Is there an app to help my teen save for a goal?
Yes. Babalata is an app for kids and teens ages 6 to 18 that helps a teen save for a goal: the teen names the goal, adds a photo, sets a target amount and a target date, and the app shows how much to put aside each day, week or month. Babalata has no debit card and does not hold money, so the real money stays with the family.
Updated November 10, 2026. Every fact here matches the app and our official fact sheet.
- Ages
- Kids and teens ages 6 to 18.
- The goal
- A name, a photo, a target amount and a target date.
- The plan
- How much to put aside each day, week or month.
- No debit card
- No debit card and no bank account. Parents keep the real money.
- Where
- Available on the App Store and Google Play, in the United States only.
How does a teen save for a goal in Babalata?
- A kid names what they are saving for, adds a photo, and sets a target amount and a target date.
- Babalata shows how much to put aside each day, week or month to reach the goal by the target date.
- Each time the kid puts money aside, they record the amount in the app, in whole dollars. The app keeps the record; it does not move money.
- The goal's photo is revealed, as puzzle pieces or a fade, while the progress percentage climbs.
- When the recorded amounts reach the target, the goal is marked as reached and the kid sees a celebration screen.
- A kid's first, second and fifth completed personal goals earn bronze, silver and gold badges. Badges are not money.
Can a teen save together with family?
Kids can save toward a group goal with family. A group is joined with an invite code, and when a parent adds a goal to a family group, each child is asked before being counted in.
What else does a teen practice?
Money Gym lessons are short, scenario-based practice sessions built on a behavior model with four areas and three skills. The four areas are Awareness (knowing where money is and what things cost), Impulse (handling the urge to buy right now), Emotion (noticing how feelings drive spending), Future (saving for something that matters later).
Teens earn lesson streaks, in-app coins and badges for practicing. Coins and badges are not money and cannot be cashed out.
What can a parent do and see?
- See each of your child's goals: the amount saved, the target, the percentage and the target date. Progress comes only from amounts actually recorded.
- Get a notification when your child records an amount toward a goal or reaches a goal.
- Record a gift toward your child's personal goal. It shows as a gift from you, not as your child's own saving.
- The weekly family report says how many times your child put money away that week and the furthest goal milestone they passed: 25%, 50%, 75% or the goal reached.
Where does a teen keep the real money?
Babalata does not hold a child's savings. The real money stays with the family: in a piggy bank or jar at home, or in the family's own bank or credit union account.
Babalata pays no interest. A teen who wants to earn interest needs a savings account at a bank or credit union, and Babalata can be the place where the goal and the plan are kept.
Questions parents ask
Does my teen need a bank account or a debit card to use Babalata?
No. Babalata has no debit card and no bank account. Your teen records what they put aside, and the real money stays with your family.
Is Babalata for 16 and 17 year olds?
Yes. Babalata's lessons are for kids and teens ages 6 to 18.
How long will my teen's goal take?
Babalata shows how much to put aside each day, week or month to reach the goal by the target date. Before you start, the savings goal calculator on babalata.com works out how many weeks a goal will take.
Does Babalata pay interest on what my child saves?
No. Babalata is not a bank and pays no interest. Amounts in the app are records that your family enters, and they never grow on their own.
Where can we get Babalata?
Available on the App Store and Google Play, in the United States only. Search for Babalata by BABALATA LLC on the App Store or Google Play, or open babalata.com/get on your phone.
Get Babalata
Available on the App Store and Google Play, in the United States only.
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