Google Calendar – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Google Calendar

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2012

72%

WISE Score

4.5

App Store

The digital planner that keeps your family from double-booking soccer and dentist appointments—functional, not fun.

Google Calendar

app

Everyone, 2012

72%

WISE Score

4.5

App Store

The digital planner that keeps your family from double-booking soccer and dentist appointments—functional, not fun.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Google Calendar is the digital equivalent of a well-organized planner—utterly unsexy but genuinely useful. It's not going to spark joy or creativity, but it will prevent your family from showing up to soccer practice on the wrong day.

Parents consistently praise it for teaching kids responsibility and helping families coordinate schedules without constant nagging. It's particularly valuable once kids hit middle school and start managing their own commitments.

The app is safe, straightforward, and free of the manipulative design patterns that plague so many apps. No ads, no infinite scroll, no gamification trying to keep you hooked. It's just a calendar.

The WISE score reflects its strong utility and safety, but also acknowledges it's about as imaginative as a spreadsheet. If you're looking for a tool to help your family get organized and teach time management skills, this is solid. If you're looking for something engaging or entertaining, look literally anywhere else.

Age Fit

Best for ages 8 and up when kids start having their own schedules to manage (sports, homework, playdates). Younger kids can benefit if parents use it to coordinate family activities, but they won't interact with it directly. Teens and adults will find it essential for juggling complex schedules.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Google Calendar is a straightforward productivity tool that promotes organization, time management, and family coordination. It models responsible planning and helps users balance commitments. The app itself contains no content that could be emotionally harmful, and parent reviews highlight its usefulness for teaching kids to manage deadlines and schedules. It's neutral, functional, and encourages healthy habits around time management.

Imaginative

This is a utility app designed for scheduling and organization—not for creative expression or exploration. While it allows some personalization (color-coding, light/dark mode), it doesn't invite building, storytelling, or imaginative play. It's a tool, not a canvas. The only creative element is how families might use it to coordinate activities, but that's a stretch.

Safe

According to Bark and parent reviews, Google Calendar has no inappropriate content and is generally safe for kids. It has a kids mode available and doesn't feature ads, predatory monetization, or social features that could expose children to strangers. The main safety consideration is that it's tied to a Google account, which means parents need to manage access and privacy settings appropriately. No gambling mechanics, no infinite scroll loops, no manipulative design patterns—it's a straightforward calendar.

Enriching

Google Calendar teaches valuable life skills: time management, planning, responsibility, and organization. Common Sense Education reviews note it's great for helping students track deadlines and assignments. For families, it builds coordination and communication habits. These are genuinely useful skills that transfer to academic and adult life. However, it's not particularly entertaining or engaging—it's a tool that enriches through utility, not through content or narrative.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Teaches kids actual life skills: time management, planning ahead, and meeting deadlines
Shared family calendars mean everyone knows who needs to be where and when—no more 'I didn't know!' excuses
Syncs across devices so the calendar on your phone matches what's on the kitchen tablet
Auto-imports events from Gmail (flights, reservations) which is genuinely helpful for busy families
No ads, no manipulative design, no social features—just a straightforward tool

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What to Watch For

Requires a Google account, so you'll need to set up supervised access for younger kids
Zero entertainment value—this is broccoli, not candy, so don't expect kids to be excited about it
Privacy considerations: Google collects data, though it's enterprise-grade security if that matters to you

Conversation Starters

"What activities or commitments do you want to make sure we don't forget about?"
"How does it feel to see your whole week laid out? Does it help you feel more prepared or more stressed?"
"What color should we make your soccer practices? Let's color-code this thing so it's easier to read at a glance."

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