Learning the hard way
- Understanding money after the first debt.
- Meeting frustration during the first serious failure.
- Recognizing a scam after falling for it.
Life skills, ages 8 to 17
What school doesn't teach can still be learned.
Ten minutes a day for your child to learn to manage their emotions, money and decisions. With tools, not the hard way.
The report card says how they're doing in school. Not how they'll do in life.
Handling frustration, deciding under uncertainty, understanding money, or spotting a well-told lie shape an adult's future. None of them show up in the grades.
Today a family that wants to work on these skills has three options: scattered books, therapy once there's already a problem, or nothing.
Academic report
Sample report card- Math
- 4.6
- Language arts
- 4.4
- Science
- 4.7
- English
- 4.5
What doesn't show up on the report card
- Handling frustration
- Not graded
- Deciding under uncertainty
- Not graded
- Understanding money
- Not graded
- Spotting false information
- Not graded
- Sticking to a habit
- Not graded
What Criterio is
It's not therapy. It's preparation.
Criterio is an app that teaches practical life skills through short, daily, game-like lessons. Your child doesn't use it because something is wrong. They use it to learn what most kids their age aren't learning.
What it is
- A structured program, with a starting point, a path and measurable progress.
- Ten-minute lessons adjusted to each child's age.
- Content designed with psychologists, educators and financial literacy specialists.
What it isn't
- It's not therapy and it doesn't diagnose.
- It's not a social network and it has no chat with strangers.
- It doesn't replace school or family. It complements them.
Your child doesn't have to be first. They have to be ready.
Every child is different, and today many have the same resources within reach. The difference is knowing how to use them. Someone who learns these skills can go toe to toe with the best, and has an edge over those who never learned them.
Learning the smart way
- Practicing money decisions before having to make them.
- Rehearsing how to get back up when something goes wrong.
- Training healthy doubt before someone tries to take advantage.
What we do promise
- A new lesson every day, designed for their age.
- Content written and reviewed by specialists.
- A weekly report so you can see what they learned.
What depends on your child
How far they go. No program can guarantee a result, and we won't tell you otherwise. We provide the method. Consistency comes from them, with your support.
Five subjects no school teaches systematically.
Each subject is an independent path. Your child moves at their own pace, and you choose where to start.
Losing, making mistakes, and trying again.
Emotional regulation and resilience: the ability to hold steady when something goes wrong and keep moving forward.
- Naming what they feel before reacting.
- Calming techniques that fit into a recess break.
- Turning a mistake into useful information.
Sample lesson, age 10
"You lost the game and want to throw the ball. What do you do in the next ten seconds?"
Deciding well when no one hands you the answer.
Decision-making and cognitive biases: understanding how the mind takes shortcuts, and when those shortcuts mislead.
- Recognizing anchoring and peer pressure.
- Separating the urgent from the important.
- Thinking through consequences a week out and a year out.
Sample lesson, age 14
"All your friends are skipping class. What weighs most in your decision, and why?"
Understanding money before you have it.
Financial literacy: saving, budgeting and responsible spending explained through situations kids their age face.
- Saving with a goal and a deadline.
- Telling apart need, want and advertising.
- Compound interest explained through their own allowance.
Sample lesson, age 12
"You have $50. A game costs $45, and the bike you want costs $400. Make your plan."
Consistency is trained.
Habits, discipline and neuroplasticity: how the brain changes with practice, and how to make that work for you.
- Designing a small habit that actually sticks.
- Understanding why repetition works.
- Getting back on track after a missed day instead of giving up.
Sample lesson, age 16
"You want to study 30 minutes a day. Design the cue, the routine and the reward."
Doubting with a method.
Critical thinking: defending against misinformation and forming a well-founded opinion of your own.
- Checking a news story before sharing it.
- Telling apart fact, opinion and advertising.
- Spotting misleading arguments.
Sample lesson, age 13
"This video says one food cures everything. Find three warning signs."
Try a lesson. It takes two minutes.
This is a sample lesson from Decisions and biases, designed for age 13. Answer it the way your child would.
- One idea per lesson
- Situations kids their age face
- Streaks that reward consistency
Decisions and biases
Sofia is 13 and saved $60 for headphones. At the store she sees a jacket with this sign:
Was $180 Now $60
Anchoring effect. The first number we see becomes the reference point for judging every number after it.
Now it's your turn. Only one of these lines uses an anchor.
Last step. The lesson ends with a small real-life task.
Lesson completed
- 0 points
- 1 day streak
That's what a Criterio lesson looks like: short, concrete, with one idea that sticks. There's another one tomorrow.
How it works, from start to finish.
You create the account. Your child learns. The app adjusts to them and tells you how it's going.
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Starting point
You register your child and enter their age. A five-minute initial walkthrough identifies the best place to start.
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Ten minutes a day
Every day there's a short lesson with a story, a decision and a real-life challenge. When it's done, the app suggests closing it.
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The path adjusts to your child
Artificial intelligence adapts the difficulty, the examples and the pace to your child's age and progress. Specialists write and review the content.
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You see the progress
Every week you get a clear summary: what they learned, where they made progress, and a topic to talk about as a family.
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If something serious comes up, we tell you
When a signal goes beyond what an app should handle, the system alerts you and points you toward a specialist. See the protocol.
For parents and caregivers
You decide. You stay informed.
Criterio is built so any adult can set it up in minutes, no technical knowledge needed. Large text, few steps, and nothing hidden.
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Daily time limit
You set how many minutes it can be used each day.
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No advertising
Your child is the student, not the product.
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Several children, one account
Each one with their own path, age and progress.
This week's summary
Sample report- Lessons
- 5 of 7
- Streak
- 12 days
- Subject
- Finance
To talk about at dinner: ask them what the difference is between something they want and something they need.
When something is beyond what an app can handle, we tell you.
Criterio teaches and prevents. It doesn't diagnose or treat. That's why it has a clear protocol for recognizing its limits and pointing the family toward someone who can actually help.
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Learning
Everyday use. Formative, preventive lessons, with no invasive questions.
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Early warning sign
If answers show a pattern of recurring distress, the system alerts the responsible adult and gives them a guide for talking with their child.
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Referral to a specialist
In the presence of risk signals such as bullying, violence or thoughts of self-harm, the lesson stops, the adult is informed, and the family is advised to reach out to a mental health professional and their country's helplines.
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Legal guidance
When a child's rights may have been violated, the system also points the family toward specialized legal guidance and the relevant authorities.
A method backed by evidence.
Teaching psychological skills through game mechanics has already been tested in controlled studies. Criterio brings that method, in Spanish, to children and teens across Latin America.
- 1,100+
- students took part in a randomized controlled trial that measured significant increases in resilience compared to the control group.
- 10 min
- a day. In the studies, streaks, levels and stories kept users practicing longer than conventional programs did.
- 5
- subjects, each one designed with specialists in their field: psychology, education and financial literacy.
In the interest of transparency: the available evidence comes from studies with young people and adults. Each Criterio subject will be designed and evaluated with specialists for every age range.
Frequently asked questions
What ages is it for?
For children and teens ages 8 to 17, in three age bands: 8 to 10, 11 to 13, and 14 to 17. The language, examples and difficulty change for each one.
Will it make my child the best in their class?
We don't guarantee that, because every child is different. What it does give them is a real edge over someone who never learned these skills, and the tools to go toe to toe with everyone else. How far they go depends on them.
Is it therapy, or does it replace a psychologist?
No. Criterio is an educational program. It doesn't diagnose or treat. If your child needs professional care, the app will tell you and help you find it.
How much screen time does it involve?
About ten minutes a day. When the lesson ends, the app suggests closing it. You can also set a time limit.
What does the artificial intelligence do, and what doesn't it do?
It adjusts the difficulty, examples and pace to each child. It doesn't make up the content: lessons are written and reviewed by specialists.
What happens if my child is going through something serious?
The system alerts you and recommends contacting a specialist. If a child's rights may have been violated, it also points toward legal guidance and the relevant authorities.
How much does it cost?
It will be a monthly or annual subscription paid by parents. Pricing will be announced before launch to everyone who requests access.
What devices does it work on?
On phone, tablet and computer. No new device or technical knowledge required.
Let them learn the smart way, not the hard way.
Leave us your details and we'll let you know when Criterio opens its first spots. No payment required.
Thanks for your interest.
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