Whether we like it or not, technology is a significant part of family life. From information and entertainment to balancing everyone’s schedules and communicating with teachers, apps can help your household run smoothly.
Looking for something new? Check out this list of popular apps for each age and stage of parenting. Since every family has its own stance on social media, we decided to focus on information and entertainment for this list. (As always, parents should review any app before allowing their children to download.)
When You’re Expecting
Flo
Designed primarily for women, Flo lets users track periods and ovulation, provides health insights from a team of qualified doctors, and offers pregnancy tracking, community support and educational content. The app aims to empower users by providing tools and information for better understanding their reproductive health. Apple & Android, free flo.health
The Bump
Expecting parents can get a personalized timeline of their baby’s growth and development with the pregnancy tracker. Once the baby arrives, use the Bump’s baby tracker to stay on top of daily activities like feeding, pumping and diaper changes. The app also includes expert videos, curated baby name lists, recommended products, a personalized baby registry and more. Apple & Android, free. thebump.com/pregnancy-app
What to Expect
What to Expect helps users prepare for parenthood with day-by-day and week-by-week guidance. The app provides articles, tips and helpful tools for tracking baby’s growth and monitoring mom’s health, as well as a month-by-month toddler guide that highlights development, growth, milestones, health and more. Apple & Android, free. whattoexpect.com/mobile-app
Baby and Toddler Years
BabySparks
For the first three years of your child’s life, BabySparks offers tips for parent-child activities tailored to each age and stage. It helps you support and monitor your child’s development with daily play activities, milestones, tracking tools, articles, tips and more — all created by experts and personalized for your child’s unique needs. Apple & Android, free. babysparks.com
Glow Baby
Designed to support parents in tracking their baby’s development and daily activities during the early years, Glow Baby features daily care tracking, growth monitoring, developmental milestones, community support, personalized insights and other parenting resources. Overall, the app aims to help parents stay organized and informed during the crucial early years of their child’s life. Apple & Android, free. glowing.com/apps
Tinybeans
For parents who have privacy concerns around posting photos of their babies on social media — but still want to share images and videos with their loved ones — Tinybeans offers a secure place to store and share photos. The app offers unlimited storage, stickers and filters, and the ability to print photo books. Apple & Android, free. tinybeans.com
Apps for Toddlers & Preschoolers
GoNoodle
Designed to promote physical activity and wellness for kids through fun, interactive videos and games, GoNoodle gets kids moving with dance-alongs, yoga videos, interactive games and mindfulness activities. Many videos incorporate educational themes, promoting learning while being active. The app also allows parents to track kids’ activity levels and see their progress over time. Apple & Android, free. gonoodle.com
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy Kids is a fun, educational app that engages children in early literacy, math, reading, writing and language. Designed for children ages 2 to 8, the app features whimsical characters, engaging content, interactive activities and creative lessons that captivate attention. Apple & Android, free learn.khanacademy.org/khan-academy-kids
Kids Doodle
This fun drawing app allows kids to unleash their creativity in a playful and simple way using a tablet or smartphone. Kids Doodle features an easy-to-use interface, full color palette, a variety of brushes, undo and redo functions, and a gallery feature. Parents can help kids easily share their drawings with family and friends via social media or email. Apple & Android, free. Find by searching in your app store
Apps for Elementary-Age Kids
Duolingo
This language-learning platform uses game elements such as experience points and achievements to motivate users to stay consistent in their progress. Duolingo offers courses on music, math and 40+ languages. The app can be tailored for your child’s age, with Duolingo ABC for children ages 3 to 8, and regular Duolingo programming for older kids (and parents, too!). Apple & Android, free. duolingo.com
Barefoot World Atlas
This interactive app is designed to introduce children to the world’s geography, cultures and biodiversity in an engaging way. Features include a 3D interactive globe, kid-friendly interface, and activities like quizzes, puzzles and interesting facts that make learning fun. Apple, $4.99 barefootbooks.com/digital-apps
Scratch & ScratchJr.
These apps introduce elementary school children to coding through simple coding tasks that make a character move, dance, jump and sing. Kids will love programming their own interactive stories and games while learning to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer. ScratchJr. iIs for kids ages 5 to 7, while Scratch is for ages 8 to 16. Apple & Android, free. scratch.mit.edu
Apps for Tweens & Teens
Animoto: Slideshow Maker
Budding filmmakers can create engaging photo and video slideshows quickly and easily with this user-friendly app. Find customizable templates for different occasions, a music library, plus text and transition options to make a completely custom slideshow. Animoto also offers sharing options and cloud storage for use across different devices. Ages 13+. Apple & Android, free. animoto.com
Sketchbook
This impressive creation tool is great for teens who are serious about art. Working in Sketchbook feels like drawing on paper, since brushes and pens behave like their physical counterparts. The app offers a wide variety of customizable brushes supported by guides, rulers and stroke tools to give both stylistic freedom and precision. Ages 4+. Apple & Android, free. sketchbook.com
Lirica
Based on the idea that songs make language memorable, Lirica lets users learn languages with the power of music. Learn Spanish, French and German by exploring song lyrics, interactive learning modes, audio playback, translation tools and a diverse music selection. Ages 13+. Apple & Android, free. lirica.io
