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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

10 iPhone Apps That Help With Discipline


When it comes to Apple’s powerful and popular iPhone, it seems that there’s very little the mobile device isn’t able to streamline and simplify. Thanks to the App Store and the developers that make it great, there are even offerings to help busy parents track and manage parenting and disciplinary tactics. These 10 apps are among the most popular and useful for keeping up with kids’ behavior, as well as the rewards and consequences of their behavioral choices.


      Positive Parenting Practices – This $3.99 app is geared towards parents who espouse a more lenient, gentle approach to discipline. Positive Parenting Practices is more than an app detailing disciplinary methods, offering valuable insights into the motivation behind kids’ problem behavior and real-life solutions.
      KidChart – Charts are great tools for tracking kids’ accomplishments, chores and behavior. Unfortunately, they’re also rather difficult to carry in your pocket. That’s where this $0.99 app comes in, putting the power of a full-sized paper chart at your fingertips. KidChart is also an effective way to monitor kids’ daily behavior for later discussion, when cooler heads allow for constructive conversation.
      hAPPy Family – Encouraging positive behavior on the go is easy with this powerful app, which rewards kids with collectible marbles, ocean animals, treasures, insects or candy when they make the right choices.
     iGrounded – Teenagers are notorious for pushing boundaries a bit too far in a bid to assert their burgeoning independence. A game of consequences that you’re able to edit and modify to suit your teen’s individual needs, iGrounded is available in the app store for $0.99.
     iReward – The customizable motivational charts provided by this $4.99 app are designed for use by parents, caregivers and educators to reward good behavior. Traditional rewards, like gold stars, are among the options offered by this simple but powerful application.
   Timeout - Ultimate Discipline Tool – Tracking the length of a timeout to provide kids a visual representation of how long they are sentenced to this punishment is a snap with this application. The app isn’t loaded with extra features, but it does deliver exactly what it promises.
      Tymoot– Designed by a parent for parents, Tymoot is a $0.99 app that helps you create and set timeout timers. However, there’s a bit more to this one than meets the eye due to the Wheel of Discipline feature that allows your children to spin the virtual wheel in order to be “sentenced” to one of eight customizable punishments.
    Caught Being Good – The free CAUGHT BEING GOOD app takes the spinning wheel of chance approach to rewarding kids for undirected good behavior. You can change, add or remove any reward, and also set the probability of a particular one appearing. Surprising your child with an unsought reward for good behavior that you have not requested or directed is an effective method of encouraging her to continue on the right path, even when she doesn’t think you’re there to see her.
  Positive Discipline – Rather than a traditional punishment and rewards systems, the Positive Discipline approach relies upon a motivational system that helps kids to develop strong moral fiber, character and a sense of self-reliance. Encourage a sense of connection with the respectful, encouraging tone that motivates kids to make the right decisions in their daily lives, autonomously.
      Rich Kids - behavior & Reward Contracts for Child Discipline – This $2.99 app combines positive reinforcement parenting tactics with a method of teaching the fundamentals of financial responsibility that helps kids grow into the well-rounded, well-adjusted adults they were meant to become. Suggested for kids between the ages of three and 15, Rich Kids is an effective tracking and incentive tool.

While these applications are effective tools for disciplinary measures and management, tracking your kids’ behavior through a mobile device without proper coaching and affection can feel quite impersonal, which may exacerbate any behavioral problems borne of a need for attention. It’s best to treat these apps as extensions of your existing parenting plan, rather than relying upon them to provide correction and guidance in your stead. Also, it’s wise to keep in mind that not all established approaches to parenting and childrearing philosophy will work for every child. In most cases, you’ll have to tailor your approach to suit the needs of each individual child under your care.

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