Did you know that Apple’s App Store contains more than 2.2 million apps and Android users can now access more than 2.8 million apps? The information, tools, and resources we have at our fingertips are mind-boggling. And, with so many fantastic apps to choose from, it can be hard to sift through them all to find the ones that your child may actually find useful or intriguing.

To make it easy, I’ve narrowed my list of favorites down to nine cool apps that, based on my own experience with my kids, I feel many teens may find helpful. While some apps in today’s post are great for giving your child a leg up on their homework or helping them find a scholarship, others are great for organizing their school work, keeping them safe on campus or just plain having fun.

So, as opposed to having your teen shoot off random text messages to friends for hours or playing mindless video games, why not turn their Smartphone into a verifiable tool where they can access information that makes their life easier, safer or more fun? If your kids are anything like mine, they’ll be pretty impressed when you give them a heads up on a cool app they didn’t know existed.

Mathway

Mathway is a really cool app that provides kids with the tools they need to understand and solve their math problems. Your child can choose the math subject they’re having difficulty with (basic math, pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, etc.), input the math problem and Mathway will figure out the problem and walk them through the steps. Available for iOS. Free

Evernote

Evernote is a great tool for students and is perhaps the most popular productivity app around, and for good reason. The app makes it easy to organize all coursework and assignments so the user can quickly find what they’re looking for. You can save projects, documents, notes, lists, web pages, photos and audio and the app also allows you to scan handwritten pages, record lectures, and manage to-do lists with reminders. Available for Android and iOS. Free

DriveSafe.ly Pro

As much as we’d like to believe our teens aren’t texting and driving, chances are they probably are. Help your teen avoid an accident due to texting by using the DriveSafe.ly Pro app. Unlike other apps that completely block call and text messages, this app reads text messages and emails out loud in real-time and allows your child to reply to text messages and emails without ever taking their eyes off the road or their hands off the wheel. The app can also connect to Bluetooth systems. Available for iOS and Android. Free

Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors offers 66 mobile apps for students in a wide variety of subjects including AP Art History, Advanced Geometry, AP Biology, AP English Literature and AP Physics, to name a few. The apps offer practice tests, quizzes, flashcards and diagnostic tests in a variety of academic and standardized test subjects. These apps are a great resource for teens that need to prepare for an upcoming exam or AP placement test. Download on the App Store or Google Play. Free

Magisto

Teens who like to create videos will love Magisto. Touted as the perfect app to turn everyday videos and photos into inspired stories, Magisto makes it fast and easy to share them everywhere. This powerful video editing app allows users to add music, stitch together footage, create video slideshows and easily add effects. Download on the App Store or Google Play. $2.49 per month.

Circle of 6

The Circle of 6 app was originally designed for college students to promote personal safety while on and off campus, but this app has become popular across the board with families, parents, friends or virtually anyone looking to foster security. The app allows you to send your circle of six friends an instant call for help with the touch of a button. The GPS tracker marks your location on friends’ devices, ensuring friends will always be able to find you in an emergency. Available on the App Store and Google Play. Free

Khan Academy

The Khan Academy app is a perfect tool for students. The app allows users to learn pretty much anything – for free. With over 10,000 videos and explanations in math, science, economics, history and much more, the app gives users the leg up to sharpen skills with more than 40,000 interactive Common Core-aligned practice questions complete with instant feedback and step-by-step hints. Available for iOS. Free

WolframAlpha

WolframAlpha is a Google search engine on steroids. A computational knowledge engine, WolframAlpha is an online service that answers factual queries by computing the answers from externally sourced data rather than providing a general list of documents or web pages that might contain the answer as a search engine might. The app offers detailed information about a wide variety of subjects including Units & Measures, Money & Finance, Places & Geography and People & History, to name a few. The app is a great resource for students who want quick access and detailed information about a wide variety of subjects. Available for iOS and Android. Free.

Scholly

If your teen is looking for scholarships to help offset the cost of college, Scholly may be the answer they’ve been looking for. Scholly is a robust scholarship finding platform. It was created by Christopher Gay, a 21-year-old college junior who was awarded $1.3 million in college scholarships. Understanding how difficult it is to find scholarships, Chris is now dedicated to helping other students pay for college. Available for iOS, Android, and the web. $0.999 Cool Apps for Teens