Best Back-to-School apps for all ages
Kids going back to school? There’s an app for that.
Whether your child is going to be starting their first day of pre-school or is college-bound, there are plenty of apps to smooth the transition.
Here’s a round-up of our five the best back-to-school apps, broken down by age group.
Best apps for parents of pre-schoolers: Drive About Number Neighborhood
Let’s face it: Your little one thinks your phone functions as a gaming machine. Before school gets started, get their minds churning with curiosity. You can sneak education into games (the same way they don’t know there’s broccoli under that cheese). If your pre-schooler loves counting, introduce them to Drive About: Number Neighborhood, which allows them to travel about in a car, balloon, rocket or other fun mode of transportation and play number games to teach early math skills.
Cost: $2.99
Device: iPhone
Best app for the parents of elementary-school kids: La La Lunchbox
Stuck in a peanut butter and jelly rut? Let LaLa Lunchbox be your lunch-packing muse. The app will help you make sure you’re packing a balanced lunch to give your child the brain boost to power through the school day: Combinations of fruits, vegetables, protein and snacks. We checked out some of the photos and were drooling over pizza kabobs and raspberries stuffed with chocolate chips and ham and mozzarella sandwiches. (Don’t forget the note!)
Best app for the parents of middle-schoolers: myHomework app
By middle school, those homework assignments start getting serious. Set your child up for success with an app to help them track assignments and manage their time. The myHomework app is perfect for your tech-savvy kids who are more comfortable with apps than paper planners. They can curate an academic calendar, complete with test and assignment dates and get reminders about homework coming due. They can also integrate their schedules into the app.
Cost: Free, but add-on’s are $4.99 per year.
Device: Works with iPhone and Android
Best app for high-schoolers: Graphing Calculator
As your child progresses in grades, those back-to-school lists start to get more expensive with all those pricey electronics. You might be able to skip those costly graphing calculators and save yourself some money as there are free calculator apps. High-functioning graphing calculators, available for both iPhones and Android, are great for high school-level math classes.
Cost: Free
Devices: iPhone and Android
Best app for college students: AnkiApp
College students, let us introduce you to a great study buddy: The AnkiApp, which is always happy to burn the midnight oil with you. You can choose from a selection of 80 million pre-made flashcards, spanning hundreds of topics to help you cram for that biology midterm or become fluent in a foreign language before you leave for your study abroad trip.
Cost: Free
Devices: iPhone, Android, Windows & Kindle Fire
Best app for saving: ShopAtHome.com Coupons & Cash Back App
Whether you are a parent of an elementary student or a college student, saving money is always important. With a new school year, the spending tends to add up. Enter the ShopAtHome.com savings app. It allows you to find coupons and discounts, all while getting Cash Back from your favorite stores. It’s completely free and available on apple and android devices.