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The BoomeranGO! App Review: Turning Chores into Adventures
Time to BoomeranGO-Go-Go! I reviewed the app for kids where chores turn into epic quests.
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As adults, we know how difficult it is to build healthy habits in our lives, and if you have children, it can be even harder as you’re trying to manage your own health while also worrying about theirs. But what if there was an app that could engage children and teach them about healthy habit formation for a balanced and happier life? Cue: BoomeranGO.
In this review, I examined the different aspects of the BoomeranGO! app to help you decide whether it is the right choice for your family.
What Is the BoomerangGO! app?
- Supports children in building lifelong habits
- Teaches children about their health
- Gamified experience to promote better engagement in children
- Developed with behavioral psychologists and pediatric nutritionists
The BoomeranGO! app is a specialist-approved mobile gaming app that teaches children about the importance of balanced eating, regular physical activity, and healthy sleeping patterns.
The app offers a gamified experience, meaning that the avatar in the game is rewarded when the user makes good choices, i.e., eating healthier foods will give the avatar more energy.
Who Is the BoomeranGO! App Made for?
BoomeranGO! is designed to be used by children in the K-5 age range (kindergarten to 5th grade).
Research has shown that positive reinforcement and reward systems, such as those found in the BoomeranGO! app, are particularly beneficial in teaching children about healthy lifestyle changes.
The app is considered safe for children and has been designed with the help of pediatric psychologists and nutritionists to ensure that all content is suitable for this age range.
How Does the BoomeranGO! App Work?
The design of the app encourages a connection between the game and the child’s life. When they can see how healthy habits affect their avatar, they are more likely to continue them, improving the health of their avatar in the game as well as themselves outside of the game.
Gamification has been found to have a great effect on children’s ability to make better choices, encouraging them to make changes in their own lives for the sake of their game progress.
Key Features of BoomeranGO!
The BoomeranGO! app has been designed to engage and educate children. It has a few key features that make it an exceptional app for you to use with your child. We have explored these features below.
#1 Helps to build healthy habits in a fun way
Although the app is specifically designed to encourage habit formation, it is not intrusive in its methods. Instead, it uses a game to encourage your child to see the connections between how eating well, staying hydrated, and sleeping well can help their avatar.
It uses behavioral psychology to help them understand healthy habits by showing them how those habits will benefit their progress in the game.
#2 Supports gentle parenting method
Rather than demanding they change their behavior, the reward system used in the app motivates kids to do better by seeing how they are rewarded when they do so.
This positive reinforcement supports gentle parenting methods and works hand-in-hand with parents who want to guide their children to better behaviors without pushing them into it.
#3 Encourages physical activity
BoomeranGO! promotes more physical activity each day by giving out big rewards for movement. This reinforces the idea that exercise is a good thing to do each day. Physical activity could include morning walks, dance classes, or even playing in the garden.
It is recommended that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day to encourage growth, development, and bone strength.
What are the Benefits of BoomeranGO!?
BoomeranGO! is an excellent choice for encouraging healthier, happier children. It has many pros, which we have closely examined below to help you get to know this app a little better.
#1 Developed with leading behavioral psychologists and pediatric nutritionists
When it comes to our children’s health, we want to know we are giving them the best advice and guidance, which is why BoomeranGO! is such a good choice. Developed with leading behavioral psychologists and pediatric nutritionists, the app is designed by experts in children’s health.
You can rest assured that all the content on the app is suitable for and directly aimed at children in the K-5 age range. It is also a content-controlled environment, meaning that none of the information found in the app is unsuitable or harmful to children.
#2 No ads or in-app purchases
Pop-up ads are incredibly annoying on mobile phone apps, so you will be glad to know that BoomeranGO! does not contain any. Children may be distracted by or not know what to do about ads, which is why the creators have totally excluded them from the app.
In addition, there are no in-app purchases, so you won’t suddenly get a bill for lots of add-ons that your child has accidentally purchased. The creators of BoomeranGO! have made the app as child-friendly as possible by not including any in-app purchases.
#3 Educates kids about nutrition and healthy lifestyle
Exposing children to a healthier diet earlier in life helps them to maintain a balanced diet as they grow older.
Eating a healthy and balanced diet is incredibly important for children in the K-5 age range because it is a time of rapid growth and development. A balanced diet supports healthy development and reduces the risk of chronic ailments later in life.
What are the Downsided of BoomeranGO!
While BoomeranGO! has some impressive features and a number of advantages for your children’s health, there are some drawbacks to the app. We’ve taken a look at them below to give you a balanced overview of the product before you buy it.
#1 No free trial
The BoomeranGO! app doesn’t have a free trial. This means you cannot test out the app before you use it to see if you like it. Many other apps of this style do offer a free trial which helps potential buyers understand the way the app works and get a feel for whether it would be useful to them.
The BoomeranGO! app would benefit from offering a free trial.
#2 Might distract kids
The other drawback of the BoomeranGO! app is that it is a mobile phone-based game. This means more screen time and more distractions for children. While the app encourages limited use before bedtime, kids may spend more time on their phones playing the game than playing outside, doing homework, etc.
This drawback could be remedied by limiting time on the game and ensuring that children don’t choose to play the game over engaging in physical activity, completing homework, or trying out extra-curricular activities.
BoomeranGO! Cost
Your family may be wondering about the cost of BoomeranGO. Let me ease your budget-conscious mind: BoomeranGO! is accessible to families from all walks of life.
In an era where subscriptions and app fees can add up quickly, BoomeranGO stands out. Even families with multiple children should be able to maintain good habits without breaking the bank. Due to its affordable pricing structure, BoomeranGO is an ideal choice for parents who want to instill responsibility, cleanliness, and routine in their children.
At the moment of writing this review, the pricing is as follows:
- Monthly plan (you will be billed every month) costs $14.89
- Annual plan (you will be billed annually) costs $7.49 per month
FAQs
You can get it directly from their website or download it from the Play Store or App Store.
BoomeranGO! is a mobile phone app. It also comes with additional accessories to enhance the gaming experience, including the BoomeranGO! plate, the boomerang toy, and a branded water bottle.
Yes, BoomeranGO! strives to engage and educate children, giving them the tools they need to lead healthy lives and rewarding them when they make better choices.
BoomeranGO! uses research-backed behavioral psychology and proven methods to promote health in children. For this reason, BoomeranGO! is worth buying if you want to teach your children about a balanced and healthy life at a young age.
The Comparison Table
Gamification makes children want to use the app
Reward-based system improves motivation
Supports better food choices, sleep patterns, hydration, and exercise
Encourages routine building
No ads or in-app purchases
Controlled content environment
Limits gameplay to promote quality bedtime routine
Easy to download Reward system encourages healthier choices
Can set up daily habits to encourage lifelong routines
Game-based approach to stopping bad habits keeps children engaged
Positive reinforcement used to motivate children
Encourages children to get involved in cooking
Teaches children about healthy and balanced diets
Toy prizes incur additional charges
Cannot delete habits once you have added them in the app
App can be confusing to use
App is glitchy
Not health-focused
Children are encouraged to “fight” bad habits, which could promote violence
Difficulty tracking own recipes
Lack of diversity in characters used
Tracking exercise requires app integration
How I Tested the BoomeranGO! app
When I review health products, I aim to give a thorough and well-rounded overview of the product so that the readers get the full picture before making a purchase.
I assess each product in 4 categories: quality, effectiveness, price, and reputation. Below, I have summarized how I’ve rated BoomeranGO! in these categories and why.
Quality 9/10
Quality is incredibly important when it comes to health apps, and I have rated BoomeranGO! highly in this category. I believe this is an app of high quality that offers comprehensive educational content and a well-thought-out structure that works for the target audience.
The creators of the app have spent time with pediatric experts to ensure all content is suitable for children in the K-5 age range and have used research and scientific evidence to inform the app.
Effectiveness 9/10
The methods used in the BoomeranGO! app to encourage habit formation, long-term change, and routine, namely gamification, positive reinforcement, and reward-based systems, have all been well-researched and found effective.
In addition, the research shows that these methods are particularly useful in younger children and can help them maintain these habits and healthier choices later in life. For this reason, I have scored the BoomeranGO! app very highly in the category.
Price 8/10
I have rated BoomeranGO! highly in the price category, as I think it is good value for money. Good health should not cost the earth, so if a product costs a lot, it needs to be worth it. BoomeranGO! also includes lots of additional features that are reasonably priced, including the BoomeranGO! plate, the branded water bottle, and the toy.
Brand reputation 9/10
The manufacturers of BoomeranGO! are well-established in the digital health industry. With a number of successful apps already on the market and a large audience, particularly in the US, this is an app that can be trusted.
While the reputation of the brand isn’t the be-all and end-all, it improves how customers see the product and influences their buying choices. I have given BoomeranGO! a high score in this category too.
A Word From an RD
Habit formation is hard for both adults and children, but it is incredibly important to our health.
If we can start forming these healthier habits earlier in our children, they are more likely to grow into healthier, happier adults with fewer illnesses and ailments later in life. In addition, how we nourish our bodies in our early years can have a huge impact on the choices that we make later in life.
Positive reinforcement has been shown to be a useful parenting style when it comes to encouraging healthy eating. These styles also motivate children to continue making better choices by associating them with rewards.
On the whole, gentle parenting, reward-based systems, and early intervention are the best ways to ensure our children maintain healthy habits throughout their lives.
Conclusion
BoomeranGO! is an excellent app for children in the K-5 age range. It encourages better choices, more physical activity, better eating habits, and healthy routines, supporting children to become their healthiest, happiest selves.