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Apps that can help a busy family stay connected, organized and solve hard homework problems

There are tons of options available. Here's what a tech expert recommends

ST. LOUIS — We're about a month into the new school year. Parents, how's it going? If you could use a hand juggling schedules, to-do lists and helping your child with school work, there are apps that can help.

"Good thing about it is you got developers trying to make a name for themselves. So they think about what needs parents and students have," said tech blogger Kelso Burton. 

Burton, a father of two, has reviewed numerous apps that can help families stay organized and stay on the honor roll.

One of the more popular apps that can keep a family on schedule is Cozi. It's been around for several years and has more than 20 million users. 

"Easy way for parents to stay organized and keep up with their activities and kids activities," Burton explained. "It has a built-in calendar where you can see what all of your family members are doing and has a built in grocery and meal planning feature."

Burton said another popular family planning app is Picniic. It's marketed as a family assistant. It even allows you to pin your locations on a map for others to see. 

If the kids are watching too much TV after school and you want them to help around the house, Burton likes the app BusyKid. It's a chore and allowance app that can teach your child about saving and investing.  

"When you open up the BusyKid app you can assign specific chores for your kids to do and once they complete the chores then they can earn actual money that can be saved in their BusyKid account," Burton said. "You can teach your kids about how to earn money in the real world."

There are plenty of options available for you to keep track of your child's homework. A popular app that Burton is a fan of is myHomework.

"Within the app you can get reminders about what school projects are coming up. It's a great way for parents to keep tabs on your kids and make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing," Burton said. 

If your child's homework has you stumped, you can use an app that allows you to point your phone's camera at the problem to get the answer and a step-by-step explanation on how to solve the problem.

Photomath is a popular app in this space. The company behind this app said it's the world's most-used math app. Burton also recommended the app Socratic. It's powered by Google and can help find answers in math, science, social studies and more.

Homework apps have been criticized for allowing students to cheat. Burton said parents should monitor their kids on these apps and use it as a learning tool and not a crutch. 

 

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