Well, we are just getting into that part of the journey with my oldest in 1st grade and not involved in much yet, so so far, I have been notating school activities in a separate color and making a list of events/appointments for the week, but these ideas look great for when it gets crazier! Thank you!

I put my child’s activities on my Monthly Calendar page so I can see how many times this month they have that activity. Then, for each activity that needs it I establish a Notes page. For example, my son has soccer each Sunday so my Calendar shows “Charlie, Soccer 1-3PM, p61” which stand for whose activity, what they are doing, and the reference page number for (in this case) responsibilities and coach’s contact info, and sometimes a map with directions. The flexibility with some many different types of info, the ease of customization, and its efficiency filling almost any standard notebook without waste is what got me to use the Bullet Journal Method.

I homeschool so I love that I can incorporate my homeschooling needs into my Bullet Journal. I use a full page daily spread and about 4/5’s of the way down I draw a line across the page. Everything below that line is for homeschooling. I also keep my homeschooling collections in my Bullet Journal- notes for next year, budget planning, etc. My kids have also expressed an interest in creating their own Bullet Journals. I have given them the basics and then let them be free to determine what they want to go in theirs. My oldest is 10- his is full of Minecraft stories and Zentangle designs. :)

This is BRILLIANT. The tabs, plus the folded page in between. We struggle because we try to use an electronic calendar for my husband & me, and a calendar on the fridge for everyone to see…needless to say, the two are never the same. If someone had to try to pick up the thread of our management it would be impossible.

I have been playing with ideas on how to organize my life and has developed something similar however this is far better and simpler. This is a MUST have for me. I may need two Dutch doors to track macros/workouts along with my daily to do list, but I may be able to fit that into the daily calendar somehow which would help me plan the time for the to dos…. hmmmm so much I can do with this. Thank you for sharing.

What a genius idea! I love everything color coded. With 6 children to keep track of it can get a bit overwhelming. I’m so glad I found the bullet journal and can’t wait to get the official one. Thank you for posting all these great ideas for moms. Anything to make my life easier and more steamlined is certainly welcomed.

I just started my first bullet journal yesterday and am still trying to figure this all out. I have “big” kids with crazy schedules so I am looking for a good way to meld my current google calendar scheduling with my bullet journal! My favorite part of the bullet journal is that I can track lots of different things in one handy spot. I have created a page for tracking service hours for each of my kids. I have also created a “scholarship” page to begin gathering information for my junior who is looking toward college in a few years.

Well this is all fab timing :) I only heard of bullet journals ten days ago but it’s been life changing for me. I’ve been googling away trying to find articles about how to get kids bullet journaling themselves but haven’t been able to find anything so it’s great to read this! My son is only 5 but I’ve got him a notebook and am planning to have a joint effort for the minute… writing things myself but also encouraging him to use it too, for writing lists of presents he’d like for Christmas to documenting him staying in his own bed and remembering to brush his own teeth :) I think it’ll give him much more of a sense of ownership over such things and encourage progress, and then we can celebrate his success a family :) and I’ll also encourage him to draw, good for kids and he loves it! :)

My at-home child is much older-try mid-20s! But I still use a bullet journal that includes him. I put in his work schedule (his schedule changes weekly) and schedule dinners that he can cook on the days he’s not working. I also have a collection page of meals we like (summer versus winter), so we can rotate through or pick something we’ve been craving when we do our weekly meal planning and grocery list.

Not only do I use my bujo to schedule my daughters daily tasks and appointments but she saw my bullet journal and wanted to join in the fun. So we have made her her very own! She just started first grade so we track her daily reading, spelling, her water consumption, daily gratitude, her behavior and moods. We made it so fun for her, it has encouraged her to stay organized and on track. She loves the daily gratitude, keeps us positive.

Wow. Love some of these ideas. As a working mom I have trouble just trying to keep up on my kiddo’s stuff. I may try putting a grade keeping in my Bullet Journal.

This is a great idea. With a household of 6, I’m definitely going to explore this one.

I MUST use my bullet journal to manage my kids. I have a sophomore cheerleader and a 10-year old competitive gymnast that all have overlapping practices, competitions, performances, etc. My cheerleader daughter has watched me and now has her own planner that she keeps up to date constantly. Sometimes I think she is more organized than I am. Now that my son is off at college, I don’t need to have his practices in, but I like to keep track of his school schedule so that I know when I can call him, text him, etc. Now to get him to remember to schedule those Skype sessions.

After my first month of bu-jo-ing I’m ready to make some tweaks but I’ve been hesitant to investigate the multitude of suggestions on Pinterest as well as bulletjournal.com. But I’m glad I followed this link – love your dutch door page. And since I work full time, sit on a few boards, and take grad classes part-time, I have a few schedules to keep track of and having the dutch door for lists will help streamline my days. However, one of the things I like about the bullet journal is the permanence of each entry and the concept of migrating and scheduling tasks, so I will have to see how it plays out.

I appreciate that there is no calendar already written in, so if I need to add a page for lists or ideas or other things that are pressing during the month, I don’t have to squeeze it in where it doesn’t fit. I can just add a page before starting the next week/month.
I really love the Bullet Journal system!

I love my BUJO for doing a prioritized to-do list every night. Then I can take my list and fit it into my time blocked schedule on my phone. I include everyone’s schedule, mine, my boys’ and my husband’s. This way I always have my lists with me and nothing ever gets forgotten because I just migrate it if it doesn’t get done that day. It’s a full house and I love using my BUJO to keep me sane!

On the Calendar page I relegate the far right end of the line to what my daughter is up to. I know she’s in school from eight till three, so I only enter her work schedule sports schedule and visitation time with her dad. The location makes it easy for my eye to travel there and check on her activities when I’m scheduling my own.

One way that I use my bullet journal is for tracking childcare while I’m at work. It’s not a consistent daycare so it’s helpful to know when I need to reschedule with someone or who they’re spending the day with.

I swear by my BJ. It keeps me very organized, i used to loose “those slips of paper”, all the time. My problem is, i have to keep an online gmail/google calendar as well, so my husband knows what’s going on with me and the two high schoolers ( marching band pick up at nite, robotics on weekends etc,). I find, sometimes i enter activities into the online calendar and not into the BJ, or verse visa.. Or… i forget to look in one calander, and think i have the afternoon free, when in fact the husband will be in PA that day……Anyone have a solution for this? ( no, he wont get a BJ)

This has been a great series! One thing, though, not all children are in school all day. Some of us homeschool which means are children are with us all day long. Would love to see a post talking about how to use a bullet journal to track homeschooling.

Thanks for sharing. These are some great ideas! I recently discovered the Bullet Journal and i’ve been pleased by how just in a few days,
those loose bits of papers have been able to be organized for my kids.

I struggle with this aspect of my planning. We homeschool our boys so I have to fit that in with my work and their extra activities. I like the way this is set up and I may add it into my planning.

I would too! We homeschool and participate in a co-op so it’s a lot of scheduling.

I’ve just started using the Bullet Journal, and I have to say it is REALLY helping me with keeping things organized. It’s not the prettiest thing, but it works, and that’s all that matters. I never really thought about the Dutch Door page. I will definitely give that a try soon.

I have a weekly calendar spread that includes categories for my work and the older children’s homeschooling. I track our homeschooling by penciling in what I plan to do but pen into the box what we actually do daily. I have a separate journal to record reflections on progress or new directions we need to head for homeschooling. This is our first year homeschooling, and so far BuJo is a great tool for me—-ah! The dutch door is BRILLIANT!

I too have fallen in love with the variations of tracking LIFE. I have 3 boys in the home and 2 step daughters some of the time, and have only been BuJo-ing since 9/1/16 and boy has it been life changing. I definitely use a Monthly at-a glance, and highlight each child’s activities, more detail gets entered on the daily column of my weekly spread. Should I have a daily entry, it is usually for my personal thoughts, school or work ideas. At the beginning of the month I assign a half page to each child which is an inventory of last months successes, clothes/shoes that need replacing, books being read and pretty much a catch all specific to each child. This allows me to inventory and prioritize my child’s progress and to transfer items to my weekly/monthly calendar to help make our time together productive and making sure their need for Mommy time is being fulfilled. It has worked out for me, but getting the men in my life to get on the bandwagon has been slow, they are pretty content letting mom run the show : )

I have have always color coded my calendars, from college to work and now to kids. I use pens & markers. Mainly for their extracurricular activities and work II do for church and volunteering. I utilize the Calendex, Ryder original monthly with additions, weeklies, and dailies. Plus trackers and master task lists. I have a separate journal for collections. Other than my college abacus and two planners that I can remember, bullet journaling is the only planner I have ever stuck with. Thank you Ryder for sharing your process with us!

I’ve been bullet journaling since June. I use my journal for my professional and personal life but I find my “easy meals to cook” section my best for living with children. The pages have quick, inexpensive meals that I do not need to have a recipe for. The best part is, these recipes are also very conducive to cooking with my son, rather than simply cooking for him. I also take a page at the beginning of each month’s daily log to list various goals I would like to achieve. These often include activities or experiences I wish to experience with my son and can range from something simple like, “1 play date” to something more complex, like this month’s “Extremely fun pumpkin patch day.”

I love this spread! This year I have a kindergartner, second grader and a toddler at home, life is crazy! I am going to try this spread next week for sure.

I’ve just started bullet journaling, and I LOVE it. I’m notorious for having four or five journals at a time to keep track of various things. I have a special needs kindergartener, and keeping track of his medicine trials, mood, behavior management, school meetings, doctor appointments, therapy etc have been so hard to organize apart from a 3-ring-binder previously. I love this system.

I’ve been waiting for the official bullet journal notebooks to be back in stock so I can get one!

I’m also new to hand lettering as a hobby, so I’m excited about getting to use some of my new skills on the layouts.

I’m a mother of three under 8’s and I’ve been BuJo’ing for about a month now. I had LOADS of lists all over the place in different notebooks – now in ONE place I can track ‘things the kids will eat’, ‘shoe sizes’, ‘Present Box (things I have bought in advance for people and ALWAYS forget I have!’, ‘favourite meals’ and much much more – I’m less stressed and more organised! PLUS can whip up something for dinner using my ‘quick meals’ list when I’ve had a long day at work and can’t think ;-) and yes……can plan haircuts before school photo day!

One of my biggest challenges in using my bullet journal with my school-age children is that I’m a homeschooling, work-at-home mom. Our schedule is very chaotic, and changes day by day (sometimes hour by hour!). The beauty of the bullet journal is its flexibility. If things get too crazy, all I have to do is turn the page and start over.

I use my bullet journal to count down the days until my daughter turns 18 lol. Just 3 more days to go…my bullet journal helps keep my sanity since she has developed and honed manipulation tactics that leave me questioning many important details of our lives. She often would delete important appointments from my phone’s calendar so she wouldn’t have to go to her therapist, etc.
Good luck trying that trick with my analog system silly evil chuckle https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/405ce53e3f63e09b6e30c00477f5fdb02c7d411b2531b6b911668b1087a51240.jpg

I love this spread! I’ll try it out for sure once hockey starts in a few weeks. I have 3 kids in sports, and myself and hubby full-time teachers and coaching volleyball right now. It’s crazy. I use an online calendar and I input and share with everyone the practices and games, and there is also a wall calendar that is in the mudroom. I did’t even try to put this schedule into my bujo (monthly, yes) because games and practices change constantly, and having to scratch stuff out would drive me nuts. Post-its are the way to go! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this, I love post-its.

I have the same issue. I try to write it in my BuJo first and when I add it to my Google calendar I add a dot to it in my BuJo so I know it’s in both. I have an outlook calendar for work, shared Google calendar with my husband, wall calendar at home for my kiddos and BuJo calendar. It’s a lot to manage but we haven’t found an alternate solution yet.

I would like to know how others handle the multiple calendar issue. I have a shared Google calendar with my husband, an outlook work calendar, a wall calendar for the kiddos (my teens refuse to use an online calendar) and now my BuJo with only Calendar and weeklies. It’s now Thursday and I haven’t yet had time to create this week’s weekly so I’ll have to start one next week…
I love having a BuJo, formerly a “mom’s everything binder” but has been renamed Bujo, since I discovered the idea Ha!
I work as a project coordinator (currently on 10 projects), I’m a university student, I have 3 teens and as mom I handle/coordinate all our appointments etc. I can’t manage with something as small as a standard BuJo. I have come to the realization that I need a binder
1. ability to store like information together,
2. not have to recreate my favorite pages (because it’s a 1" binder I never start a new one I just move the old information out) and
3. if i don’t like a page and want to start over… It’s just loose-leaf, no problem. But…Sometimes I wonder if analogue calendaring will be the death of me.
Appointments move, I forget to enter it/move it on one of the calendars…

I have never used a bullet planning system. I typically buy planners that are already filled out. By doing this, its both positive (easy to use) & negative (not everything I need). I too, am a mother of a teen and as she becomes more and more involved in activities. My scheduled is starting to become hectic!! I would certainly appreciate the opportunity to win one of these bullet journals! Thanks :)

I have a 4yr old and a 1.5yr old at home and I’ve only been using a bujo since June. I have a work calendar, phone (Google) calendar, a family calendar on the fridge, and a work bujo. I don’t use the family calendar much now that I use my bujo more. I like keeping work and home separate so the 2 bujos work for me. My work calendar has everything on it, and my work bujo is more for notes, tasks, and ideas.
My home bujo has been great for kids. My son is on different medications so I can track that. He is also crazy picky with food so I track with he wil land won’t eat and what I’ve tried. For their schedules, its not crazy yet, but with them in daycare I do need to keep track of weekly events and the bujo is great. And I just started using this type of dutch door 3 weeks ago and I love it!

this is lovely, thank you!
I’ve been looking for a practical replacement for the system I used to use, that can be flexible for complex work and VERY complex family-full-of-teenagers schedules… your thoughts on how you’re handling the family aspects is really informative.

I currently just use different colors of ink for each son, to track their school, work, and activities, but I love the idea of removable stickers to maybe differentiate between types of entries (yellow = work, blue = school, etc.) I’m new to bullet journaling and still finding my way, but I am really enjoying it so far!

I’m still trying to find a balance that makes my weekly to-dos more actionable in small bites, and am trying to work with my 6th grader to do the same thing in her school-supplied agenda planner. Any advise is greatly appreciated!

I hadn’t actually thought about introducing bullet journaling to my eight year old son…My 12 year old daughter does her own modified bujo (her ADD necessitated a flexible arrangement.)

I just recently started using a bujo, and love it. I’m still learning what works for me and what doesn’t. Thanks for all the great tips!

Thank you for these great ideas. Dutch door all the way!!!

Oh yay!! Thanks!
And thanks for this post. My kids are still little but we have a lot of therapies and what not for one of them so this will already be useful!

I never thought of the Dutch door. I really like that and will certainly give it a try. I am really liking the bujo. It really is the best thing I’ve found to organize all the aspects of my life – homeschooling, work, home, etc. I don’t use a schedule in my bujo, however, because I share an electronic calendar with my family and use outlook at work.

I love being able to plan and organise but also record important milestones.

I love this Dutch door idea. I struggle with keeping track of my 2 kids’ schedules plus my husband’s schedule. But I am trying out different methods and hope to figure it out soon.

I’ve always used a pre-printed planner (Franklin Covey, specifically) but am leaning strongly toward a bullet-journal-type agenda for 2017. I’m gleaning great ideas here! Thanks!

I run after both an 8yr old and a 2yr old. My son, Mika, comes with a very busy schedule. Between school events, IEP meetings and updates, habit tracking systems for his sensory and routine needs, therapy sessions and homework, I make sure to make time for the little princess. They both come with very different needs. Add to that, my own school schedule and homework, along with my boyfriends crazy work schedule, I would literally sit down and cry without my written schedules. The master schedule stays in my bullet journal, with me at all times. We have a second one on the fridge and my son has his tracker on his wall in his room. Without the system I’ve engineered in my journal, functioning would be impossible.

Cheri, I had a school-supplied agenda in middle school as well. I remember that we were forced to use it at the time, which I didn’t love. But looking back, I think it set me up for success with my Bullet Journal practice as an adult! Good luck to you and your daughter!

Heather, I have a SUPER picky eater, too. I’m thinking of inquiring as to whether we may be looking at some sort of sensory issue the next time we head to the pediatrician’s office. I think I’ll start keeping a log in my BuJo now. Thanks for the idea!!

Christina, what a great idea to devote space to reflecting on each child’s successes and needs each month! This sort of reflection is what I love about Bullet Journaling: being able to see the big picture as well as the details.

That’s a great point about homeschooling! Let me work on that. I’m an educator with an M.Ed., so educational planning is my background. Do me a favor and subscribe to my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bU0NHz

And be on the lookout for a post on homeschooling in a Bullet Journal in the coming weeks!

Love your simple solution, Jennifer!

Glad you found it helpful, Lorraine!

Thank you! Looking forward to it.

We only have one child and she’s 5 so there hasn’t been a whole lot added to my daily/weekly schedule this year compared to last year, but there’s still enough days off, special events that, even church activities that make me glad I can bring my BuJo everywhere and use it as my primary calendar.

I love this setup! I have two 5 year olds and a 2 and a half year old and I’ve been struggling to find a set up that helps me juggle everyone schedules. Especially important as my other half can’t drive and we live in a tiny village with virtually no public transport. I’m going to give this a go! I’ve tried monthly layouts (but there’s not enough room) weekly layouts (with some success), Daily layouts with timeladders (which is great but time consuming.)
The greatest challenges I find is future planning for that many people in the bullet journal. I end up carry round my Filofax to book appointments as well as my bullet journal for everything else.

This is awesome. I’m looking for something to help me make more of myself and my time. I have a 5 year-old and a 15 month-old. This looks like it will be perfect for my needs with the flexibility to make it even more so.

I ❤️ the Dutch Door idea! I have a full life! I have always colored coded my husband and kids since my oldest hit Kindergarten, she is now 20 and doing a semester in New Zealand!!

Plus, color coding helps for my volunteering by group and their events.

the dutch door is a wonderful idea! and i love how minimalistic the layout is!

I am BRAND NEW. My husband just told me that every time I set out to do something I always find a way that I have to LEARN a complicated system first to do it. This year it is that I needed a hardcopy Homeschooling Calendar and Journal and Caregiving tasks for my mother. I had enjoyed usig a store bought one 2 years ago but thought I should spare the expense. Last spring attempted making one with a small 3 ring binder I had around. What a disaster. Couldnt write on the left-hand pages. As I was making my new one, I discovered bullet journaling. I added a divider in the middle sort of like the dutch door with an extra tab so that I could easily find my Index since I had already put the monthly/weekly calendars in. Anyway. Hoping this method can help my very intentional and busy life. Thanks!

Hi Evie, I’d be interested in more on how my Poème, 81/2 yrs who goes to a very enriched and active school (tests, assignments, poetry to memorize each week in both Canada’s official languages etc etc), takes piano (homework here too), ballet (just for fun) and sings in a choir (homework too but is very keen/self motivated), loves to draw, does fundraising and loves her dog could make her own bullet journal. I just ordered her her own 1917 B5 in her fave colour: turquoise. This is my goal for her for Christmas. Love to hear your thoughts.

I am a new bullet journal enthusiast. I just completed my first whole month of journaling and logging and tracking my whole life. I was amazed at how much for effective life planning becomes. I have 2 little boys and decided to throw a party for my eldest for his 6th Birthday. We are in a new town, and decided to go BIG. We invited everyone in his class and had to rent a hall. Keeping track of all of the RSVPs in one place, and the shopping list and being able to find it all easily and check off things as they got done. His party was an absolute blast, and I was able to enjoy the planning process because I felt in control.

I am very excited about how to incorporate my bullet journal into more parenting aspects of my lift. I have started to coordinate school calendars with household calendars, and it’s so effective.

I bought my first Bullet Journal at Target, and while I love the pattern, it is quite cumbersome. I believe I purchased one that was a little larger and I bet an A5 Journal would be much more practical. I promised Hubby I would wait to see if this Bullet Journal Thing “Sticks” before getting the Offical bullet Journal. :-) So far, it’s sticking. :-)

I love the idea of the Dutch door — that’s really ground-breaking for me!

I’ve struggled to use my bullet journal for scheduling and am glad to see this idea…it’s very helpful.

My oldest is 11 and she is pretty active this time of year. My other 3 kids are still in elementary school, though the 2nd child is starting to have her own set of things.

One thing I do is divide up my lists by topic/responsibility (for example, I work from home and so different projects have different little lists each day). I try to limit the number of things in each of those lists to no more than 3 and I lay out the whole week (or the theory of the whole week) on Sunday…including any commitments.

it’s not quite right, so I’m going to look at using your ideas from this post and modifying them to try starting next week.

Thanks for these ideas! :)

I love those little flags! I just wish the kids wouldn’t steal them and cover the house…in places they don’t think I’ll notice.

When I read “older children” I was thinking of teens and tweens, which is what I have. You parents of toddlers and preschoolers think your schedules are crazy now… just wait.

Love the flags and Dutch door!

I’m very interested in trying the Bullet Journal.