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Parenting

What Is The Best Routine App For ADHD In Kids? Find Out Which One is the Best Fit for Your Child's Needs

Updated
December 26, 2022
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    ADHD games and apps have become increasingly popular in recent years. Adults with ADHD may use organization or productivity apps to aid their professional life, manage money, build coping skills, finish important tasks, remember medication and treatment schedules, or stick to healthy routines. Many ADHD apps for children have features and uses similar to apps geared toward adults with ADHD, but they are developmentally appropriate for children and are child-friendly in nature.

    If you're a parent, it can be overwhelming to pick one app out of all the ADHD apps for kids on the market. In this article, we'll go over some apps kids with ADHD may benefit from, as well as an overview of how each app works, the average rating, and the age range it's appropriate for.

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    How Do ADHD Apps For Kids Work?

    Every ADHD app for kids works differently. While apps aren't a replacement for ADHD treatment, they have a time and place in helping people with ADHD and can work as an add-on to treatment for the disorder. The primary goal of using routine apps for children with ADHD is to usually reduce the impact of ADHD symptoms and help the brain focus on important daily tasks. App-based tools can play a role in helping kids prioritize tasks, build life-changing habits, and make other accomplishments.

    So, what are the best ADHD apps for kids? Here are ten apps for kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Let's start with our favorite - Joon.

    Joon: The Best For Building Habits

    Joon is a to-do app and game designed for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their parents. Created with the ADHD brain in mind, Joon is backed by child psychologists, occupational therapists, and teachers.

    Here's how it works:

    There are two different apps for Joon - one for kids, and one for parents. Parents download the Joon parent app first. In the Joon parent app, parents assign tasks (also called quests) to their children. You can filter tasks by age group or input your own to make a personalized routine for your ADHD child.

    Kids download the Joon pet game app to play. Once they complete tasks parents assign, kids get virtual rewards that allow them to take care of a virtual pet, called a Doter. One great feature of Joon is that the parent must be the one to mark assignments as complete.

    With a visually appealing interface and interactive game, Joon is an ADHD app that helps kids finish their to-do list and stay focused on daily tasks without nagging. Joon promotes independence, executive functioning skills, motivation, and self-esteem.

    The fact that it is designed for kids specifically sets Joon apart from other ADHD apps. Parents have more control, and the calendar app is safe for ADHD children.

    90% of kids complete all of the tasks their parents assign with Joon. If there's one app to get for your child, it's this one!

    Click here to get your one-week free trial.

    Age range:

    5-13 years

    Average rating:

    4.7 out of 5 stars (via iPhone App Store)

    Little Timer Hatch Countdown

    Timer apps can be a game-changer for people with ADHD. The Little Timer Hatch Countdown app is a simple timer app for children that helps with transitions, focus, and time management. When the timer goes off, an egg hatches and reveals an animal.

    Little Timer Hatch Countdown is a great app for kids with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other conditions. While the concept is simple, it can help the brain focus.

    There's a free version of Little Timer Hatch Countdown, but in-app purchases are available.

    Age range:

    4+

    Average rating:

    4.5 out of 5 stars (via iPhone app store)

    Wake Up Mo!

    Wake Up Mo! is a morning routine app for young children with simple animations and interactive elements. It functions as a virtual picture book and is part of the StoryToys junior line.

    Wake Up Mo! helps kids create and stick to a morning routine by showing kids how to complete the same tasks daily. For example, eating breakfast, brushing their teeth, and getting dressed.

    There's a "read to me" and "read to myself" mode, so kids can use it regardless of if they're able to read independently or not. Just like a real book, Wake Up Mo! provides a full 3D experience.

    Average rating:

    4.5 out of 5 stars (via iPhone App Store)

    Age range:

    15 months to 3+ years old

    Kids ToDo List

    Kids ToDo List is an app that lets you create to-do lists for kids. What sets this app apart is that the to-do list exists in the form of picture cards, which act as a visual for children. While there are over 100 pre-loaded cards available, you can also create your own original cards in the app. For the purpose of time management, you can specify a time for your child to complete specific tasks by if you want.

    Average rating:

    4.2 out of 5 stars (via Google play store)

    Age range:

    4+

    Happy Kids Timer

    The Happy Kids Timer app is another timer app that can help kids with ADHD manage their morning and evening routines. The free version of the app comes with eight morning routine activities and seven bedtime routine activities. However, the premium version allows parents to add four additional customized tasks. The illustrations in the app are child-friendly and engaging for kids. 

    In-app purchases enable you to remove the timer aspect of the app if you need to, which can be helpful if you find that the timer adds too much stress for your child.

    Average rating:

    4.3 out of 5 stars (via Google play store)

    Age range:

    4+

    MultiTimer: Multiple Timers

    MultiTimer is another timer app. It is a simple visual timer with a clean design. The app features a number of timer options, including countdowns, count-ups, stopwatches, intervals, clocks, tap-based counters, and more. You can receive app notifications via action buttons like restart, terminate, or snooze, which may help some remain focused.

    Average rating:

    4.7 out of 5 stars (via iPhone app store)

    Age range:

    4+

    Visual Daily Schedule

    Visual Daily Schedule is a kid's daily planner app. It's exactly what it sounds like: A colorful, visually appealing app that lets parents create a daily schedule for their kids, which can aid task completion, help kids fulfill due dates, and more. 

    While Visual Daily Schedule isn't designed specifically for children with ADHD, it can be beneficial for people with ADHD to have a visual representation of the actionable tasks they must complete on any given day, which is where Visual Daily schedule and other apps with similar features come in handy.

    Average rating:

    4.5 out of 5 stars (via iPhone app store)

    Age range:

    4+

    KidHab: Kid's Habit Tracker

    KidHab is a habit tracker for children. In the app, parents select habits they want their child to engage in and choose rewards for completed assignments. Parents must mark tasks as complete for children to get rewards in the game, which makes this app an ideal choice for kids.

    Average rating:

    4.2 out of 5 stars (via iPhone app store)

    Age range:

    6-16 years

    Habitica

    Habitica is a habit-building and productivity app. In the app, you create to-do lists of goals, tasks, and habits you want yourself (or in this case, your child) to achieve. When you finish an item, you mark it as complete and get rewards in the game. Like many other apps kids and adults with ADHD use, the reward system helps you stay focused and get things done.

    Since the user adds and marks off their own task list, it may not be suitable for all kids.

    The basic version of Habitica is free. However, there are in-app purchases that let you gain access to other features through four subscription options.

    Average rating:

    4.1 out of 5 stars (via iPhone app store)

    Age range:

    4+

    Brush DJ

    Brush DJ isn't a routine app, but it does help children complete an important item on their to-do lists. The concept of Brush DJ is simple but effective for many kids: The app plays music for two minutes while kids brush their teeth. That way, they know how long to brush and when to stop.

    Average rating:

    4.6 out of 5 stars (via iPhone app store)

    Age range:

    4+

    Takeaway

    People with ADHD often have trouble staying focused, which can make to-do lists and healthy routines more challenging. Despite this, routine is crucial for people with ADHD. ADHD apps for children can help with time management, executive function, and overall well-being.

    Depending on your child's age range and needs, different apps might be the right fit. The best ADHD apps for kids tend to be those created both for children and with the ADHD brain in mind. Though other apps can be helpful, they may not take ADHD symptoms into account and might not be suitable for a child.

    Apps do not replace ADHD treatment for people with ADHD and should be used as an add-on to treatment instead.

    About

    Sarah Schulze MSN, APRN, CPNP

    Sarah is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with a specialty certification in pediatric mental health. She works at a clinic in Champaign Illinois, providing care to children and adolescents with mental health disorders. She obtained her bachelor's in nursing from Indiana State University in 2011 and completed her master's in nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014. She is passionate about helping children create a solid foundation on which they can grow into healthy adults.

    About

    Sarah Schulze MSN, APRN, CPNP

    Sarah is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with a specialty certification in pediatric mental health. She works at a clinic in Champaign Illinois, providing care to children and adolescents with mental health disorders. She obtained her bachelor's in nursing from Indiana State University in 2011 and completed her master's in nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014. She is passionate about helping children create a solid foundation on which they can grow into healthy adults.