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Habit trackers are a great way to stick to a daily routine, add a good habit to your life or eliminate a bad one, track your progress, and stay motivated. These days, one of the most popular ways to start habit-tracking is to use habit-tracking apps. While there are many habit-tracking apps for individuals, family habit trackers can help kids, teens, adults, and families gain awareness of natural patterns and reach daily, weekly, and monthly goals.
So, what are the best family habit-tracking apps? In this article, we'll discuss how to know whether habit-tracking is right for your family, as well as the benefits of it and how to get started. Then, we'll go over some of the top habit-tracking apps for families.
Should My Family Habit Track?
Most often, sticking to a new habit is the hardest part. The more you do it, the easier it gets. habit-tracking helps individuals stick to new habits, so if you or a family member have a positive habit to implement, a routine you want to stick to, or an old habit you want to break, it could be a good fit for your family. Similarly, family habit trackers could be beneficial if you have group habits you want to work on together.
When people think of habit-tracking, they often think it's limited to activities like drinking water or getting more exercise. In reality, it can help with any habit goals. For example, kids might need help with behavior, homework, or personal hygiene tasks. Families may want help keeping track of each other's chores to maintain a clean home, or they may want to spend more time together. These are all just as doable and valuable.
Benefits
In addition to the benefits of healthy habits themselves, habit tracking can offer people a variety of different benefits. Benefits of habit-tracking include but are not limited to the following.
- Provides a visual representation of habit progress
- Helps you remember to complete good habits
- Can aid organization and time management
- Often leads to increased self-awareness
- Provides extra motivation and accountability
Many people who use habit trackers say that keeping track of habits has helped them meet goals more than the intention to do so alone.
How to get started
If you want to start tracking habits, the first thing you need to do is create or find a way to track habits daily that works for you. Some people track habits with physical charts, planners, or calendars, whereas others use a habit-tracking app. While individuals don't necessarily need habit tracker apps to track habits, they're convenient and come with many benefits. Habit tracker apps for families can help you start and stick to habit tracking.
Apps For Family Habit Tracking
The best habit tracker app is one that'll let you add any habits or goals you want. After all, everyone's different. Like any other app category, productivity apps such as habit-tracking apps can be geared toward different audiences. Some apps, like Joon, are suitable for kids and pre-teens, but others may be designed primarily for adults. The following habit-tracking apps have features that may make them ideal options for families.
Joon
Joon is a to-do app for kids that plays like a video game. It's a perfect fit for families who want to help their kids develop healthy routine habits and time management. Here's how it works:
First, parents download Joon Parent App and create a task list for their child. Kids download a separate app called Joon Pet Game. As kids finish items on their task list, they get rewards in a Joon Pet Game that allow them to take care of a virtual pet and move forward in the game. In-game rewards motivate kids to finish habits. Parents must approve each task for kids to get the rewards. You can view your child's progress at any time, and you can add as many habits or activities to your child's task list as you want.
Joon gives users a weekly progress summary report that tracks children's habits and makes recommendations to remove habits a child has mastered. We also have a timer feature that allows kids to practice completing habits within a designated time frame.
90% of kids who use the app finish all of the items on their task list. Even better, it's backed by child psychologists, occupational therapists, and teachers.
Click here to try it for free.
Habitshare
Habitshare is a habit tracker app with a social component. With Habitshare, users set habits and have the option to create a social network of other people, such as family members and friends, who can view their habits. If you want to keep a specific habit (or all of your habits) private, don't worry - you have total control. There are privacy options for each person you're friends with in the app, so you can control which habits other people see. The option to add other users provides an extra layer of accountability and makes Habitshare a solid habit tracker for families. Other features of Habitshare include the ability to set reminders, message people in their network with fun GIFs, view habit streaks, create daily and weekly goals, and more.
Streaks
Streaks is a habit-forming to-do list app. It allows you to track up to twenty-four habits, record daily notes, create timed habits (like brushing your teeth or practicing mindfulness), and get reminders. Like with Habitshare, you can add other users, making it great for families who are working on building habits together. The app lets you share tasks with other Streak users and see others' progress, give encouragement, and get extra accountability. You can even link Streaks to your health app with iPhone, which may be beneficial for individuals and families with health-related goals such as those related to movement or sleep.
Coach.me
Coach.me helps users implement new habits, quit bad habits, and otherwise improve their lives and well-being. You can search through the existing habit list or add your own. Coach.me users can add friends, ask questions, get answers, and participate in a discussion thread related to any of the habits they add. Basic habit-tracking functionality is 100% free with Coach.me, but users can hire a coach for personalized support if they choose to do so.
The Coach.me app may not be the right fit for younger kids, but it can be helpful for adults with families.
Done: A Simple Habit Tracker
Done is a simple habit tracker with all of the standard features of any other habit tracker app. However, you can set habit-building goals multiple times per day rather than just once, and the interface is customizable for easy viewing. Lock screen widgets help remind users of habits they may otherwise forget. The simplicity of the app may make it a strong fit for some families, though it is worthwhile to note that the free version of the app only lets you create up to three habits. You can purchase the premium version of the app to add more.
Habitica
Habitica is a gamified task manager app that focuses on habit-building and productivity. Similar to Joon, one of the most-loved features of the app is that users earn rewards for finishing tasks or habits. New Habitica users start by making an avatar and adding the goals, tasks, or habits they want to work on. Since you can team up (and even compete with) other users for accountability, this is a fitting option for families.
StickK
StickK is a goal and accountability habit tracker app with a clean, user-friendly interface. StickK lets you add individual and group goals, making it an ideal option for families who may have some shared goals but other personal goals they want to meet. Since the age rating is 17+, however, it is likely best for parents who want to work on their own goals or families with older teens and adult children.
Takeaway
Habit tracking can help people meet personal goals and incorporate new habits into their life successfully. Often, habit tracker ideas include physical charts or apps. Habit-tracking apps provide an additional hand-up, allowing users to schedule reminders, share ideas with others, and manage habits all in one place. If you're interested in a habit-tracking app for your family, consider the options in this article.
How Joon Can Help Your Child Build Positive Habits
Joon doesn't just track habits; the app also helps your child stay motivated to stick to positive daily habits and routines. Joon reminds kids to complete habits so that parents don't have to, and the video game component makes habit-tracking fun for kids. Joon is geared toward children ages 6-12+ with ADHD and related disorders, such as ODD and ASD - giving it a special edge over other apps. Many parents say Joon has improved their parent-child relationship. It is rated an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars in the app store, with more than 4k reviews from parents like you.
Click here to try Joon today, or contact us if you have questions about the app.
About
Sarah Schulze MSN, APRN, CPNP
