For families who live apart
Stay close, one page at a time.
Back & Forth is a shared journal for a grown-up and a kid. One of you writes, the other writes back: a little time together every day, no matter the miles between you.
Works in any browser. iPhone app coming soon.
Like the notebook you pass back and forth
Some families pass a journal between them, one entry each. Back & Forth works the same way, even when you’re in different cities.
- 1
One of you writes
A few lines about your day, a photo, a drawing, or a voice note. Some days a quick check-in is plenty.
- 2
The other writes back
They get a gentle nudge, read it when they’re ready, and reply right underneath, with a prompt if they’re stuck.
- 3
The pages add up
Over weeks and years it becomes a book of your days together: every story, joke, and “I miss you,” kept.
More than words
Photos, drawings, and voice notes
Not every kid wants to write a paragraph. They can snap a photo, draw on the built-in drawing pad, or record a voice note, and you can do the same.
- Voice notes up to five minutes, for bedtime stories
- A mood on every entry, and a reaction on every reply
- Search and #tags to find any memory again
Stories worth passing down
Your life story, one question at a time
Guided story tracks like “When I was your age” and “Where I come from” help grown-ups share the stories kids never think to ask about. Kids get their own tracks, too.
- Answers come together like chapters in a book
- Kids can ask you anything with “Ask me” questions
- Prompts for the days you don’t know what to say
Something to look forward to
Letters for later
Seal a letter to open on a birthday or the first day of school, or “open when you miss me.” It stays sealed until the day comes, and they’ll know it’s there waiting.
- Pick a date, or a moment like “when you’re nervous”
- They get a heads-up the morning it opens
Little rituals
Streaks you keep together
Daily and weekly streaks, levels, badges, and weekly quests make writing a habit, and they’re cooperative, never a contest. Missed a day? A streak saver has you covered.
- A countdown to your next visit
- A one-tap “thinking of you” for busy days
- Optional reminders, at the time you choose
Made for kids. Safe for kids.
A private place for your family, and nothing else.
Kid accounts, no email needed
You make your child’s account with a username and PIN, so they can sign in on their own.
Only the family you connect
There are no public profiles, no followers, and no way for strangers to find your child. Each journal is just the people in it.
No ads, ever
We don’t show ads, and we never sell or share what your family writes.
Yours to keep, or delete
Grown-ups can delete a kid’s account and everything in it at any time, right from Settings.
On your phone, tablet, or computer
Open Back & Forth in any browser, or add it to your Home Screen and use it like an app. A native iPhone app is on the way.
Our story
It started with a notebook
My daughter Quinn used to come home from school with a notebook. In it was an entry about her day: how she felt and what she was learning. I’d write back in the same notebook, and the next day she’d write again.
It reminded me of my own dad. On long road trips, just the two of us, he’d tell me pieces of his life story. I loved that time with him, and I still think about those drives.
Then I moved away from Quinn and her sister Melissa. It’s been hard on all of us. So I built the notebook again, one we could pass back and forth from anywhere, with room for drawings, voice notes, and the stories my dad used to tell me.
I hope it helps your family feel a little closer, too.
Tom · Founder, and dad to Quinn and Melissa
Questions
How much does it cost?
Back & Forth is free while we’re getting started. If we add paid plans later, everything you’ve already written stays readable, and replies stay free, on every plan, forever. Early families will be looked after.
Is there an app?
Back & Forth works today in any browser on a phone, tablet, or computer, and you can add it to your Home Screen to use it like an app. A native iPhone app is coming soon.
Who is it for?
Any grown-up and kid who spend time apart: parents after a move or separation, grandparents across the country, aunts and uncles, stepparents, and parents who travel for work.
How old does my child need to be?
If they can draw a picture or record their voice, they can join in. Younger kids can lean on drawings and voice notes, and older kids often love the story questions.
What if I have more than one kid?
Each journal is one grown-up and one kid, so you keep a journal with each child, the way Tom does with each of his daughters. You can also invite grandparents and other grown-ups to start their own journal with your kid.
Who can see what we write?
Only the members of that journal. We don’t read your journals, and help requests show us only what you choose to send.
Start your first page tonight
Make a journal, invite your kid, and write the first entry. It takes about two minutes.
Start your journal, free