How to use Alexa to keep your kids occupied

Kids can be a handful, especially when they are stuck at home while you are trying to work. Here’s how you can use Alexa to give yourself a little break

Kids can be a handful, especially when they are stuck at home while you are trying to work. Here’s how you can use Alexa to give yourself a little break (Bloomberg)

As the lockdown continues, not only do you have to work from home and handle household chores, you also have to handle the kids and find ways to entertain them. They can't be watching TV all day now, can they?

Handling kids while trying to handle everything else is no joke, but there is something that can get you a little breather. Try Alexa.

Asking too many questions?

Get your child to ask questions to Alexa instead. Just have them ask "Alexa, teach me about lions?" or "Alexa, teach me about Jupiter".

If they get bored of asking questions Alexa can keep them entertained with animal sounds. Get them to say "Alexa, roar like a lion!" or "bark like a dog" to listen. Your smart speaker will play along with sounds of elephants, tigers, fish among others. This should keep them entertained for a while.

Get them singing

Remember singing 'Lakdi Ki Kathi' or 'Nani Teri Morni' when you were kids. You can get Alexa to teach your kids how to sing these songs. All they have to say is "Alexa, play nani teri morni" or "Alexa, play lakdi ki kathi".

If you think these songs won't interest them you can always say "Alexa, play baby shark" or "Alexa, play nursery rhymes".

Better yet, host a karaoke session with your Echo Show Device and have them sing along with on-screen lyrics.

Too much energy and nothing to do to let it out?

Is your child running from room to room because they have too much pent-up energy? Alexa can take care of that.

Just say "Alexa, start animal workout" and a fun exercise routine which teaches them about animals with music begins. This should help take care of those energy levels.

It's not all fun and games. They're brains need to work out too

Alexa's games can put those brains to work. Just say "Alexa, let's play a game" and you can choose from a list of games like memory games, riddle games or word games. Some other games you choose from are Akinator (Alexa guesses a personality you're thinking about), Magic Door (an adventure game of choices), True or False (a game to test your GK) or even the number guessing game.

Pestering for more stories? Turn Alexa into a storyteller

Does your child love listening to stories and always wants one more? Just say "Alexa, tell me a story" or "Alexa, tell me a bedtime story". If they get bored, just ask for another story.

If they have a favorite character and want to know more, just say "Alexa, tell me about Harry Potter" or "Alexa, tell me about Red Riding Hood".

Can't remember all the skills you just read about when you need to engage your child?

There is a way out of this too. Create a routine on your Alexa app.

Alexa can announce its story time at 11 AM everyday and tell a story. You can also schedule the animal workout to start at 4:30 PM everyday, and you can even customise it to have Alexa say "It's time to exercise little one" to get your child in the mood to exercise.