If you have a shared household, especially with kids, a common calendar for everyone to consult can be so so helpful. For years I used a large dry erase calendar hung near the door as a last check when leaving the house. When we remodeled the space I wanted something different and decided to try out a digital family calendar. In searching for the right solution I looked into a few options before landing on one. After using a digital calendar for 6+ months now we couldn’t be happier with the switch.
As I mentioned above, I considered 3 options for a digital family calendar: DAKboard, Amazon Echo Show, and Skylight. All options sync with other calendar services (we use Google calendar) but have different options.
DAKboard
DAKboard was the first option I seriously considered. There is a free or paid version but either way, you can customize a calendar and display it on a TV or device. My initial thought was to mount a small TV on the wall to display our calendar. I created a free account, synced our google calendar, and played around with it a bit to see if I liked the display. After some playing I found that to get what I really wanted out of it I would need to upgrade to a monthly fee. And I wasn’t willing to do that. In addition, since the screen is a TV it’s not interactive. That means I couldn’t easily switch views to a different month or expand a day with several entries.
Amazon Echo Show
The Echo Show (affiliate link) is a tablet-like device that allows you to stream TV/movies and has widget options to create a custom Home Screen. From an initial look, the Echo Show had way too much going on. I just wanted to be able to see our month at a glance and maybe the weather. I had no intention of watching TV on it. It wasn’t entirely clear how customizable it really was, but I don’t think I would have been able to make the calendar the main focus. And at $250+ I wasn’t willing to take a chance. As all things Amazon, they want you to interact, watch, and shop.
Skylight Calendar
I ended up purchasing the Skylight Calendar and am honestly really happy with it. We have the 10″ screen (they have since released a larger 15″ screen) and its main focus is the calendar, which is clearly what I was after. Ours sits on the kitchen counter for easy access but can be also wall-mounted. Main features include:
- View: You can toggle between a monthly, weekly, daily or schedule view.
- Syncing: If you sync with another calendar (we use Google) anything you add there will automatically pop up on the Skylight.
- Color Coding: You can assign color coding for events/people. For example, each member of our family has a specific color so when an event or appointment is put on the calendar their color goes along with it.
- Dinner Plan: There is a dinner plan where you can drop in dinner details for a day. It’s essentially like adding an event. Now when my kids ask what’s for dinner I tell them to check the calendar.
- Lists: You can create to-do and grocery lists which can sync to a phone app.
- Chore Chart: You can also set up chores. My kids can see what chores they have each day and can check them off as they are completed.
- Weather: There is also a small weather display to show the current temp.
My only complaint is at times the screen isn’t super responsive to touch. I find it’s easier to enter information through the phone app. Overall, though, the switch from dry erase to digital family calendar has been a success.
Looking for more ways to get organized? Check out these 5 ways to get your family involved.
