Do you count? TapTrak thinks you do. This new micro journal app was developed to simplify how people keep track of the menagerie of numbers and to-do lists that can quickly burden the 21st century mom and dad. With all the recommended time limits and guidelines handed out by pediatricians and experts on screen time,homework, exercise and diet, there is a lot of information a busy parent must keep track of.
As a mom of three young children, here are a few of the questions I find myself asking on a daily basis.
How long did the kids spend at the playground?
How much television did the kids watch?
How long did they spend on homework?
Have they been playing that computer game too long?
I'm sure you have asked yourself a few of these questions too. Let's face it; many of us are a bit stressed out most of the time and any tool that can help us raise healthy, active, playful kids is one to be appreciated. I have found TapTrak to be one of those products. With a tap, tap, parents can use the timer or stopwatch feature on the app to log outdoor playtime or how long the kids having been practicing the piano. Then this information can be quickly and easily shared on Facebook and Twitter. Did your son or daughter buckle down and swim more laps than ever before or shoot hoops in the driveway far beyond twilight? That sort of diligence is something to be proud of, something that can help inspire other families to return to some of those basic, all-American past times.
Most parents want this sort of simplicity and ease in their children's lives, but fear that their kids will fall woefully behind and be unprepared for the future if their schedule isn't full of lessons, sports and heaps of extracurricular activities. I think it's time to re-evaluate some of that over-scheduling. TapTrak is all about simplicity. It isn't one of those fancy, flashy apps that will make you swoon when you open it. No, this is about function, about getting things done. TapTrak helps parents figure out what areas they are doing great in with their families and where they may need improvement. It quickly cuts to the core statistics of life. Parents don't have to guess or worry about if their kids are well-balanced. The counting does the talking. TapTrak can help parents avoid feeling overwhelmed, put the brakes on complicated schedules and begin to really track how much time our families are doing things like walking the dog, washing the car, mowing the grass or eating dinner together. The truth is, our kids need support to become self-reliant individuals raised with plenty of free play time.
At Let Children Play we believe that through play, children have the opportunity to discover greatness. Whether it's playing tea party or ninja, figuring out how to fold the laundry or helping to set the table, all of these moments lead our children down a road towards greatness. It's always the simplest moments that have the most impact. So while French lessons may sound appealing, count on the simple things to bring the most joy to a child's life. TapTrak is for inspired moms and dads who are looking to advocate for a back to basics approach to parenting, in which kids are taught to work hard and play hard because, quite simply, that's what counts.