See more website reviews

HandiPoints (http://www.handipoints.com)

common sense media says

Chart chores; play in a safe virtual world.

parents & educators say
See all 4 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this site's purpose is to help families create task charts as well as track and reward kids for doing their chores or doing something positive like not using bad language. Parents can join for free with a username, password, first/last name, and email; kid accounts only require a name for their "cool cat" avatar and a password. Kids input their progress and receive two kinds of points: HandiPoints (saved to buy stuff in the real world) and Bonus Points (used in HandiLand, the site's virtual world). The chat feature uses preset phrases so kids are unlikely to be snubbed via chat, but like in any virtual world, kids can be mean by simply ignoring another user. Keys ($1-$20) to unlock HandiLand stuff are for sale from Amazon; some ads will appear on printed charts.

Educational value: Life skills -- and accountability -- are promoted through the chores and tasks.
Positive messages: Promoting healthy habits and being responsible is definitely the goal here, although kids can roll their eyes or show an angry face to other users in HandiLand.
Violence: No violence here, though some Cool Cat costumes offer weapon props (swords, knife claws, nunchucks).
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Preset chat phrases, so no bad stuff gets through.
Consumerism: Keys ($1-$20 in real cash) to unlock HandiLand stuff are for sale on the site and link to Amazon to buy and some ads will appear on printed charts. HandiPoints are earned to buy real stuff (CDs, toys, iPods) through the site; Bonus Points are used to buy virtual stuff (clothes for an avatar, furniture).
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on HandiPoints

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the tasks required to keep their home happy and healthy and which are considered kid chores. Would keeping a weekly chart help your family? Is using the computer as both a tracking system and a reward system a practical way for your family to communicate about chores? Would earning points for an online virtual world increase motivation for completing chores?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
If your family is up for using all its bells and whistles, both you and your kids will really get into logging progress with chores online and earning points at HandiPoints.com. The site provides loads of ideas and is extremely easy to use, which makes wanting to come back really inviting. The level of customization is probably the best feature: The process can be as simple or as detailed as you like. Want to choose from the site's list of chores? Want tasks to be daily, weekly, or just once? No problem. And, parents have the option to grade a completed task if they want kids to only earn a fraction of its worth (this is where quality versus quantity comes into play). HandiPoints.com is also well designed with loads of charming graphics and features kids will love -- from the games to the colorful virtual world. One thing: Using the tools on a daily basis is only practical if all family members are online everyday (you can go back one week if needed). So if you're low on time, you may want to skip the whole tracking, grading, and virtual world thing as the task chart feature is worthy in itself.
This review was written by Dana Cotter
 
 

Review It

 

Review HandiPoints

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

Most useful reviews by all members

laugh
teen, 16 years old
14
 
its not for kids i heard bad wordz
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (16) | had useful details (11) | read my mind (13)
fuzzykittys
kid, 11 years old
7
 
Great website
Great website. I was on it for a while but with the chores…..i can check off chores that i didn't do just to get points. After your on it for about 2 -3 months, it starts to get boring. Other than that…GREAT WEBSITE!! You need to know how to read too.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (8) | had useful details (7) | read my mind (8)
spoilermaker92
educator and parent
8
 
Great website for kids and parents
Great website for tracking chores/behaviors for kids. You can choose from preselected charts or create a custom chart. You can pick from a list of rewards or add your own. Kids can sign on and check off their chores and you can grade them on how well they did the chore. There is also games you can play and an "interactive" land for the kids to play in. My kids like it ok, but not as well as some of the other interactive worlds (such as Webkinz). Fun site though and definitely helps to motivate my kids to do their chores!
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (7) | had useful details (9) | read my mind (7)
Isabella277
parent of 13 year old
5
 
Handipoints is the greastest webiste!!They have the woods and the homes and friends!!!!Vut some people love to get into fights and use bad launguage!!Some of them get married and date and have sex on the bed!!!But they get banned for an hour as their punishment!!;)I love the website!!!
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (5) | had useful details (7) | read my mind (7)

More reviews ...

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
Advice on the big issues
 

vote now

Will you visit HandiPoints?

Absolutely
Maybe
No way

Already visited it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

Browse more websites
About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age
Our child development rating guidelines