a colored marker and work backward, allotting a day for selecting a topic, and so on. Be sure to leave enough time to write a rough and final draft.

8. Throw a planner meeting. A meeting at the beginning of the week — Sunday evening usually works best — works miracles in improving the use of a planner. Everyone in the family grabs their planners or calendars to discuss the week ahead. Parents can start by telling family members about their weekly schedule — everything from deadlines at work to carpool plans. This sets the stage for children to respond with their plans. It drives home the importance of thinking ahead.

Looking for more planner tips? Boston Tutoring Services has recently published other blog posts about how to use school planners effectively. Click to read 8 Student Tips for Using a Planner and How to Organize a Planner for School.

Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services