LittlePath · User Manual

How to get the most from LittlePath.

A complete guide for parents. From setting up your child's profile to reading your behavior insights — everything you need to know.

Contents
  1. 01 Getting started
  2. 02 Behavior scripts
  3. 03 Activities
  4. 04 Weekly planner
  5. 05 Behavior insights
  6. 06 Home screen widget
  7. 07 Child mode
  8. 08 Premium features
  9. 09 iCloud sync
  10. 10 FAQ
01 — Getting started

Setting up your child's profile.

LittlePath uses your child's profile to personalize everything — which scripts appear first, which activities are suggested, and how the planner is built. The more accurate the profile, the better the recommendations.

01
Enter your child's name and birth date
The app calculates developmental stage automatically from the birth date — infant, toddler, early preschool, preschool, or primary age.
02
Select their temperament
Choose from Spirited, Sensitive, Slow to warm, or Easygoing. This is the single most important field — it affects script ranking more than any other factor.
03
Set energy level and sensory flags
High-energy children benefit from movement-based scripts and activities. Sensory flags (sound sensitive, touch averse, etc.) filter out unsuitable activities automatically.
04
Add school schedule (if applicable)
If your child attends school, select which days. The app uses this to detect after-school fatigue windows — the hardest hour of any school day.
05
Choose your parenting approach
Montessori-inspired, gentle parenting, or balanced. This influences the tone and style of scripts shown.
Tip
You can update your child's profile at any time by tapping the avatar in the top right of the Today tab. Profiles improve as your child grows — update the birth date information is already there, but revisit temperament and energy level every few months.
02 — Behavior scripts

Using behavior scripts in the moment.

Behavior scripts are the core of LittlePath. When your child is having a hard moment, tap Behavior in the tab bar, select what's happening, and the app surfaces the most relevant scripts for your specific child — right now.

Scripts are ranked by a combination of your child's profile, the current time of day, and your usage history. The more you use and rate scripts, the better the ranking becomes.

01
Tap the Behavior tab
The heart icon in the tab bar. You'll see a list of 13 behavior types — from meltdowns and tantrums to meal refusal and separation anxiety.
02
Select what's happening
Tap the behavior type that matches the current situation. Scripts are loaded and ranked immediately.
03
Read the top script
The first script is the best match for your child right now. Read the full script — it tells you exactly what to say and do, step by step.
04
Log the behavior
After using a script, log the behavior. This records the time, day, and context — building the data that powers your Insights tab over time.
05
Rate the script
Was it helpful, somewhat helpful, or didn't help? Your rating feeds directly into future rankings — scripts that work for your child rise to the top.
How ranking works
The app scores each script based on: developmental stage match (3 points), temperament match (2 points), historical helpfulness from your ratings (4 points), recency of helpful use (1 point), and fatigue window context (0.5 points each). Scripts rated unhelpful in the last 14 days are penalized by 2 points. The highest-scoring script appears first.
03 — Activities

Finding the right Montessori activity.

LittlePath includes 55 Montessori activities across five areas: practical life, sensorial, language, nature and science, and art. Every activity is matched to your child's developmental stage and filtered by their sensory flags.

  • 🌿 Practical life — Setting the table, carrying a tray, folding laundry, flower arranging, polishing. Real work with real tools.
  • 🔍 Sensorial — Mystery bag, texture matching, sound cylinders, color sorting. Isolates one sense at a time.
  • 📖 Language — Sandpaper letters, vocabulary baskets, storytelling with figures, object-to-picture matching.
  • 🌱 Nature and science — Slow nature walk, planting seeds, composting, shadow investigation, kitchen science.
  • 🎨 Art and creativity — Watercolour exploration, stamp printing, indoor den building. Process over product.
Tip
After completing an activity, rate your child's enjoyment. Activities they loved will appear more frequently in future suggestions and planner generation. Activities they struggled with will be deprioritised for a while.
04 — Weekly planner

Planning the week ahead.

The Planner tab generates a 7-day activity plan tailored to your child. Each activity is assigned to a time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening) based on its energy output and your child's typical schedule.

01
Tap "Generate plan" (Premium)
The AI generates a full 7-day plan in seconds, avoiding activities used in the past 14 days to keep things fresh.
02
Review and adjust
Tap any slot to swap the suggested activity for a different one. You can also add your own slots manually.
03
Mark activities complete
After doing an activity with your child, tap the circle to mark it done. Your completion count and streak update automatically.
About streaks
Your streak counts consecutive days where you've logged at least one behavior event. It resets if you miss a day. The streak is visible on the Today tab, in your child's profile, and on the home screen widget.
05 — Behavior insights

Understanding your child's patterns.

The Insights tab (Premium) shows patterns in your child's behavior based on the logs you've recorded. After a few weeks of logging, you'll start to see meaningful patterns — the kind that change how you prepare for the day.

  • 🕐 Behaviors by time of day — A bar chart showing when incidents most commonly occur. Early morning, morning, midday, afternoon, evening, or night.
  • 📅 Behaviors by day of week — See which days are hardest. Many parents discover Monday afternoons are consistently difficult after a weekend of less structure.
  • 📊 Most common behaviors — A ranked list of the behaviors you've logged most often, with frequency counts.
  • 😴 Fatigue window correlation — What percentage of logged behaviors occurred during high-fatigue windows (after-school, no nap). If this is high, the fatigue window is a key trigger for your child.
  • 📤 Weekly summary card — Tap "Share this week" to generate a shareable image card with your week's highlights. Share with your partner, your child's teacher, or keep for your own records.
Tip
Insights become meaningful after 10–15 behavior logs. The first week is about building the habit of logging — the patterns emerge in week two and three. Log consistently and the charts will tell you things you didn't know you knew.
06 — Home screen widget

Today's activities at a glance.

The LittlePath widget shows your child's streak and today's planned activities on your home screen — no need to open the app. Available in small (streak + activity count) and medium (streak + first activity title + progress bar) sizes.

01
Long press your home screen
Tap the + button in the top left corner to open the widget picker.
02
Search for LittlePath
Type "LittlePath" in the search bar. The widget appears with small and medium size options.
03
Add to your home screen
Choose your preferred size and tap "Add Widget". Drag it to your preferred position.
Widget updates
The widget refreshes automatically every 30 minutes and immediately when you log a behavior or complete an activity. If the widget shows outdated information, open LittlePath briefly — this triggers an immediate refresh.
07 — Child mode

Hand the screen to your child safely.

Child mode (Premium) shows a simplified, child-friendly view of today's planned activities. When you hand the device to your child, they see large activity cards with pictures and simple instructions — not the full parent interface.

To activate: tap the "Hand to [child's name]" button on the Today tab. To exit: tap the X in the top right corner.

Multiple children
If you have multiple child profiles, tapping the Child Mode button shows a picker — "Who are you handing to?" — so each child sees their own activities. The active profile in the parent view is not changed.
08 — Premium features

Unlocking the full experience.

LittlePath is free to download with a meaningful set of free features. Premium unlocks the full experience — all scripts, all activities, smart ranking, and insights.

  • ✓All 47 behavior scripts — Free includes 5 per behavior type.
  • ✓All 55 Montessori activities — Free includes 10.
  • ✓Smart script ranking — Personalized to your child's profile and history.
  • ✓AI script personalization — Claude rewrites scripts using your child's name and situation.
  • ✓Behavior insights — Charts showing patterns by time of day, day of week, and fatigue window.
  • ✓Weekly summary card — Shareable image of your week.
  • ✓AI weekly planner — 7-day plan generated in one tap.
  • ✓Unlimited child profiles — Free includes 1.
  • ✓Child mode — Hand-off view for your child.
Pricing
Monthly: $3.99/month. Yearly: $19.99/year (~$1.67/month). Both include a 7-day free trial. To manage or cancel your subscription, go to Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions on your iPhone.
Restore purchases
If you've subscribed before and need to restore your purchase on a new device, open LittlePath, tap any premium feature to open the paywall, then scroll down and tap "Restore purchases".
09 — iCloud sync

Your data across all devices.

LittlePath syncs automatically via iCloud. Your child profiles, behavior logs, activity completions, and planner slots are available on every iPhone and iPad signed into your Apple ID.

Sync is automatic and requires no setup. Make sure you're signed into iCloud on all your devices and that LittlePath has iCloud access in Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Apps Using iCloud.

Privacy
Your data is stored in your personal iCloud account — not on tessbuild servers. Anthropic's servers are only contacted when you use AI personalization, and only the minimum necessary information is sent. No data is sold or shared with third parties.
10 — Frequently asked questions

Common questions answered.

What age range is LittlePath designed for?
Birth through age 8 (primary age). The app covers five developmental stages: infant (0–18 months), toddler (18–36 months), early preschool (3–4 years), preschool (4–6 years), and primary age (6–8 years). Scripts and activities are filtered to show only what's relevant for your child's current stage.
Does the app work offline?
Yes. All behavior scripts and activities are stored on your device — no internet connection is needed to use them. AI personalization requires an internet connection since it contacts Anthropic's servers. Behavior logs and planner data are saved locally and sync to iCloud when a connection is available.
Is my child's data private?
Yes. Your data is stored on your device and in your personal iCloud account. tessbuild does not have access to your child's profile, behavior logs, or any personal data. The only data that leaves your device is when you use AI personalization — and only the minimum necessary information is sent to Anthropic's API.
How do I cancel my subscription?
Go to Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions on your iPhone or iPad. Find LittlePath and tap Cancel Subscription. You retain access until the end of your current billing period.
I switched to a new iPhone. How do I get my data back?
Sign into the same Apple ID on your new device and install LittlePath. Your data syncs automatically via iCloud — profiles, behavior logs, and planner history should all appear within a few minutes. If you subscribed to Premium, tap "Restore purchases" in the paywall to reactivate.
Can I add a second child?
Yes, with Premium. Go to Settings (tap the avatar on the Today tab) and tap "Add child". Each child has their own profile, behavior log history, and activity completion history. The app tracks each child independently.
The widget shows old information. How do I refresh it?
Open LittlePath briefly — logging a behavior or marking an activity complete triggers an immediate widget refresh. The widget also refreshes automatically every 30 minutes.
Something isn't working. How do I get help?
Email support@tessbuild.com — real replies from a real person. Include your iOS version and a description of what happened. For App Store issues (billing, subscription), contact Apple Support directly at apple.com/support.