In a world where toddlers know how to work an iPad better than most adults, it’s hard to imagine life without the internet. Even though most of us grew up without it, or at least with less exposure to it than kids have these days, it didn’t take long to get used to, and even become dependent on, having a world of information at our fingertips. And with the addition of smart devices (i.e., phones, tablets and, now, even watches), it’s easier than ever to access useful tools and resources. We can even manage our family life through family apps and website…but only if we know where to find them and how to use them.
The thing is, the internet can be overwhelming. When even simple searches can garner millions of results, it’s sometimes hard to weed through the information overload. For information to be truly accessible, we need to know how to use the internet in a way that actually adds value and simplicity to our lives, instead of complicating it further.
This is not a small challenge.
Fortunately, we’ve found a number of family apps and websites to get you started. We looked at some of the issues that seem to face most families and pulled some of our favorite apps and/or websites for each of these areas of family life. The following list offers some of the top-rated resources for streamlining daily activities, protecting families online, and providing easy access to information that ranges from travel tips to homework help.
Family Life
Our Pact
Our Pact is an all-in-one family tool that allows you to monitor smart devices from a single control panel on your phone. The free basic app allows you to block internet and apps on your child’s device and schedule screen time. Relatively inexpensive upgrades add impressive capabilities like letting you manage multiple devices at once (for multiple children), the ability to block texting, and location services for family members via their devices. See a complete demo here.
Type of program:
App for Android and iOS mobile devices.
Cost:
Our Pact Basic – free; Our Pact Plus – $1.99/month; Our Pact Premium – $4.99/month. See full pricing details here.
Chore Monster
Toss out your chore charts for good with this easy-to-use app that makes doing chores fun for parents and kids alike. Parents can quickly create online, individual chore lists complete with customized rewards, timelines, and more. Kids can then sign in to the fun, just-for-kids app on a smart device or computer and see their chores, add up their rewards, and earn fun extra surprises along the way. Learn more with Chore Monster FAQs.
Type of program:
App for mobile devices (Android, Kindle Fire, and iOS devices including iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad)
Cost:
Chore Monster is free to use with the exception of the Monster Carnival online game. See FAQs for more information.
Cozi Family Organizer
Consider Cozi to be the personal assistant you’ve always wanted…and desperately need. With the ability to manage nearly every aspect of family life in one simple app, Cozi helps you get organized and stay organized. Streamline your life with the ability to create and manage shared family calendars; keep and share up-to-date shopping, chore, and to-do lists; add recipes and sync ingredients with your shopping list; and much more.
Type of program:
App for computers and mobile devices, including Android, Windows 8.1 and iPhone/iPad.
Cost:
Free with the option to upgrade to Cozi Gold for $19.99/year. Cozi Gold provides ad-free service and additional features for everyone on your Cozi account.
Money and Budget
GoodBudget
While there are a lot of budget and money management programs out there, GoodBudget offers a unique format that can be used for every member of the family. GoodBudget helps you manage your budget with customized “envelopes” for your monthly expenses. You can then sync with other users in your household to easily share, track and monitor expenses. GoodBudget will also alert you when you’re under or over budget in any category and recommend ways to rebalance your total monthly spending. While you may not want to include your little ones in the family budget, GoodBudget is a great way to teach older teenagers about finances, budgeting, and money management.
Type of program:
App for computers, Android or iOS devices.
Cost:
Free with the option to upgrade to GoodBudget Plus, a $5/month service that provides unlimited accounts and envelopes, more devices capability, five years of account history, and email support. Sign up or see complete pricing details here.
Honey
Online shopping is the only thing that keeps some of us sane – especially when we have little ones in the house. But keeping track of coupon codes, discounts, and free or reduced shipping can be tough – unless you have Honey. Honey is a browser extension that automatically pops up at checkout when there are codes or coupons available for your purchase. All you have to do is click “accept” and Honey will find codes and coupons for your purchase, including discounts on your total purchase, free shipping, or other benefits. Plus, most purchases are eligible for Honey Gold, a free cash-back bonus system. Read the FAQs for more details.
Type of program:
Add-on extension for desktop versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. (Mobile versions and support for other browsers are coming soon.)
Cost:
Free
Grocery IQ
One of the biggest expenses for many families is groceries. This becomes even truer as kids get older. If you’re always looking for ways to save on your monthly grocery expenses, but just don’t have time to manage coupons, then Grocery IQ may just be your new favorite thing. Grocery IQ allows you to make grocery lists, then alerts you when coupons or sales are available at your local stores. You can also browse coupons by categories based on your list or see all available coupons (equaling hundreds of dollars in savings).
To use your coupons, select (or “clip”) coupons on the app, print them from your phone or device, or load them directly to your store loyalty card. Grocery IQ also locates grocery stores near you, allows you to make comprehensive lists, shares and sync lists with other family members, and intuitively organizes your list by aisle number so that you can shop quickly and efficiently. Learn more or sign up here.
Type of program:
App for computers, Android or iOS devices.
Cost:
Free
Travel
Kayak
Don’t spend hours scouring dozens of travel sites to find the best hotel, flight, and package deals. Let Kayak do it for you. Kayak searches all of the top travel sites across the web to give you the lowest prices in a single location. But best of all, you can keep track of all your travel plans with Kayak’s exclusive trip planner. This feature lets you create detailed itineraries, store travel confirmations and booking receipts, and receive automatic notifications for check-in, gate information, flight delays, and more. You can even sync your account with your email to instantly upload travel confirmation and booking receipts.
Type of program:
Website with an available mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
Cost:
Free
Pack Point
Packing for yourself is easy enough. But packing for a family…well, that’s a different story altogether. Pack Point simplifies the packing process by creating automatic packing lists for you and the whole family. Simply enter your travel plans, locations, and activities, and let Pack Point go from there. Pack Point will check the weather, create detailed packing lists, and allow you to sync your list across all of your devices using Evernote. Then you can email, share, or print lists for the whole family – and take a little of the pressure off yourself. See a sample packing list here.
Type of program:
App for Android and iOS devices.
Cost:
Free
Sit or Squat
If you’ve ever been stranded somewhere with a toddler who “has to go,” then you know what true panic feels like. That’s why we believe Sit or Squat will be the new favorite app of parents everywhere. Featuring interactive GPS location, Sit or Squat helps you locate the nearest public restrooms, no matter where you are, and even allows you to filter your search by specific features (i.e., changing tables). You can also add or review any restroom you visit, from restrooms in your own hometown to places where you travel.
Type of program:
Website with a mobile app for Android or iOS devices.
Cost:
Free
Homework Helpers
Khan Academy
This highly acclaimed website is like having a live-in tutor for every child, in every grade. And if you’ve ever tried to help with a 10th-grade chemistry assignment only to end up as frustrated as your child, then you know the value a program like this can provide. Featuring instructional videos, lessons, tutorials, and test prep, Khan Academy provides a world-class education at home or on-the-go with both website and mobile app capabilities. Choose from a variety of math courses, science and engineering, computing, arts and humanities, economics and finance, and more. Sign up as a student or parent and get easy-to-follow, detailed answers and explanations for homework assignments and special projects, or explore topics as a family and enjoy the experience of learning together. Learn more or create a free account here.
Type of program:
Website with mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.
Cost:
Free
Socratic
Socratic uses AI (artificial intelligence) to provide a revolutionary new way for students to get help on homework, projects, and assignments. With a simple photo (taken with the Socratic app), Socratic can analyze and interpret questions, then provide simple, easy-to-understand explanations that will guide students to the answer they’re looking for rather than just providing it for them. Designed primarily for upper school students, Socratic covers dozens of topics in science, math, humanities, history, and more; and allows students the option of taking a photo with the Socratic mobile app, or manually entering a question on the website. Learn more or take a look at a list of sample questions here.
Type of program:
Primarily an app for Android and iOS devices, but questions can also be entered and answered at www.socratic.org.
Cost:
Free
Fact Monster
Filled with colorful characters, fascinating facts, and a seemingly endless supply of answers and resources, Fact Monster is a one-stop shop for homework help. Choose from dozens of topics in categories like Science, Math, Language Arts, The World, The U.S., People, and more. You can also discover daily trivia facts, play games, and access online resource materials including a dictionary, atlas, thesaurus, encyclopedia, almanac, and historical timelines. With no required sign-up, kid-friendly graphics, and a user-friendly computer-based layout, Fact Monster is ideal for elementary to middle school-aged learners, but can still provide fun for the whole family.
Type of program:
Website
Cost:
Free
Picture Storage and Memory Makers
Flickr
When it comes to basic photo storage, it doesn’t get much better than Flickr. Since it first came out in 2004, Flickr has only continued to get better and has been proven time and again to be a reliable resource for photo storage, sharing, and management. Sign up for a free account and receive 1TB to upload photos of any size, even your high-res captures. Plus, you can tag and share images with family and friends and invite them to view specific albums or images. And last but far from least, download the Flickr app on your phone or mobile device and you’ll be able to easily sync photos from your device to your Flickr account. There are a lot of photo storage sites out there, but few offer the sheer volume of space that Flickr provides – all at no cost.
Type of Program:
Website with a mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
Cost:
Free
Chatbooks
With camera phones, we can preserve special moments with ease. But what good are thousands of pictures if they never leave the phone? Chatbooks provides a simple, fast, and most importantly, easy solution for making your photos tangible. As the self-proclaimed provider of “photobooks for people who don’t have time to make photobooks,” Chatbooks will automatically create photo books for you or let you quickly and easily design your own.
To let Chatbooks do the hard work, download the app, sync to your photo sources (social media or your phone’s photo library), select a source, and let Chatbooks automatically gather and layout images every time you add a new photo to social media or “favorite” a photo on your phone. When your book gets to about 60 images, you’ll receive a notification and can either edit your book or print as is. Plus, standard shipping is always free and photo books start at only $8 with a money-back satisfaction guarantee – so really, it’s a risk-free proposition. See just how easy it is to get started here.
Type of program:
App for Android or iOS mobile devices.
Cost:
Download Chatbooks for free; photo books start at just $8.
Little Hoots
Photos are one thing, but what about all those things that your kids say that you wish you had written down? Little Hoots is the app designed especially for capturing those moments when your kids “say the darnedest things.” The exclusive Little Hoots’ Creation Engine™ will instantly style quotes and written memories into whimsical stories that you can share with a network of family and friends – or turn into gifts and books that feature your child’s wit and wisdom. With the ability to upload video and photos, as well, Little Hoots is a single source for storing all of those precious moments that go by too quickly. Learn more with Little Hoots’ FAQs.
Type of program:
App for Android or iOS mobile devices.
Cost:
Download the app for free. See product pricing in the online store.
Do you have any favorite family websites that you would like to share? Any apps that you just couldn’t live without? We would love to hear about them! Send us an email at [email protected].
