LW4K App Spotlight: Pixelist
Welcome to LearningWorks for Kids App Spotlight for Parents! In this series, we are highlighting some key apps for children and families and defining the key executive functions that can be strengthened through their use. This video will focus on the habit tracking app Pixelist. Click below to watch the video and learn more. The transcript is also provided below for your convenience. A special thanks to our videographer Alexa for her work on this awesome video!
Hello and Welcome to LearningWorks for Kids App Spotlights for Parents! In this series, we will be highlighting some apps that can really help your child’s executive functioning skills. Like what you see? Then be sure to visit us at learningworksforkids.com to read our educational blogs, and game reviews, and learn more about how to create a balanced play diet for your child.
Today we are going to be talking about the habit building, art creating app Pixelist. This app combines the planning and organization skills that go into habit forming with a colorful yet minimalist approach that is simplistic and beautiful at the same time.
When the user opens the app, they add habits they would like to form or stop by clicking on the “Add Habit” button on the left hand side of the screen. The user then tracks whether or not they met their goal that day by tapping the screen to the right hand side of the habit. A small pixel will appear. Now here’s where the art comes in. There are several different themes that the user can choose from which change the color of the backdrop screen and the pixels themselves. And within each pixel there are five different color options. So the user can simply do a binary Yes or No approach to habit tracking, where they click on a square only if they completed their goal for the day. Or they can add more nuance and add colors that indicate levels of completion. For example, if the user wants to add Study Math Flashcards to their habit list, they could simply just tap the pixel if they studied at all. Or they could choose one color to represent going above and beyond, like studying for a full 30 minutes. They could then choose another color to represent a not-so-great day of studying, like maybe they were checking their phone for messages after every third card. And a normal amount of study time could be a third color.
Over the course of a month or months, these pixels fill the screen. And this is when you begin to make some pretty cool art. When you click on the name of the month, you will see a pixelated representation of your habits with all the colors you have chosen. If you click on a specific habit, you will see colors in the form of lines with colors being thicker depending on how often they appear. The user can practice their self-awareness skills simply at a glance because they can see how much they have been sticking with their habits or whether they really need to buckle down and try a little harder. The app also helps with organization skills because it allows for the user to set one or several different goals and track them as they go through the month.
Well, that’s all the time we have for today. If you’d like to watch more videos like this, go ahead and hit the subscribe button. We publish new content every week so you can learn how to set up your child’s play diet. To learn more visit learningworksforkids.com