SimpleNote can be a great resource for your child. Try some of the suggestions below, and let us know what works in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Organization Activity

Talk to your child about the class he finds to be most difficult, and then help him to transfer important related class notes to SimpleNote. Encourage him to use SimpleNote as a medium for writing down class content (so long as the teacher permits the use of smartphones or laptops in class). Explain that all entries should be tagged for optimum organization. Students often find English class challenging because they encounter a great deal of different content, grammar, story characters, plots, and settings. Using SimpleNote, your child can tag notes by book or chapter, rather than by the broader term, "English," so he can keep notes specific, concise, and organized.

Planning Activity

For your child's next reading assignment, make sure SimpleNote is on hand to help him capture important ideas and segments from the book. Make sure to go over key points to look out for, such as new characters, themes, plot shifts and changes in setting. Explain that when it comes time to write-up the book report, notes like these will not only make the process much easier, but also lead to a better, more thorough overall report.

Self-Awareness Activity

Stress the importance of having a "study buddy." With this learning partner, your child can share notes via e-mail. When working with a partner, make sure your child understands that partnerships require an even distribution of work. Both your child and his "study buddy" should take good notes during class. Once they share, your child may find an important piece of information that he left out of his notes. Ultimately, sharing notes allows your child to see how his peers learn, which will in turn, encourage him to keep pace academically with peers, while learning to work together with others in a productive manner.

Writing Activity

Taking notes in class is only one way in which your child can use SimpleNote to practice writing. Because the app can be accessed on a mobile device, ask your child to attempt to write creatively or keep a journal during down time throughout the day. During a long car ride, a visit to the museum, and even at lunch, your child can express his thoughts through the written word. Try giving him a specific topic to write about throughout the week, having him compose short entries relating to the topic. Doing so gives him a clear way to exercise the ability to write about and explore a single idea in-depth.

SimpleNote & ADHD

Many children with ADHD have a difficult time taking good notes. As a result, they often struggle to score well on tests and quizzes. Taking quality notes requires a willingness to attend to information and an understanding of one'e academic strengths and weaknesses. SimpleNote offers a more versatile, portable and engaging way for users to take notes and collaborate with others when compared to traditional pen-to-paper notes.

How to Use SimpleNote for Kids with ADHD:

• SimpleNote's tagging feature allows your child to organize his collection of notes by keyword. When your child tags his notes, content with identical tags will appear in the same note. SimpleNote's self-organized tags can give your child a systematic method of ordering his notes.

• Using the "I" button, your child can rank his notes by order of importance. This can help your child with ADHD from losing untagged notes in SimpleNote's vast archive. Your child should make use of this feature, especially with his most recent class notes.

• A child with ADHD may tend to overestimate how well he retained and documented information taught in class. Encourage your child to share notes with one or more classmates to fill in missing gaps of information, while being able to get a sense of how his notes compare to his peers. With SimpleNote sharing feature (via e-mail, or web-based publishing,) your child no longer has to speculate about the quality of his notes.

• With SimpleNote's "clock" button, your child can access earlier versions of his notes. He can learn about his note taking process, as the app documents every saved change in content. Especially when comparing notes with peers in the same class, your child can see the time at which each note was taken, marking instances where he is missing information. Your child will soon have a much keener understanding how he learns, and can apply either more brevity or length to his future notes.

ESPN SportsCenter is just one example of a great sports news app. Below are a few similar resources; let us know what you think in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Springpad

Springpad is a mobile app where users can create personalized notebooks for shopping lists, gift ideas, movies to see, and favorite recipes.

Evernote

Evernote is an easy-to-use organizational app available for note taking and archiving, allowing users to sort content into notebooks, and then further organize their notes with tags. Find our Apps+ guide to Evernote here.

Wunderlist

A note taking app with an aesthetic-centered design. Users can sync content with any device, as Wunderlist uses the Cloud. Find out more here.

Google Tasks

Google Tasks is an add-on, web based, task manager where users can check off projects upon completion. Find out more here.