If you have an Amazon Alexa, you probably use her to play music, tell you the news, or even what wine to pair with food, and she’s great for all that. But this virtual assistant also has the skills to help you with the kids and these are some of the best mom-related Alexa hacks to help you parent better.
She can get your kids out of bed- Tired of knocking on your kids’ door five times to wake them up? Let Alexa’s alarm clock feature wake them up to their favorite song instead. If your device is synced to a third-party music player like Amazon music or Spotify, your kid can say: “Alexa, wake me up at 6:30 a.m. to ‘How Far I’ll Go’ from ‘Moana.’”
She can make them brush their teeth - Ask Alexa to open theTooth Fairyand she’ll play words of encouragement and music for the time your kids need to brush, floss, and rinse. Enable the skill on Alexa and then your little one can say “Alexa, ask the Tooth Fairy to help me brush my teeth,” and she’ll talk them through it step-by-step, while sharing facts about dental care.
She can help settle sibling spats- Ask Alexa to open up Kids Court, a skill created to help kids referee fights according to the U.S. Judicial System by asking things like what the fight was about and follow-ups before making an impartial ruling. The judge will also tell them facts about the court system, so they’re learning at the same time.
She can make them say please- Enable the “Magic Word” feature and Alexa will scold the kid if they don’t say please and offer positive reinforcement when they do.
She can read bedtime stories- With the Short Bedtime Story skill, Alexa will start reading original short stories for kids that are only about a minute long. Just say, “Alexa, tell a bedtime story to Emma” and she’ll personalize her reading to your child’s name.
She can set screen time limits - Ask Alexa to set a timer for 20 minutes and she gets to be the bad guy when time’s up and your kid can’t watch more “Peppa Pig” right now.
She can entertain your kids when you need 15 minutes of peace - When mom needs a breather, use Alexa’sAnimal Workoutskill, which asks them to impersonate different animals, like a T. rex or a dog. They get a little workout at the same time because it takes a lot of energy to cluck like a chicken.
She can order pizza for you- When you don’t have time to cook or just want to make it an easy night, Alexa can order pizza from Domino’sor Pizza Hut if you set up an account.