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Show HN: Oh Yah – Routine management app I built for my sons

Hi HN! I built Oh Yah! to help my sons (age 7 and 10) stick to daily routines without constant reminders. The core idea: minimal distractions during tasks by locking navigation when a timer is running, plus optional photo-based task completion for accountability

Built with React Native/Expo and Firebase. The trickiest part was designing the UX to be simple enough for kids with minimal distractions while giving parents enough control – ended up with a task-definition system that lets parents create weekly schedules with daily toggles instead of duplicating tasks across days

It's on the App Store now after a few months of dogfooding with my family. There's a 1-month free trial, then it's subscription-based. Would love feedback from other parents dealing with similar challenges

Slightly off-topic, but as this will require kids to have access to an unlocked phone...

I remember Windows Phone had the feature of "unlocked apps", which you could run without having to unlock the phone: think calculator, browser, games. It was called Kids Corner[1].

Have any other OS (iOS/Androind) copied anything similar to that? This app will (or at least in my case) live in a place like that, where they do not have access to the whole platform.

[1] https://www.windowscentral.com/kids-corner-windows-phone-8

3 days agoby TheSilva

The app itself is a great idea, but looking through the demo video I see lots of bad "tiger parent" memes. I don't think that I would want to force a child to do these sorts of tasks in a regimen, or be forced as a child to perform them.

The demo video (which does showcase the app well), includes things like chess and piano and homework. Does the child like doing any of these? Have you vetted the homework as worth the child's time?

Missing from the list are things that translate to adulthood, like physically training every day and performing useful tasks like chores in exchange for something like money. You have to exercise as an adult even if you don't want to, it's part of the human condition. If you don't become accustomed to conditioning as an adolescent and only exercise through sports, it can be difficult to stay fit as an adult. You have to perform useful work because we live in a world of scarcity, but doing hobbies that don't interest you because they impress people or your parents told you to do them as a child is absolutely nuts.

I should add: I'm not criticizing your parenting decisions, obviously I have none of the relevant context, but I thought I would convey a sentiment that may exist in your market demographic, which you maybe don't share.

3 days agoby alphazard

Give the kids a break... let them be free to play. They are only 7 and 10, why do they need daily routines, task completion, accountability, timers? Sheesh.

3 days agoby samteeeee

Not to criticize the idea, but do we really need to give our kids yet _more_ screen time, especially young ones? Pedagogically, what is the message for them here? You need a phone for everything?

3 days agoby ale42

There is a thing called „routine cards“ for children which is how we handle morning/evening routines. They are colourful cards that you can velcro on in any order. Similar things are available for weekly routines

3 days agoby leipert

I think this concept could be adapted to a wider audience. Personally I struggle with routine. Body Doubling (doing something with another human holding you accountable) helps me a ton.

I would definitely use this if instead of the parents as the reviewer it was possible to have a friend/multiple friends approve, rate and comment on tasks and vice versa. Like a sort of social media for mundane routines.

3 days agoby Dxtros

I’m trying some sort of a routine and patterns of habits with my kids, and so far are full of misses. I made a checklist based weekly routine on a spreadsheet with task such as racking the dishwasher, and pushing the right buttons on it, the same goes for clothes — learn to separate clothes based on color, and other characteristics etc.

This a simple printed paper stuck near the kitchen for them to just run their fingers on the checklist to see if they have to do for the day of the week. There is no specific time or a deadline but I’m training them to look at in the morning, after school, and before bed. For instance, the before bed routine makes sure we run the dishwasher while we sleep to have fresh washed dishes the next morning.

Besides the usual rewards of extra game-time, chocolates, etc. we have also introduced a “Daughter of the Month” with special privileges.

3 days agoby Brajeshwar

    You should try Oh Yah! if:
    - Your child struggles with daily routines and needs constant reminders
    - Mornings and after-school time are stressful battles
    - You've tried reward charts and systems that didn't stick
    - Your child needs clear structure but gets overwhelmed easily
    - You want to build independence without constant nagging
    - You need a solution that works for the whole family

This sounds like a household with a lot of ADHD. :)

3 days agoby TimTheTinker

Wow this is perfect. As a parent who is looking to avoid real interactions with my kid while also getting them started on the smart phone serotonin addiction this is perfect. With this I won't have to actually talk to little margaret when she isn't doing enough calculus.

What is your pricing model?

3 days agoby mcdooglator

I wrote up a screen plan for my kids. They get an hour of screentime a day (2 hrs on weekends). They have to write on the whiteboard the time they start, and I have a camera watching the whiteboard (with sound off) if I need to verify they put their devices back afterwards (I've never had to audit them yet).

It has worked wonders. It is not perfect but my two 8 and 10 year old daughters have used it. My 12 year old son, battles me in every way, but I feel like it is a small war instead of WWIII now.

They get a bonus of screen time before school if they get all their chores done. The whiteboard has all those chores. I hate them having screen time before school, but I like that I no longer am fighting with them to get their socks on.

This is a drastic improvement from a few months back.

3 days agoby xrd

Preparing them for the future when all of their work will be laid out this way to maximize productivity

3 days agoby aae42

Downvote me but: kids shouldn't have phones. No disrespect to the author and congratulations on the launch and all. I just find the entire concept completely dystopian. Like, play, enjoy your life kids! There's plenty of time for entirely unnecessary "tasks"/"work" later in life.

3 days agoby W0lfEagle

My partner has severe ADHD since early childhood and while watching parts of the video I said to myself: That would probably help her a lot. She has big problems priorizing tasks that may depend on each other

3 days agoby entropie

So many parental opinions on here. Not every kid is the same. Trying to apply blanket parental strategies speaks of ignorance. I have neurodivergent kids and this could be great for them.

3 days agoby explorigin

Congrats on the launch! I would have loved this kind of structure as a kid.

1 day agoby RiverStone

Suggestion for the site: it references “no navigation” a few times, but I am having a hard time understanding what that means. What kind of navigation is meant here? What are the boundaries of the navigation limits?

Various definitions of “navigation” I can think of: - no switching tasks in the app - some sort of phone-wide parental control - maps is disabled ;-)

3 days agoby shizcakes

Frederick Taylor approves!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Winslow_Taylor

3 days agoby havaloc

Shows a complete lack of understanding of how childrens' skills are developed.

Intelligence is built from various sequences.

1. Path integrations. The ability to test without supervision and coaching movements beyond the scope of eyesight, aided by landmarks, without the use of breadcrumbs or maps.

2. Short-cuts. The ability to use the above to create short-cuts in the unmapped and unsupervised, unaided paths.

3. Vicarious trial-and-error. The ability to learn both from mistakes and idiosyncratic choices that develop unique solutions.

And there are MANY others like this in the motor and cognitive mapping system built from sharp wave ripples.

This software is the equivalent of brainwashing experience into mechanical reproducibility. It's the latests tech horror show.

3 days agoby mallowdram

Eesh... This feels like a punch clock for kids...

I mean my kids have a hard time with routine management, but that's not going to make anything better unless you gamify the shit out of it.

Show them a counter of how well they're doing and reward them when they're done with some animated crap that's different every time, and maybe they'll use it for more than three days.

3 days agoby d--b

Congrats on the launch! A month of use in your own family is a win in its own right.

What’s been your sons’ reception of the app so far?

3 days agoby ssgodderidge

I'd rather not include additional screen time for my kids. We have a printed sheet of paper on the fridge. If they don't do what they need to then they have a consequence (no TV, no screen, no desert, no playing w friends).

Not everything needs to be fun and games in life.

3 days agoby jonapro

this app kinda fits with the asian parents meme

3 days agoby conceptme

nice, my kids are going to have so many fond memories of their childhood thanks to your app

3 days agoby quantumgarbage

I’m sorry but starting the video immediately with Chinese, piano, homework, and chess is so stereotypical that it gives off borderline racist vibes. To me it looks like a subtle joke about tiger parenting. If you want this to appeal to people outside your community you need to include activities that more diverse people engage with.

3 days agoby asdf0000