Capable Kids & Teens Planners Instructional Guide

The Capable Kids Planner from Jordan Page, creator of the #RaisingCapableKids movement is finally here! Say hello to your new productivity sidekick. This step-by-step guide will help kids, teens, and parents stay on top of all responsibilities and make sure YOU have more time to do your favorite things!

Parents—if you're tired of fighting with your kids about chores, screentime, or homework, this is for you. This is not your average planner, calendar, or notebook. It will help you work together to set goals, get organized, and enjoy more quality time as a family! Encourage your kids to use this planner daily, and before you know it, confidence will replace the chaos. You'll feel more connected as a parent, and your kids will feel more capable of taking the lead on SO many new things.

Together, you will:

  • Set up daily and weekly blocks to organize each day and fit in time for all the most important things!
  • Use a daily checklist to stay motivated and keep track of chores, schoolwork, goals, and more.
  • Fill in a dream board and decide on short-term and long-term goals.
  • Track water intake, reading habits, allowance, spending, and SO much more.

If you're here, you probably have a lot going on! You're doing an amazing job setting your kids, tweens, and teens up for success in their lives and we wanted to take a quick moment to applaud you for that! đź‘Ź đź‘Ź đź‘Ź

As you well know, finding balance and being wise with your time is a daily struggle for adults AND kids. We wanted to create something for kids and teens to be more intentional, productive, and accountable for their time so that they have more time for the things they want to do! The quicker you learn how to prioritize tasks, the more successful you'll be!

Parents—check-in on your kids and teens each week to set up a good routine that works for your home and lifestyle. We find Sunday evenings work best, but choose a time that you can be consistent with. Once your kids understand the routine, they'll be capable of taking on more and more responsibilities on their own, and you can sit back and watch them take on the world. We're so excited about what this will do for you and your family! The Capable planner will help you stay on top of it all. Let's get started!


FOR KIDS & TEENS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Your new planner gives you a place to dream BIG and make a plan to get more done. Use it as your ultimate command center to keep track of your schedule, goals, homework, allowance and savings, chores and responsibilities, hobbies, thoughts and dreams—all of it! No more fighting with mom and dad about chores and no more missed homework assignments. This simple tool won’t tie you down, but it will give you freedom to do ANYTHING you set your mind to! Are you excited?! Click below for a quick step-by-guide with the creator Jordan Page!


CAPABLE TEEN PLANNER

If you just got your Capable Teens Planner, we think you'll love it! Grab your planner, and let's walk through this together!

THE CAPABLE TEEN PLANNER INCLUDES:

  • Snap-in Bookmark – Your new bestie! A daily checklist, weekly goal tracker, and so much more.
  • Class Schedule
  • Dream Board
  • Savings Goals & Money Tracker
  • Reading Log
  • Favorite Things To Do – A place to create seasonal bucket lists or just doodle.
  • Long-Term Goals – What big things do you want to accomplish this year? Write 'em down!
  • Monthly Goals and Habits – Each month set new goals and get ready to crush them.
  • Month At A Glance – One page to keep track of everything you have going on.
  • Weekly Planning & Daily Blocks – Homework tracker, weekly to-dos, goals and blocks for each day with challenges and questions.
  • Doodle & Notes Pages

STEP 1: DEFINE YOUR DAILY CHECKLIST

The cool thing about this planner is that you're in control! Your daily checklist might look totally different from your brother's or your best friends, and that's okay. Here's how to define your daily checklist:

  • Make a list of everything that's part of your daily routine.
  • Set up your list in chronological order. Grab a wet erase marker and start filling in that to-do list on your bookmark. List it all in the order that you'll work through it each day.
  • Talk to your parents and agree on rewards. We're all motivated by rewards, right? Chat with your parents and figure out how your family can reward checking off the daily list.
  • Use the to-do sections for extra things. No matter how set in stone your routine is, extra things usually pop up. Use that section to keep track of daily to-do list items that aren't part of your usual routine.

On the flip side of that daily checklist bookmark is a spot for you to track your water, keep up with your goals, and record daily affirmations. Don't forget! The bookmark is removable and can clip in to each day so you can easily find your place!


STEP 2: COMPLETE YOUR WEEKLY PLANNING PAGE

The weekly planning page is going to be your new bestie! Each week (we suggest doing this on Sunday as part of a weekly family planning meeting), you'll sit down and map out everything that's on your plate this week.

  • Fill in your school assignments and due dates. Tired of rushing to complete that book report because you totally forgot about it? Problem solved! Keep track of all your school assignments on your weekly planning page!
  • Jot down other to-do items. For example, if you're babysitting on Wednesday afternoon or volunteering at church on Saturday, be sure to note that in your list.
  • Set weekly goals. Here's where the magic happens! Each week, set a few goals for yourself. Do you want to exercise more? Drink more water? Spend less time on your phone? Get your homework done earlier? Dream big and make some magic happen! Don't skip this section. Writing down your goals is the first step to making them happen.

You may notice there's a section called “cooking day” at the top right corner of this page. Here's a chance to flex some skills and help your family out big time! Even if you've never cooked before, now's a great time to start. Once you head off for college or move out into your own place, you'll need to know how to cook for yourself, so go ahead and practice. Start with something easy! We have tons of simple recipes on ShelfCooking.com.


STEP 3: FILL OUT YOUR DAILY BLOCKS

So, you know how your school day is divided into blocks? There's a reason schools design their schedules that way. It works! How you set up this page is up to you!

Save a block or two for school, but define your other blocks based on everything else you have on your plate. Create a morning block and after school blocks to keep track of when you'll accomplish other things on your plate including extracurriculars, chores, an extra job, etc. You decide! In general, we suggest keeping blocks to around 3 hours each. If you want a deep dive, check out this post about block scheduling.

You'll also notice a daily question, notes section, and then a section at the bottom for reflection on this page. Here's how to use the reflection area:

  • Sweet – Jot down your favorite thing that happened that week! Did you score a winning goal at the game? Make an A on that chemistry test? Did they serve pizza for lunch? Write down one highlight from your week.
  • Sour – What didn't go so well? Jot it down and move on! Sour moments happen to everyone. Venting a little is the best way to let go.
  • Service – Think back on your week and write one thing you did to help someone else.

Got it? This block schedule page is going to be your new roadmap for success, so take a quick peek at the sample page and then start brainstorming ways to make it work for you! When you're ready, let's move on to step three.


STEP 4: DREAM BIG, SET GOALS, CRUSH THEM

Here comes the fun part—We hope you're ready to dream big! This section is totally optional but highly recommended. The next time you're bored, open your planner to your dream board and flex your creative muscles. There's no wrong or right way to fill in a dream board.

Jot down your biggest hopes and dreams, doodle some pictures to remind you of your goals, drop some inspiring quotes, stickers, or images here. Then, when you need an extra dose of motivation, come back to this page!

After doodling, make some concrete goals on the long-term goals page. This is a page you can keep adding to all year and refer back to each month as you set more attainable monthly and weekly goals.

We've divided long-term goals into four categories:

  • Physical â€“ Want to make the cheerleading team? Learn how to play tennis?
  • Social â€“ For example, do you want to join a new club?
  • Intellectual – If you want to earn an A in Algebra II, explore college majors, or read a challenging book, here's the place to list your academic goals.
  • Spiritual – Want to read the Bible from start to finish? Learn about a new religion or memorize some scriptures? Maybe you'd like to start a daily prayer practice? Learn to meditate?

Write them all down. Once you have a list of long-term goals, fill in your monthly goals! And each week make smaller goals that will help you reach your long-term goals. There's a saying we use a lot around here: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Think through the small steps you can take each month to reach your big goals, then jot them down, and get to work. You can do this!


STEP 5: TRACK YOUR MONEY AND SAVE BIG!

Whether you babysit, have a job, or get a weekly allowance, we want to teach you how to use your money wisely! So think of a few things you'd love to have, choose one or two to record as a savings goal, along with their cost, and then start saving up and tracking your progress.

From big purchases, like a used car, to smaller things like a new curling wand or some new books, you'll be able to save up faster than you think if you make a goal and keep track of your spending. On the next page, you'll see a money tracker. This is the place you'll use to keep track of allowance, birthday money, paychecks, etc. Use that tracker to start saving up for all the things on your wishlist! Try this out, and thank us later!


HOW TO USE YOUR CAPABLE KIDS PLANNER

Do you have the Capable Kids planner? Yay! We're so excited for you to use it! Let's take a quick peek and go over everything you need to know.

STEP 1: FILL IN YOUR DAILY CHECKLIST

We bet you already have a routine that you follow pretty closely, especially on school days! Your daily checklist bookmark is where you keep track of it all. List out all the things you have to do every day, like get dressed, brush your teeth, do your homework, and so on. Put those things in order based on when you do them during the day, and then check them off as you go.

On the other side of that daily checklist bookmark is a spot for you to track your water, keep up with your goals, and record daily affirmations. By the way, the bookmark is removable, so move it as you work through the planner and clip it right in on a new page!

Bonus idea: Talk to your parents about setting up rewards for checking those items off your list.


STEP 2: SET UP YOUR WEEKLY BLOCKS

We've designed your weekly blocks page to help you organize your day and fit in time for all the most important things! There are three main sections:

  • Learn – List out all your schoolwork here! You can include reading, studying, and practice for sports or music here.
  • Work – This is the place to jot down your chores for each day of the week. Make sure to chat with your parents before you fill this all in!
  • Play – Ready for some fun? List out all your favorite things you want to make time for—outside play, TV shows, games, etc.

At the bottom of the page, you'll see blocks for notes. Use these however you'd like! For example, write down an idea of something you'd like to do with your mom or dad, or list a reminder to call your grandma. We've included some examples to help you!


STEP 3: DREAM BIG, SET GOALS, AND CRUSH THEM

Do you want to learn to play basketball? Go to your favorite water park? Play the piano? Think through all the things you'd love to do, and then flip over to your dream board. Jot or doodle your hopes and dreams. Then start thinking about your BIG goals and write them down on your Things I Want To Do This Year page. Once you've got some big goals listed, flip the page and work with your parents to come up with a plan to make it all happen! You can keep adding BIG goals all year long. Set monthly goals that will help you reach your bigger goals, and then break those monthly goals down into weekly goals.

For example, if one of your long-term goals is to earn five new Scouts badges, figure out all the steps you'll need to take to do that! Want to read 12 books this year? Set a goal to read one new book each month, and then set up weekly habits to make sure you stay on track. You got this!


STEP 4: TRACK YOUR MONEY & SAVE BIG!

Do you want to save up for a new bike? A cool watch? Or maybe a dance bag? We've got an awesome savings goal and money tracker to keep track of allowance, birthday money, tooth fairy money, etc. Use that tracker to start saving up for all the things on your wishlist!


CHECK OUT THE OTHER COOL THINGS YOU CAN DO

Finally, before you dive in and start using your planner, check out these cool add-ons:

  • Reading Log – Color in a book each time you finish reading a book, write down notes about your favorite characters, and more.
  • List of Things to Do When You're Bored – No one likes being bored, right? Brainstorm seasonal bucket lists full of fun things you can do the next time you're feeling bored.
  • Stickers – Don't forget to use all the fun stickers we included. Put them on your weekly blocks calendar, use them on your goals page, or however you'd like. This is YOUR planner, so make it something you love.

THESE PRODUCTS WILL HELP YOU TURN INTO A PRODUCTIVITY NINJA

This planner includes just about everything you need to become a productivity pro, but if you really want to take it even further, here are a few products that will help:

And now you're all set! We're super proud of you for using this planner and can't wait to hear about all the amazing things you accomplish! Have your parents tag us on social media and let us know how it's going, okay? Use the hashtag #CapableTeensPlanner or #CapableKidsPlanner.

You've got this! Now, go become a productivity ninja.


FAQS

Can I begin using the Capable Kids or Capable Teens Planner at any time, or do I need to wait for the first of the month?
You can start any time! Start filling out the planner for your current month. You'll want to stay on track once you get started, but you can start at any point in the year.

Will there be other cover design options made available in the future?
Yes, we’re planning on it! Make sure to stay tuned to our email newsletter for the latest product announcements.

I have an idea for how to improve the planner. Where can I share it?
Ooo yay! We LOVE feedback. Please visit our Contact Us page and send us your ideas!!