20 Free Back-to-School Apps for Parents

By Kourtney Eidam and Lisa Milbrand
September 27, 2013
Shutterstock
Turn your smartphone or tablet into command central with everything you need to plan, prep, and navigate your kid's year. The best part? These great apps for Apple and Android devices are all free!
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Digital Tutor

Need a refresher course in math, English, and other subjects? School A to Z helps you answer your student's homework head-scratchers and gives project suggestions on a variety of topics.

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Nifty Note Taker

Evernote offers quick ways to manage your growing to-do list: Record a voice note on the go for your partner or type up some tasks for your kids. Everyone has access to the notes on any of your family's devices.

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Remember the Milk

Remember the Milk allows you to set up a family calendar that can be synced with Google Calendar. Outline specific duties (pick up the dry cleaning, switch carpool days, etc.) and assign tasks, with specific time frames, to other family members.

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Kitchen Helper

Whether you're looking for lunch ideas or something you can whip up fast,allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner can help with its more than 40,000 options.

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Class Aide

Designed for older students, inClass is great for parents who want to stay on top of all of their kids' assignments, due dates, and the other things that take up the school year. (Apple only)

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Team Player

Keeping track of practices, games, and other events can be a major challenge. With TeamSnap, follow schedules, team stats, and scores; monitor fees and payments; find out who can come to games and events; and share photos and files with friends and family members. You can also create a private site for all of your kids' teams so that everyone can stay in touch about time changes, coordinating refreshments, and more.

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Brain Booster

KinderTown's team of parents and educators picks educational apps by age and subject so you don't have to. (Apple only)

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Savvy Shopper

Save time and money on back-to-school shopping with RedLaser. Simply scan the item's bar code, and it compares online and in-store prices to locate the best deals.

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Student Tracker

If you're nervous about your kid taking the bus, get Life360 Family Locator. Register his cell (it doesn't have to be a smartphone), and this app will find him on the map. It also has a panic button.

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Virtual Assistant

The Cozi Family Organizer will keep your clan on the same page with reminders for homework or doctor's appointments sent out from the shared calendar.

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Artkive

Get ready for the onslaught of adorable construction paper creations with this free app that helps you preserve their creativity without keeping around the clutter. The Artkive keeps images of all the artwork stored on their secure cloud service, and if you prefer a less-digital way to enjoy them, you can even order your favorites in fancy hardcover books, mugs and more.

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Quizlet

No more 3 x 5 cards! Quizlet lets you make your very own virtual flashcards to make study sessions with your child easier, or pick from millions of options. When your child's done studying, she can switch to "test" mode to make sure she'll ace the quiz. Available for both iOS and Android.

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Science Glossary

Can't keep your moles and molts straight? This iOS app features extended definitions of a huge number of scientific terms, along with links out to additional info, if a topic piques your child's interest.

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Duolingo

Help your child score high on his next Spanish test (and pick up a little Espanol of your own) with this fun and free app.

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ScratchJr

MIT built this free app for kids ages 6 to 8 to introduce them to the basics of coding. Kids snap together blocks to help the characters move, dance, and sing as part of interactive stories and games. For iPads or Android tablets only.

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Shakespeare

If your child's taking on the Bard, this simple program offers his entire works, a search function so you can find where certain sayings appear—and most importantly, a glossary that defines all those archaic words that pop up in his plays and sonnets.

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EasyBib

Make building that research paper bibliography a breeze: Simply copy and paste the URLs or scan the books' bar codes into the app, set the style, and it will compile the bibliography for you.

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myHomework

Never miss a homework assignment or have a panicked project all-nighter with this simple-to-use app that tracks and prioritizes assignments, tests and more. If your child's tech-friendly teacher uses the companion site, Teachers.io, assignments can even appear automatically in your child's feed.

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Easy Reader

Cut down on storytime expenses and trips to the library with OverDrive Media Console. The app lets you "borrow" e-books from a selection of public and school libraries.

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WebMD Mobile

Courtesy of WebMD

If your child wakes up feeling under the weather and you're not sure whether to send him to school, simply punch in his symptoms on WebMD Mobile. The app can help determine if you need to call the doctor and keep your little one home.

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