Between school, homework, and extracurriculars, kids have a lot on their plates. Teaching your child good time management skills will help them succeed both now and into adulthood. To get you started, we’ve rounded up our top picks for productivity apps for tweens and teens.
We chose apps that touch on various areas of productivity, such as effective planning, task management, and focus. We looked for well-rated apps with features that are useful for the needs of tweens and teens.
Best for: Note-taking, to-do lists
Platforms: iOs, Android, web
Cost: Free
Google has taken note-taking to the next level with color coding, labels, and search functions. Users can even add voice memos and drawings, so no matter how your child expresses their ideas, they can keep track of it with this app.
Best for: Focusing, minimizing distraction
Platforms: iOS, Android, web (Chrome extension)
Cost: Free for Chrome and Android, $3.99 for iOS (one-time purchase)
This app is deceptively simple, yet highly effective, making it perfect for helping your child stay focused. Users set a timer, and a tree grows on the screen while they work. When they complete a focus session, they’re rewarded with a fully grown tree. If they veer off-course, their sapling withers before their eyes.
Best for: Task management, to-do lists, reminders
Platforms: iOs, Android, web
Cost: Free for basic plan, $39.99/year for pro
Remember the Milk is an elevated to-do list that will help your kid get and stay organized. With color coding, subtasks, and reminders, they can really make their lists work for them. It also allows for collaboration and attachments, so it’s a great choice for group projects at school.
Best for: Homework organization
Platforms: iOs, Android, web, Kindle Fire
Cost: Free (with ads), $4.99/month for premium plan
myHomework is a virtual planner that lets your child track their class schedule, assignments, and grades. It includes reminders, priority levels, calendar integration, and the ability to add notes and attachments.
Best for: Brainstorming, visual thinkers, task management
Platforms: iOs, Android, web
Cost: Free for basic plan, upgraded plans range from $5.99-$14.99/month
If your kiddo is a visual thinker, then MindMeister is just the app to help them organize and execute their ideas. They can use it to create mind maps, brainstorm ideas, and manage tasks.
Best for: Organizing notes and highlighted material in digital formats
Platforms: iOs, Android, web
Cost: $4.49-$7.99/month (free 30-day trial)
Readwise is an excellent tool to make study sessions more productive. It integrates with popular e-readers to automatically import notes and highlighted material into a central location. Students can use tags and filters to help them study and even turn their highlights into digital flashcards.
Best for: Motivation, task management
Platforms: iOs, Android, web
Cost: $4.99/month
Anyone with a teen or tween knows that getting them motivated can be difficult. Habitica turns tasks into a role-playing game to help users check things off their list and form new habits.
If your kid is already stressed about heading back to school, now's the time to help them practice time management and personal organization skills. While pen and paper can help with to-do lists, apps can help your kid learn how to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and goals. Try one or all of these apps and work with them to find a system that makes their life (and yours!) easier.
