Summer is back and for the school age, that means a few months of care-free fun. And for today’s teen nothing goes better with these lazy, hazy days than a tablet or smartphone. Below are some suggestions for apps that will keep them entertained (and also a little educated).

Chore Check
All play and no work is just no fun at all. Help teach your children to appreciate the time they have off (and get some of the things done around the house that you need to) with the Chore Check app. This free web-based tool and app allows parents to log in and create a list of things that need to be done and to assign them to their kids. Then once done, they’re checked off. For a little added fun, you can also make some of the chores “stealable” and the first child to complete them gets the bonus money associated with the chore.

Think! Think!
What happens when you make education a game? You get the app, Think! Think! Designed by Japanese mathematicians, these brain challenges are designed to be challenging and fun. With more than 30 games in all, your children will never get bored. And they won’t spend all day on it either as the app will remind them once the daily time limit is met.

Story booth
Everyone has a story to tell – especially kids. This site is looking for all sorts of stories from moments that will make you laugh to moments that will make you cry. Children are encouraged to share their story in their own voice and submit. The best ones will be chosen to be animated and then appear on the website. Voice recordings can be shared either with a microphone and computer or smartphone and associated app. Definitely something to look into when showers put a damper on a day of outdoor fun.

Mad Libs
It’s like Choose Your Own Adventure meets comedy hour. With Mad Libs, you have a seemingly limitless number of stories to choose from but the best part is you fill in the blanks by answering questions ahead of time. You’ll blindly add in nouns, verbs, adjectives and even photos. Then the app goes to work filling the blanks of its story with the pieces of speech you chose. Not only will this have your kids rolling on the floor with laughter, but they’ll also learn the basic parts of speech along the way. Score!