KazuTime
By Dana Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Puppies help kids master tasks, visualize time passing.
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KazuTime
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What’s It About?
To begin, parents or kids select a starting time for the KAZUTIME timer, as well as a color for the sky and a task icon (or upload a task icon of their own). Kids select a dog to "race" Kazu to the finish. Next, a summary of the timer's intent will appear: "Complete your homework in 10 minutes." Tap Start, choose a landscape, and the timer begins. The user will see the dogs racing and the sky changing color as the time progresses until the end, when the dogs reach their destination. If kids complete the task early, they earn stars. There's one landscape available for free and two more for purchase; a simple math problem acts as parent gate. Users can decide if they want notifications and in what form, and kids or parents can share progress via Facebook or Twitter.
Is It Any Good?
This is a terrific app for kids who have difficulty understanding the passage of time or who need low-stress time reminders to complete tasks. KazuTime is a really simple, gentle timer created by educators and therapists to help increase kids' focus and concentration. There's something far more friendly and nonthreatening when these cute dogs and color-changing sky remind kids visually how much time has elapsed than when traditional timers use blinking numbers or alarms when time is running out. KazuTime's option to upload a photo to create your own tasks is another nice feature. Because the stars kids earn don't earn anything concrete within the app itself, parents can choose if they want to implement a reward system or just praise the star-earning power alone. At the time of review, purchasing additional landscapes didn't work, and the links to social media don't seem to fit the child-friendly environment that the rest of the app creates, though it's a share-only window and doesn't take kids to the actual social sites. While it's good advertising for the developer, sharing to social media doesn't seem necessary. Overall, however, the simplicity, customization, and gentle approach make this an appealing time-management app for kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how important learning to manage time can be to the basic of life: school, household chores, homework, cooking, screen time, sleep, and more. How can an app like KazuTime help?
Choose one task that your kid has trouble completing on time or staying focused on during a certain amount of time and utilize this timer for that one problem area first. Encourage your kid to choose the settings at the beginning, and listen to their feedback after the experience.
Explore the topic of time: Look at various watches and clocks (analog and digital) and other novel ways to tell time such as sand timers and sundials. Ask your kid: When does time feel like it's moving slowly for you, and when does it move quickly? Why? What would you like more time to do? What takes up too much of your time?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire
- Skills: Self-Direction : effort, goal-setting, time management, work to achieve goals, working efficiently, Emotional Development : self-awareness, Tech Skills : using and applying technology
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: September 13, 2016
- Category: Education
- Topics: Cats, Dogs, and Mice
- Publisher: Broad Innovation Tek
- Version: 1.0.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 6.0 or later; Android 2.3.3 and up
- Last updated: October 7, 2021
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