Mastering the HomeTrail Planner: A Complete Guide

Written ByCorah Clemmer

Last updated5 months ago

The Planner in HomeTrail is a powerful tool designed to help you stay organized, track lessons, and create a customized homeschooling experience. Whether you need to schedule lessons, log activities, or plan out your curriculum, the Planner offers flexibility and ease of use. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything the Planner can do and how to use it effectively.

Where to Access the Planner

You can access the HomeTrail Planner in two places:

📌 On the Web – Log in at HomeTrail and navigate to the Planner tab.

📌 In the App – Open the HomeTrail app and find the Planner tab for quick access.

Switch Between Week and Month

Use Week when you want more room to work with the details of the days ahead. Use Month when you want to scan a longer stretch of your family's schedule:

Open the Planner.
Select Week or Month at the top of the Planner.
In Month, use the previous and next arrows to move one month at a time. Select Today to return to the current month and bring today into view on a smaller screen.
Select a date to open its full Day page. You can also select the + on a date to add an activity, select a planned activity to edit it, or select a Journal badge to edit that day's existing journal entry.

The month appears as a calendar grid on larger screens and a date-by-date list on smaller screens. Each date can show planned activities, completed activities, generated packs, day labels, school breaks, recurring curriculum progress, and journal indicators. When a date has more activities than fit in its calendar cell, select the additional-items link to open the full Day page.

Switching between Week and Month keeps you near the dates you were viewing. Your selected month or week is also kept in the page address, so browser Back and Forward continue to work as expected.

Month view displays the same family and team records already available in the Planner. Switching views does not share activities or journal entries with anyone new.

Go Directly to Another Week

Use the week chooser when you need to review or update a date that is several weeks away:

Open the Planner on the web.
Select the calendar icon beside the displayed date range.
Use the month and year controls, or select Today, to find the date you need.
Choose any date in that week, then select View week.

HomeTrail opens the Monday–Sunday week containing that date. The selected week is also kept in the page address, so you can refresh the page, share the link, or use your browser’s Back and Forward buttons without losing your place.

For quick week-to-week movement, continue using the previous and next arrows beside Today.

Features of the HomeTrail Planner

1. Adding Activities & Lessons

The Planner allows you to create and schedule activities for each student. Whether it’s a structured lesson, a field trip, or an independent reading session, you can log everything in one place.

🔹 How to Add an Activity:

Open the Planner.
Click "Add Activity."
Enter the name of the lesson or activity.
Assign it to a student or multiple students.
Select the date and time (optional).
Choose a subject and add duration if tracking hours is needed.
Click Save.

2. Assigning Subjects & Tracking Time

For those who need to track hours per subject (especially for compliance with state laws), the Planner simplifies this process.

🔹 How to Track Time in the Planner:

When adding an activity, enter the duration (in minutes).
Assign a subject (e.g., Science, History, Art).
HomeTrail will automatically calculate total hours spent per subject and display it in the Progress Reports.

3. Managing Custom Curriculum

Custom Curriculum appears on every applicable day in the weekly Planner. It is different from an explicitly dated activity: it stays available according to its recurring schedule until you check it off for that day.

Open Planner → Week.
Find the Custom Curriculum panel on an applicable day. Today's panel opens automatically; other days show a completed count such as 0/3 done until you expand them.
Select a curriculum item to mark it complete. Select it again to mark it incomplete.

The item keeps the name you entered in Custom Curriculum. Marking it complete creates the learning-session record used by HomeTrail's progress and reporting tools.

With no weekdays selected, the item is available every day.
With weekdays selected, it appears only on those recurring days.
Optional start and end dates limit when it is available.

To place one lesson at a particular date or time instead, use Add Activity or ask TrailGuide to plan that specific session.

4. Editing & Deleting Entries

Need to make a change? HomeTrail makes it simple to edit or remove activities.

🔹 How to Edit an Activity:

Click on the activity in the Planner.
Modify any details (date, time, subject, etc.).
Save changes.

🔹 How to Delete an Activity:

Open the activity.
Click “Delete” to remove it.

5. Syncing with Check-Ins

For those using HomeTrail’s Daily Check-Ins, responding to a check-in will add an entry to your Journal for the day.

6. Using the Planner for Progress Reports

The Planner is directly linked to your Progress Reports. Everything scheduled and completed in the Planner is reflected in the reports, helping you maintain records effortlessly.

🔹 To Generate a Progress Report:

Go to Journey > Progress Report on the web.
Select the date range you want to review.
View hours spent per subject and student.

Why Use the HomeTrail Planner?

✅ Keeps You Organized – Everything in one place: subjects, activities, and lessons.

✅ Helps Track Learning Hours – Essential for meeting homeschool requirements.

✅ Easily Customizable – Add, edit, delete, and set recurring schedules.

✅ Syncs with Check-Ins & Reports – Saves time by auto-tracking progress.

✅ Works for Any Homeschooling Style – Whether you follow a structured curriculum or an eclectic approach, the Planner adapts to your needs.

Final Thoughts

The HomeTrail Planner is your homeschooling command center, making it easier to plan, log, and track learning activities. With flexible scheduling, time tracking, and integration with Custom Curriculum and Progress Reports, it’s designed to simplify your homeschooling journey.

📅 Start planning today and make homeschooling more organized than ever! 🚀

Check out this video for a simple walkthrough of the Planner on Mobile:

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