Add Materials to a Planned Session

Use Create when you want a worksheet, reading, quiz, audio explainer, puzzle, or other Plus material. Make one shared draft first, then choose how to use it in Review & finish. Create is separate from the Rhythm editor, so changing a recurring schedule stays simple.

For more about Nest cards and recurring packs, see Generating Packs for Students.

Create a material

1. Select Create in the HomeTrail header.
2. Choose a format under Practice & check understanding, Explain & explore a topic, or Send something you chose.
3. Enter the topic or, for a selected video, article, or source-backed reading, paste the link.
4. Adjust the format's settings. For a math worksheet, select Check this worksheet idea and review the supported skill and settings before continuing.
5. Select Create now. HomeTrail creates it right away, without asking for children or subjects or putting the draft on your plan.

If you prefer to describe what you need, use the optional TrailGuide shortcut and select Fill the builder. It fills the same editable form; you still review the details and select Create now yourself.

You can close Create while it works. The Updates bell in the header shows progress and reopens the review when it is ready.

Review and choose where it goes

1. Preview the material in Review & finish. When Tailor it is available, describe a change and select Make these changes, then review the new version.
2. Under Who is it for?, choose one or more children and choose today or a future day under When is it for?.
3. Under What subject(s)? (optional), choose the subjects the material covers. Subjects from an activity or TrailGuide may already be selected; review them here. Use Manage subjects if you need to add or change a subject.
4. Select Prepare their copies. Each child gets their own copy with the subjects you reviewed, without generating the material again. Preparing does not add anything to the HomeTrail plan or Nest Student App.
5. On each child's card, choose Open on the web or Copy link, Add to plan, or Send to Nest. Sending to Nest also adds that child's copy to their plan. Nest must be enabled for its option to appear.

Choosing multiple students prepares the same material for each of them, with separate answers, completion, and feedback. HomeTrail does not generate a different difficulty or version for each student. Create another material when students need different work.

The web link works without logging in: anyone with it can open that child's material and use its available response controls. Share each link only with the child named on its card so answers stay separate. Web links become available after you prepare the children's copies; opening a link does not add the material to the plan or Nest.

For paper use, choose Print material under Print a copy. Worksheets and other printable materials need no child selection. Audio and video print as QR cards linking to each child's web copy, so choose children and prepare their copies before printing those cards.

Close dismisses the review. Reopening the material brings back the prepared child copies, so you can return to their links or add a copy to the plan or Nest later.

Daily material limit

Each family can make up to 20 materials a day with paid Plus, or 5 a day during a trial. This shared limit covers on-demand requests through Create, TrailGuide, and the mobile app. Tailoring a material counts as making one; sending the same material to more students does not. Scheduled recurring packs and onboarding samples do not count. The allowance resets at midnight in your family's time zone.

Already have a worksheet or reading as a PDF? Open the activity for that day, go to its materials, and choose Attach PDF (up to 50 MB). It sits beside anything HomeTrail made.

Free families can open Create to see that material creation is included with HomeTrail Plus and review the upgrade options.

Add materials from Planner or Day

1. Open Planner or a Day page.
2. Find the activity or Rhythm occurrence you want to build on.
3. Open the activity editor and use Open Create, or Save and open Create when you have changes, beside Create materials for this activity.
4. Choose a material type, review the context, and select Create now.
5. In Review & finish, choose the children and day, review the optional subjects, then select Prepare their copies.
6. Select Add to plan on each child's card. Send to Nest also adds that copy to the plan.

Choose what the activity and day need. The activity's Lesson materials section shows what is already attached and lets you add a PDF.

Mark a material complete

On the website, use Mark complete beside an individual material in Day, Planner week or month view, or the activity editor's Lesson materials. It updates immediately and shows Completed. For materials sent to Nest, the same completion appears there too.

Use Mark incomplete to undo it without removing saved answers, uploads, or review feedback. These controls are available for ready, unarchived materials dated today or earlier. Completing an attached material does not complete the activity or its other materials.

For step-by-step parent instructions, see Managing Generated Pack Cards in Nest.

Remove a material from a planned day

1. Open the activity in Planner or Day.
2. Under Lesson materials, find the material.
3. Select Remove when that action is available.
4. Confirm when prompted.

The material leaves that activity and day. It remains available in Nest when Nest is enabled for your family.

TrailGuide and Nest packs

Ask TrailGuide to make a pack for Nest when you want a student-facing Nest card. That Nest generate flow is covered in Generating Packs for Students.

Name the Session, student, and format when you want TrailGuide to attach a catalog material to a planned Session:

Add a volcanoes crossword to Avery's planned science session tomorrow.

You can also start Create from the activity editor.