Allrecipes Dinner Spinner

Available at: Amazon Apps, Apple Appstore, Google Play

It’s dinnertime, and all you can think of to serve is things you always make. How about trying Allrecipes Dinner Spinner, the world’s largest and most popular social app for food? You can find user-generated and reviewed recipes from 30 million other home cooks like yourself. You can search by keyword, key ingredients that you want to include or exclude, special dietary needs, and cooking time. You can also see which ingredients are on sale in local stores, and watch more than 1,000 step-by-step cooking videos with easy-to-follow instructions. 

Best of Parenting

Available at: Apple Appstore, Google Play

Even the most experienced of parents find themselves in situations where they can’t decide on the best course of action. When that happens, try this app. Created by Carole and Nadim Saad, well-known parenting coaches with three kids, this app offers straightforward, step-by-step advice on how to address more than 100 common parenting challenges. Their advice is based on the latest scientific research on the most effective parenting methods worldwide. You can also access how-to guides to develop your strengths as a parent, and read about how to raise happy and confident kids.

Cozi Family Organizer

Available at: Amazon Appstore, Apple Appstore, Google Play

This organizing app has a shared calendar where you can track everyone’s schedules both individually and as a group, and a shared shopping list where you can see when items are added to the list or purchased by other family members in real-time. You can also use the app to send automated daily or weekly agenda emails to other family members, create specialized to-do lists, such as emergency supplies or vacation packaging, and organize receipts in one place that’s accessible to everybody.

Scholly

Available at: Amazon App, Apple Appstore, Google Play

The time may be around the corner or far off into the future but when it does arrive, we’re all going to need it: money for college. Wouldn’t it be nice if at least some of that money is scholarships that you won’t have to pay back? Developed by Christopher Gray, a former Drexel University student who amassed $1.3 million in scholarship funds, Scholly is a database with more than 20,000 scholarship opportunities across the U.S that is continuously expanded and updated. You can look at each scholarship to learn more about eligibility requirements, the application process, important deadlines, and the amount of money offered.

Trekaroo Family Travel

Available at: Apple Appstore

Known informally as the TripAdvisor for kid-friendly travel, this app includes user-generated reviews of activities, hotels, and restaurants that kids will enjoy throughout the U.S. and Canada. The app includes a price slider that makes it easy to find things to do that are either low-cost or free, and offers suggestions for kid-friendly day trips.

Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences & Disorders at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College.