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Apps that help kids stay focused in school

WASHINGTON — It’s no secret that after spring break, kids lose momentum when it comes to focusing and finishing their school work. Although technology can often be a distraction to most kids, there are a number of apps that can help with attention and motivation.

How can parents help their kids to create and keep up with organization? A former local educator has these simple steps to follow. (Thinkstock) — 30/30 is a fantastic iPhone app that allows kids to create tasks and set the time (30 minutes is the default) needed to complete them. It’s especially helpful for time management, since many kids overestimate how much time they have to do something, and underestimate how long it will take them to do it. (Thinkstock)

I also love SelfControl for Mac and StayFocusd for PCs, which is a Chrome extension. They both allow students to blacklist websites they deem to be distracting — Minecraft, Twitter, YouTube, whatever it might be, for a certain period of time, say 20 or 25 minutes so they can focus on what they should be doing, which is usually studying or homework. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

And for phones, consider Forest. Whenever kids want to focus, they click the app to plant a tree. In the time they set, say 20 minutes, a tree will grow while they’re studying. But, if they leave the app, the tree will wither and die. So the harder they work and study, the more trees they plant and grow, and the lusher their forest is. That’s motivating to kids! (Thinkstock)

There are also some fantastic apps that help kids with studying. One of the oldest and most highly regarded is Quizlet. Quizlet allows students to study basically anything by making their own flashcards and playing games with these cards. (Thinkstock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto/Otakeja — StudyBlue is the next generation of Quizlet. Not only can kids create and make flashcards, but they can also type their notes in class directly into StudyBlue and the app will then create flashcards for them based on their notes. It also makes learning a little bit more multisensory, because students can record their own audio notes and clip them to each flashcard. (Thinkstock)

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How can parents help their kids to create and keep up with organization? A former local educator has these simple steps to follow. (Thinkstock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto/Otakeja

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Ann Dolin is a former public school teacher and the founder and president of Educational Connections Tutoring, which helps students throughout the Washington, D.C. area. She’s the author of the award-winning books Homework Made Simple and A Parent’s Guide to Private Schools.

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