It is so fun to have great apps that help us in so many areas of our lives. Apps are certainly a benefit of today’s technology. I wanted to share with you 10 fantastic family apps!
1. Plugged in – This is where I love to go to check out movie reviews to see if I want my family to see a movie. It is very detailed breaking down EVERYTHING-spiritual, violent, and sexual scenes-and no matter what your views or beliefs are you can read the review and make up your own mind. For example, some families don’t want their children to see any movies with curse words. Some families are ok with it (even if they don’t like it) if it is mild or if their children are older. This app lets you know it all so you can make up your own mind and match it to your family goals for movie watching. In the end, there is a conclusion from the reviewer and they let you know their overall impression of the movie. You may not always agree with their analysis but for the most part for our family, I feel they get it right!
2. Instagram – I put this one on there because I just think it can be fun! We LOVE pictures at our house, and Instagram is a fun way to look at great photos not only of friends but of great photographers. Of course with this one you have to be careful. If you let your children (older ones) have an Instagram account you need to make them private and monitor it. However I find just having one of my own, we sit together on the couch and just stroll down and look at the pics of the day. I only follow ones I can trust! You can find me on Instagram too HERE!
3. React Mobile – has a “Follow Me” feature, that lets your selected contacts to track your whereabouts in real-time whenever you’re concerned for your safety. It also has SOS alerts that can do directly to your social media sites and email; Group Messaging-Link to your location, Automatic 911 prompt options, and last known GPS in case you lose coverage! It is perfect when you’re going on a long distant trip alone, or when you’re traveling country roads! It is also great for you when you go walking or running! I have a teenager that will be driving soon and this app will be on his phone for sure! I want him to be safe especially during the first few months of driving alone and this way I will know where he is at and how he is doing. This is a great app for your family! Nothing can keep us secure from everything but when we have tools that can help they are surely worth using!
4. Cozi – It helps you manage the chaos of family life with a shared calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists, and more. Cozi keeps track of everything from school schedules and sports activities to grocery lists, meals, and chores — all in one place the whole family can access anytime, anywhere.
5. Glympse – You can actually see where family members are. It’s particularly useful for when you need to pick up a child from somewhere. If you are running late Glympse will shoot your exact location in real-time to the family member waiting on you while you’re on the road. The free software for iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile lets you specify who can see your location and for how long, so it’s a perfect solution. You could also use it when the family splits up at an amusement park or going separate ways for shopping trips!
6. Make Every Day Count App – This app goes right along with my biggest message here at Together with Family! Being Intentional with your Parenting! This great conversation starter app offers an easy way to engage and build relationships with your children. The app contains a variety of interesting topics and questions to keep the conversation going, and can be personalized based on age and gender so you know that the questions are appropriate and relevant for your child. Get questions in seconds and enjoy hours of meaningful conversation.
Features:
- Get 100’s of questions that span over Seventeen topics.
- Create a profile, and set up your preferences so that the app remembers what types of questions you want.
- Share questions on Facebook, Twitter, or email so you can use the app even when you are not with your kids.
7. Focus on the Family App – The Focus on the Family app equips and educates couples and parents to grow in their marriages and raise godly children. It even includes some of your favorite exclusive kids’ content from Focus on the Family, like Adventures in Odyssey (AIO) and Clubhouse. A great way to encourage yourselves and your friends!
Features:
- Find helpful parenting and marriage tips
- Get conversation starters to spice up your family dinner table and date nights
- Let your children play with your phone while knowing they are engaging with spiritually uplifting content
- Share tips and words of encouragement with your spouse and on Facebook and Twitter
- Listen to Adventures in Odyssey (AIO) episodes
- Get craft and activity ideas from Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr
8. Keepy – is a smartphone app and web platform, that preserves your child’s artwork, schoolwork, photos, and other memories in a digital timeline. You simply snap a picture of a “keepy,” such as a child’s drawing, a report card, or a photo of a first tooth, and then add voice or text commentary. You can even add your child’s voice. You can also share your playlist with family members. Extended family can add their own video, voice, or text responses. This is such a wonderful way to keep a diary for your kids. Who would have ever thought we would have digital baby or childhood books that would even have our voices in them! You will have a timeline totally recorded for you on your child’s life!!
9. CareZone – simplifies the lives of those caring for children, partners, and aging parents. They provide a simple and entirely private environment where family and helpers can stay organized and coordinated. CareZone’s cloud services help you organize and manage information on tablets, smartphones, and computers, and stay connected to family and other helpers with whom you may share care responsibilities. Better yet, everything can be tracked on your iPhone (free in iTunes) This is a wonderful app when you’re caring for aging parents!
10.Google Calendar – The Google Calendar is a great way for families to share their lives. When your children are small you may not have to worry about this as much but as they get older and especially in the teen years everyone’s schedule can be very different. If everyone in your family has a Gmail account and tracks all appointments and events in the Google Calendar, the calendars can be shared and this helps avoid over-scheduling in family life. Since it’s web-based, you all have access to computers and handsets, and smartphones.
Most of these are free or very cheap and can be bought for iPhone or Android! I find it easier to go to my app store and search their names and get them that way!
