DIR / FEDC
FocusForge
A gamified executive function training adventure for students ages 9-14, with specific design for ADHD and other neurodivergent learners. Players build study skills through six EF domains: working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, planning/organization, task initiation, and time awareness.
Meet your mentor
Every Spark & Anvil app has a friendly mentor character that demonstrates, praises, and patiently scaffolds learning. On-device AI personalizes the mentor's responses to your kid's progress — never connecting to a server, never collecting data.
#81C784 FocusForge is a gamified executive function training app for students ages 9-14. It helps you build six essential study skills — time awareness, working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, planning and organization, and task initiation — through fun mini-games, strategy-based challeng
Distributed-narrative cast
Meet the cast
FocusForge's 6-character cast embodies EXECUTIVE-FUNCTION DOMAINS as CAPACITIES-not-GAPS per Wave 28 DN retrofit (Wave 15 retry): Hold (working memory) / Wait (inhibitory control) / Pivot (cognitive flexibility) / Map (planning + organization) / Begin (task initiation) / Clock (time awareness). Anchor (the existing AI mentor) introduces and references each EF domain. ADHD-shame gate enforced (CRITICAL — STRONGEST Wave 28 burden per Mautone 2024 + Hai 2025 + CHADD 2024): cast NEVER says 'you should focus better' / 'try harder' / 'stop being distracted'; cast frames every skill as a CAPACITY to BUILD never a GAP to FILL; NO before/after character pairs (broken-clock / scrambled-brain visuals REJECTED); neurodivergent-affirming voice baseline ('ADHD is a way your brain works, not a flaw' / 'all brains have to learn these skills'); static-response gating for shame signals ('I can't focus' / 'I'm broken' / 'my brain doesn't work') NEVER reaches FoundationModels — Anchor surface filter routes to neurodivergent-affirming reply; kit 6 + kit 10 carry off-ramp affordances per SAMHSA TIP 57; no second-person imperative catchphrases ever — all first-person modeling. KitMetadata.castAllowed flag required for any DIR-FEDC-capacity-1-sensitive kit; cast pacing respects DIR-FEDC attention duration. External CHADD-affiliated or pediatric-ADHD-clinician sensitivity reviewer STRONGLY RECOMMENDED ($800-$1,200). Soft collision with ReadQuest Wave 5 Anchor cast member allowed per registry rule 3 (mentor vs cast; different domain).
Hold
Working memory — keeping a thing in mind while you use it; cast literally cups an orb that pulses gently
Wait
Inhibitory control — the pause between impulse and action; cast treats the pause as a skill, NEVER a moral test
Pivot
Cognitive flexibility — switching strategies / reframing; cast treats plan-change as INTERESTING not catastrophic
Map
Planning + organization — breaks ANY task into chunks; never says 'you should already know how'
Begin
Task initiation — the hardest part is the first second; cast is gentle never-pushy (rejected: Spark — brand collision; Lift-Off — verbosity)
Clock
Time awareness — time as a felt sense the learner can BUILD; never says 'you should know how long this takes'
What's inside
Time Awareness
Build your sense of time with estimation challenges and visual countdown games.
Working Memory
Strengthen your ability to hold and use information in your mind.
Inhibitory Control
Practice pausing before you act and resisting impulses.
Cognitive Flexibility
Learn to adapt when plans change and see things from new angles.
Mentored by Anchor — on-device AI, no data leaves the device.
How FocusForge handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ No ads, no in-app purchases — you pay once
- ✅ COPPA compliant under the 2026 FTC amendments
- ✅ Parental controls + session limits + content filters built in
FocusForge runs on ForgeKit — the open-source Swift Package Manager framework that powers every Spark & Anvil app. ForgeKit ensures consistent accessibility, COPPA compliance, and design language across the portfolio, so your kid's progress and preferences feel coherent across every app they touch.
Coming to the App Store
FocusForge is in active development. Email us to hear when it ships — no marketing, no spam, just a one-shot launch announcement.
Email me at launch