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The key thing is to notice that planets don't twinkle like stars do - they shine with a steady, constant light. They're also usually much brighter than most stars, and they move slowly across the sky over the course of weeks, so if you spot a really bright point of light that you don't remember seeing in that same spot before, it's probably a planet. Ideally you want to observe from a dark location with no light pollution, especially at dusk or just before dawn when the closer planets are more visible.
Don't rely on constellations you think you recognize right off the bat, because perspective can be really misleading. What works better is to learn where the visible planets are in your area and what time, then you look in that direction and watch if that point of light moves relative to the stars around it over the course of nights; most people don't realize that planets change position in the sky over the course of weeks, while stars stay fixed.
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