Whether your family consists of just you and your partner or you have 69 kids (like one mom actually did!), you know that keeping track of everyone’s schedule can be a nightmare. From soccer games to date nights, there’s a lot to remember. That’s why you need one of the best family calendars. Trust us, these handy items will make your life a whole lot easier.
Generally available in either app, paper calendar or wall calendar form, family calendars have sections to note down events for every member of your family. This gives you a visual representation of the events on any given day, week or month, allowing you to best plan your time.
What’s the Best Family Calendar for You – Physical or App?
Although you’ll need to consider factors such as size, number of family members and physical size when choosing a family calendar, the most important decision to make is whether you use an electronic app calendar or a physical calendar.
Apps for family calendars are a new concept, but like everything else in our lives, organization is going digital. Apps are great for families who use computers and smartphones prolifically as they allow you to share events and tasks with all members of your clan. They also allow you to sync across many different devices and ping you with reminders about upcoming events.
However, young families with children who don’t use the internet yet may find that app calendars are not as helpful. And, with an app, there’s nothing you can hold in your hand or place on the wall for a physical reminder of what’s to come.
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Physical calendars, on the other hand, are generally available in both wall calendar or notebook calendar formats. Over the years, these calendars have been refined to allow space for each member of the family. They often include color-coded pens for easier organization, and some even have space for to do lists or grocery lists.
Drawbacks of physical calendars include the fact that they aren’t user friendly. They can’t automatically sync between devices and other calendars, meaning they will require you to physically write in every task or event.
Only you know which type of family calendar will best fit your lifestyle, but we’ve done our research and put together this list of the best family calendars. Below, you’ll find both physical calendars and apps to help you keep your busy life organized.
1. STYLIO Dry Erase Calendar Whiteboard
BEST OVERALL
It takes a lot to have a rating of five out of five after over 3,000 reviews, which means that the STYLIO Dry Erase Calendar Whiteboard is doing more than a little right. If we had to pinpoint what it is Amazon users love about this whiteboard, we’d begin with the fact that the magnetic back makes it easy to mount it on any metal surface, most likely your refrigerator. It’s also clear that the dry erase surface allows you easy noting and adjusting of daily, weekly and monthly plans, which is ideal for a hectic family life. Lastly, the four included markers ensure you’ve got enough ink to last you a while, so on arrival, you’re ready to get organized right away.
Here’s what we really love about this whiteboard family calendar — it’s huge! For big families, or small families with big schedules, you’ll need plenty of space to keep track of everyone’s various goings-on, especially when writing with a dry erase marker.
2. Google Calendar: Time Planner
BEST FAMILY CALENDAR APP
For an easy way to organize your and your family’s life through your smartphone, consider Google Calendar: Time Planner. This well-reviewed, user-friendly calendar app allows you to view and edit the calendar and your schedule, even when you’re out and about. You’ll also find the app can sync across multiple devices and platforms, so if you’re away from your phone, there’s still plenty of ways to stay informed. The calendar is presented on easy-to-read screens and lets you toggle between the calendars of different members of your family.
3. cinch! Magnetic Dry Erase Weekly Calendar for Fridge
RUNNER UP
We love the elegant design of this refrigerator family calendar. The cinch! family calendar makes it easy to create a weekly schedule for every member of your family. While it doesn’t have as much writing space as our best overall option, that might be a good thing if you have a smaller family or refrigerator. Not only is this dry erase calendar easy to stick on your refrigerator, but it also comes with fine tip markers and an eraser so you can start scheduling right away.
4. TimeTree: Shared Calendar
BEST EVENT REMINDERS
The TimeTree app is a calendar interface that was built with families in mind. Within the award-winning app, you can manage different calendars for different family members or different calendars for different parts of your life (work, family, etc.). All the information is displayed in color-coded calendars, and you can toggle between day, week and month views. Furthermore, you can share reminders for events to everyone with the app, and you can also add comments and photos to an individual event, too. As an added benefit, TimeTree syncs with most other calendars you have on your phone, from Google to Outlook.
5. Cozi Family Organizer
BEST TO DO LISTS
The Cozi Family Organizer goes above and beyond being a simple family calendar. It’s also a platform for organizing your entire life. Within the calendar functionality, Cozi allows you to keep track of all members of your family with a color-coded calendar. You can set reminders for yourself or anyone else with the app about certain events. For those without the app, you can send automated daily or weekly emails about the family’s agendas. In addition to the calendar, Cozi also offers a shopping list and to-do list functionality. These lists can be shared with any members of the family and can therefore be used as chore checklists, vacation planning checklists or a running grocery list in case anyone is popping into the store.
6. Any.do: To-Do List & Calendar
BEST VOICE ENTRY
Any.do is less of a family calendar and more of a task list organizer, but it’s used by millions of people to keep both their professional and family lives running seamlessly. Basically, you can create any task using your voice or manual entry. The calendar will then organize the task and sync it across all your chosen platforms, including web, desktop, tablet and phone. Each day, a task list will appear for you, and as you work through the tasks at hand, you can mark the to-do’s complete or simply shake your device to remove the item from your list. If you need to move an item to a different day, simply drag and drop it. To help keep your family members organized, you can assign and share tasks with them, too. Any.do is truly bringing the family calendar into the future.
7. Amy Knapp’s Big Grid Family Organizer Wall Calendar
BEST BUDGET
At under $15, the Amy Knapp’s Big Grid Family Organizer Wall Calendar is an easy and budget-friendly way to get your family’s next 17 months penned down and organized. It’s the ideal communication center to give your mad family a way to communicate, even when things are at their busiest. The oversized grid provides plenty of space to write down intentions, plans and other important information. As an added bonus, the kit includes hundreds of colorful stickers to indicate things like concerts, game days, doctors and vet visits.
8. Orange Circle Studio Do It All Wall Calendar
BEST WALL CALENDAR
The Orange Circle Studio Do It All Wall Calendar is not called the “Do it all Mom” calendar for nothing. This wide-ranging calendar includes 17 month’s worth of planning for school, office and home. It comes with stickers to mark special or significant occasions and sports an extra-large grid for jotting down what’s most important. You’ll also find a magnetic hanger which makes it easy to mount the calendar on your fridge or another metal surface around the house or office.
9. CRANBURY Large Calendar
LARGEST
The CRANBURY Large Calendar is another impressively reviewed option that will have your family organized in no time. This 18-month calendar comes in either blue, floral or seasonal designs and includes perforated pages that easily tear away when the month is complete. The spine includes pre-punched holes which make it easy to hang, while the built-in clear corner protectors prevent the corners from turning up during months of use. Additionally, the thick paper prevents ink from leaking through, and handily, you’ll find all the major US holidays marked.
10. Circleandsquaredecor Family Command Center
BEST SPLURGE
The Circleandsquaredecor Family Command Center isn’t just a place to organize everything going on with your family, it’s a beautiful decor addition to your home, too. This highly-customizable board comes in a range of colors and sizes. It also boasts extras like magnetic markers, pens and an outer framing. You can also choose between different script styles for this grid-style organizer or add personalized sections for each family member.