From shopping for school supplies to getting your family mentally prepared to handle new schedules and routines, preparing for the back-to-school season can be a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, we live in an app-fueled world where help for both parents and students is right at your fingertips. Check out four apps to help navigate the everyday challenges.
[Related: Put a 529 Plan on Your Back-to-School Shopping List]
Rethink Bullying App – Stops cyberbullying, before the damage is done. Selected as one of the top 15 Google Science Fair Global Finalists, ReThink, targets adolescents, and aims to help them become good digital citizens. According to the website, here’s how it works: When an adolescent tries to post an offensive message on social media, ReThink uses patented context sensitive filtering technology to determine whether or not it’s offensive and gives the adolescent a second chance to reconsider their decision. Groundbreaking research shows that when adolescents are alerted to ReThink their decision, they change their minds 93% of the time. In this internationally acclaimed study, using ReThink, the overall willingness of the average adolescent to post an offensive message reduced from 71% to 4%.
The Parent Toolkit App -Â For Pre-K through 12th grade, the Parent Toolkit App helps parents navigate their child’s growth and development. According to the website, Â here’s how it works: For each grade, parents have the option of browsing through academic or health and wellness benchmarks. Based upon the information selected the app provides tips and recommendations to work into a parent’s everyday schedule such as suggestions on diet, sleep and physical activity.
Retail Me Not — With more than 50,000 stores available and a back-to-school section, the Retail Me Not app offers the latest deals from your favorite stores. Receive alerts of sales at your favorites stores, save coupons for later use and get reminders when your saved coupons are about to expire.
Life360 — Like many families, The back-to-school season comes with a hectic schedule and long to do lists, so if you’ve ever wondered how you can stay connected, download Life 360 to help keep you sane. According to the website, here’s how it works: You can view your family members on a map, communicate with them, and receive alerts when your loved ones arrive at home, school, work, or any other specified location. The app allows family members to create groups for family, friends, and caregivers, send messages via group chat and receive alerts when family members “check-in†to a location.