Mamas, we know how challenging it can be to have the family cooped up for this extended period of time. Some kids are great at playing on their own, but some kids want almost constant interaction.
So for those times when you just need to NOT answer a million questions… the times when you REALLY just want five minutes alone… the times when ALL you want is a time to sit down and drink a cup of caffeine so you can keep up with all the cooped-up chaos… we suggest letting Alexa do some of the work for you.
If you don’t already have an Amazon Dot, Echo, or Show in your home, consider now as a good time to try it out. (You can always return it to Kohl’s if you don’t love it. Kohl’s now accepts Amazon returns.) 
The least expensive model, the Amazon Dot, is less than your family would pay to eat out at most sit-down restaurants (and none of us are doing that anymore anyway.) Cost is around $49,
My family has had Alexa devices for years now, but the more research I did for this post, the more I’m realizing that I’m only using a tiny fraction of Alexa’s true capability. She can do so much more than setting a timer for my boiling spaghetti noodles!
Below is a collection of some of the cool things Alexa can do to help keep the kids entertained while you’re getting other things done and #stayinghome.
50 Kid-friendly Alexa commands:
- “Alexa, let’s play a game.”
- “Alexa, open Trivial Pursuit, Family Edition.”
- “Alexa, start Song Quiz.”
- “Alexa, tell me a riddle.”
- “Alexa, open the magic door.”
- “Alexa, open the Wizard of Oz.”
- “Alexa, open Mighty Trivia.”
- “Alexa, open Akinator.” (It’s like 20 Questions. Love this one!)
- “Alexa, open Math Dungeon.”
- “Alexa, open Magical Adventure.”
- “Alexa, open The Queen’s Mathematician.”
- “Alexa, open Puzzle of the Day.”
- “Alexa, play Kids Quiz.”
- “Alexa, open Panda Rescue.”
- “Alexa, open Watch Your Words.”
- “Alexa, open Outer Space Alice.”
- “Alexa, open Animal Workout.” (A great substitute for P.E. class.)
- “Alexa, open Kid Dancer.”
- “Alexa, open Freeze Dance.”
- “Alexa, open Memory Game for Kids.”
- “Alexa, open Kids Trivia.”
- “Alexa, open Story Blanks.” (It’s a little like Mad Libs!)
- “Alexa, ask Silly Things to tell me a funny thing to do.”
- “Alexa, open Lemonade Stand.” (Your kids can still run a lemonade stand with Alexa!)
- “Alexa, open Disney stories.”
- “Alexa, open Sesame Street.”
- “Alexa, sing a song for 20 seconds.” (Helps ensure kids wash their hands long enough.)
- “Alexa, call Grandma.” (Just put in Grandma’s phone number or connected Alexa.)
- “Alexa, ask Pikachu to talk.”
- “Alexa, start No Way That’s True.”
- “Alexa, open Amazon Storytime.”
- “Alexa, open Curiosity.”
- “Alexa, moo like a cow.”
- “Alexa, open the Box of Cats.”
- “Alexa, start the Spelling Game.”
- “Alexa, open Animal Game.”
- “Alexa, open the SpongeBob Challenge.”
- “Alexa, open Hungry Birds.”
- “Alexa, tell me a friendship story.”
- “Alexa, let’s chat.”
- “Alexa, open the story of Lucky Charms.”
- “Alexa, open Kids Court.” (Great for settling sibling squabbles about who goes first.)
- “Alexa, flip a coin.”
- “Alexa, open Rock, Paper, Scissors.”
- “Alexa, give me a fun fact for left-handed people.”
- “Alexa, tell me a robot joke.”
- “Alexa, play Would You Rather for Family.”
- “Alexa, open True, False, or Trick.”
- “Alexa, start Simon Says game.”
- “Alexa, play dance music.” (Awesome for a kitchen dance party!)
10 Helpful Alexa commands for moms and dads:
- “Alexa, tell me the news.” (Great for a brief, condensed update on the day’s news.)
- “Alexa, tell me some GOOD news.” (We could all use some.)
- “Alexa, what can I make with broccoli.” (Great for finding recipes)
- “Alexa, open Headspace Bedtime Story.” (For those times you’re trying to get a kid down for a nap.)
- “Alexa, announce that dinner is ready.”
- “Alexa, set a timer.”
- “Alexa, remind me to take my allergy medicine every day at 9 a.m.”
- “Alexa, open 5-minute workout.”
- “Alexa, add toilet paper to my shopping list.” (She promises not to laugh and tell you you’ll never find it in-stock.)
- “Alexa, what’s on my to-do list?”
Have two Alexa devices? Use them as an intercom system!
One of our family’s favorite Alexa skills is the ability to “drop in” on different rooms of the house. Our three teenagers tend to spread out these days, and it’s hard to get their attention from downstairs. If you have more than one Alexa device, just name each device for the room it’s in and then say, “Alexa, drop in on the Playroom.” Alexa will then open a two-way speaker so that you can talk to the kids and they can answer you without ever leaving the rooms you’re in.
