Using Technology to Keep Tabs on Family Members
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s nearly impossible to keep tabs on your entire family. Your daughter is at ice skating lessons, your son stayed after school to get help with his physics homework and your spouse is out of town on a work trip. With that many people to keep track of, it’s easy to break plans and even harder to make them. But technology can help. Here’s how:
Create a Grocery List
If you always forget to pick up certain items from the store, try making a digital grocery list in a dedicated app, like Our Groceries, that everyone in your family can use. That way your kids and spouse can add to it when one of their favorite foods runs out.
Make Check Lists
If you find that your children forget to do their chores, make lists to help them remember. These may include things like making sure your kids’ homework is finished and in their backpacks, turning off the lights, and brushing their teeth before bedtime. To encourage your children to follow through on their list of chores, reward them with a candy bar or a trip to the park.
Share Itineraries
If you have trouble keeping track of everyone’s schedule, use technology to make a family itinerary. That way you know where everyone is without having to contact them ahead of time. Plus, they also know where you are when they need to reach out.
Create Social Circles
Using apps like Life360, you can organize your contacts into circles so you can find people you need, fast. If you want to hire a babysitter, for example, you can reach out to all the caregivers you know. This way you can book a sitter in a matter of minutes. You also can contact other groups of friends, too. For instance, you can send a message to your family asking about who’s bringing the casserole to the next family gathering.
Check In
If you need to make sure your child made it to school, the Life360 app lets your kids check in when they arrive where they need to be. This also can help you keep track of them in case they get lost. The app also lets you save certain locations, so you can be automatically notified when your son or daughter arrives where he or she needs to be. You can chat with your children after they check-in, too. That way you can be sure your husband or wife remembers to walk the dog or your kids remember to do their chores. The best part of this app, though, is that it comes with a free six-month premium subscription with the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone.
Make a Scrapbook
Chances are high that most of your photos are on your phone, so you might as well make a digital scrapbook to treasure happy family memories. Plus, many apps, like Shutterfly and The BabyBook, let you print out your online scrapbook if you want to have a book to hold, too.
