For some of us, we are coming up on week 6 of quarantine. While none of us could have imagined a circumstance quite like this one, the tech-savvy members of our world are consistently providing us with engaging content and we are immensely grateful! No matter who you’ve found yourself on lockdown with, at this point, we’re all looking for ways to not only distract ourselves from the influx of news updates, but also, for ways to relax and unwind a least a little bit!
Now, as far as FYP is concerned, apps are hits or misses with little to no grey area in between the winners and losers. When we download an app, we waste no time in activating it and giving it a test run. Being the decisive people we are, within about 5 minutes into a newly downloaded app, most of us know if we’re going to keep playing or delete it - it’s ok to be picky! If anyone understands the need to personalize your phone with the things you love, it’s us, customization experts, For Your Party. So, what to download in these stir-crazy times?
Rachel, our Director of PR and Media, boldy downloaded and tested the following 10 apps so you didn’t have to! Not only are the following all FREE to download, but Rachel also scanned for the value of their content, explored and/or played them (for research!!!), and now is confident to present you the official list of apps to download during this quarantine we’re enduring.
(Important note - these are not ranked in any sort of favorite to least favorite positions!)
1) The App: BrainPOP
For Who: Young Kids, Teens, Adults
The Why: Adults who grew up in the late 80’s and 90’s, does this robot and human companion leave you with a case of deja vu? That’s because this duo has been entertaining us with science videos and the like for decades now! Highly recommended for parents looking to grab a moment to themselves OR engage WITH their children in these actually fun, truly educational sets of videos, quizzes, and games on everything from “Matter and Chemistry” to “Musical Genres”.
2) The App: Coursera
For Who: Teens, Young Adults, Adults
The Why: Are you looking to come out of this time out of office with a new skill or a renewed sense of self? This is for the lovers of learning and expanding their skill sets (not to mention, resumes)! Immediately presented with choices like “Advance my Career”, “Start a New Career” or even “I Love to Learn New Things”, Coursera offers a huge variety of interests for you to expand on. Prepare to be ahead of the curve once we flatten it - courses are available and start all the time!
3) The App: Hopscotch
For Who: Kids, Teens, Parents, Teachers
The Why: OK, here’s the deal. Young students today are getting schooled in topics that we, as adults, can even find a little daunting to tackle. This app will not only allow your out of office kid to learn the basics of CODING (wow!) with super-friendly video tutorials, but also provide them the confidence to build their own universe. Become the ultimate parent/teacher by providing your child prodigy with a highly sought after skill set with an app ready to make ANYBODY the master of this interactive technology.
4) The App: Shine: Calm Anxiety & Stress
For Who: Kids, Teens, Adults, ALL
The Why: Luckily, this uneasy era has ushered in a litany of calming and meditation apps, proving to everyone the growing importance of taking care of not only your physical but mental health as well. So why Shine? This is a guided check-in on you during this confusing time for all, measuring personal goals you’d like to address and showing you actual data to show you just how un-alone you really are. Just 5 minutes a day of this app’s meditating, journaling prompts, community engagements, will start you on your journey to true self-care. Prepare for a daily *ding*! That means it’s time to check in on yourself, an appointment we all cancel far too often.
5) The App: Youper
For Who: Teens, Adults
The Why: More often than not, it helps tremendously to vent to someone when you’re anxious, feeling lonely, or any of the lovely emotions that seem to be accompanying this point in time. Welcome to your own AI Chat-Bot, who learns your goals (becoming more optimistic, being more confident, turning into Wonder Woman, etc.), and with daily check-ins and conversations to exercise your brain, guides you towards healthy practices to achieve those personal projects. Therapy, minus the commute, the couch, the therapist, the bills, or even the need for speaking! Find your own calm with this app. Be your own best friend and self-advocate!
6) The App: RoundUp
For Who: Teens, Young Adults, Adults
The Why: Now more than ever, we are looking for ways we can help on an individual level. Be it a cause or a personal affair, there are oh so many different ways in which you can utilize RoundUp. This program allows you to engage with hundreds of nonprofits, acting as one of the top fundraising tools that does the heavy lifting for you. With automation, this immediately gathers users’ credit/debit transactions and donates the change of their purchase to your chosen organization. An easy and SUPER painless way for all of us to give back to people who are looking to us during this crazy time!
7) The App: Elevate
For Who: Kids, Teens, Young Adults, Adults, ALL
The Why: Gym trainer? Try a brain trainer! My out of office brain can get a little rusty, so my personalized brain trainer keeps my noggin in tip top shape. They’ve got 35+ games built to engage and improve your writing, speaking, reading, and everyday math skills, important to build for an easy transition from couch to desk. The app judges your performances, tracks improvement, and is backed by data from experts in education and scientific analysis. Get ready, because this daily trainer is going to get that brain of yours sweatin’!
8) The App: Telegram
For Who: Teens, Young Adults, Parents, Adults
The Why: Even though we may be missing our loved ones, that doesn’t mean we can’t check up on them! Free, safe and secure for even the teens to use, Telegram is faster than any other application at delivering messages, important for us who stress a bit about our family and friends’ health and wellness a lil’ too much. For those of us who watch “The Office”, the next feature could remind you a bit of Ryan’s almost-venture “WUPHF!”: Telegram is cloud-based, letting you access messages from multiple (all of your) devices. Alerts for chats, calls, texts, slack messages, all found in one location! Never miss a Zoom invite again! Or call! Or text!
9) The App: Balls Race
For Who: Kids, Teens, Young Adults, Adults, ALL
The Why: This racing, agility, colorful app showcases the pure visual and mental distraction we all NEED during lockdown. Seriously, we ALL need to take a break and be kinder to ourselves. Much like Mario Kart without the characters, you’re a ball racing through charge-ups, escaping roadblocks, and using your patience to work your way to the top of the leader boards. Trust me, this one is no easy course. Having said that, Rachel is not great at these games anyways, and you may find it to be a much easier game than she did. Godspeed, future Balls Race player!
10) The App: Relish - Relationship Coach
For Who: Couples of ALL Ages
The Why: All of this quarantining means you’re probably seeing a lot more of your partner than usual - welcome to the new normal for a little while! We’re sure this has presented maybe not “issues”, but definitely opportunities for you and your SO to become more aligned with each other’s wants and needs. Another text-based system, Relish stands as the #1 relationship training app, offering you ways (based on your own partner practices) to build a better, healthier, and more connected unit. Lesson plans? Yep. Interactive quizzes (that are fun)? Yes. Couple-tailored activities to try? Oh yeah! Keep your home safe not only from germs, but also from negative energy.
BONUS: If all else fails, please allow our For Your Party site to entertain you with the customization tool! Get ready to turn every FYP design you’ve ever loved into something that you can personalize and use to #celebratesoon!
