10 Cool (and Useful!) Alexa Skills for Kids
Alexa Skills for Kids
Amazon Alexa can be a helpful resource around the house, but did you know that helpful voice coming from your Amazon Echo can help your kids with school, too? If your child struggles with some executive functioning skills, adding Alexa is a great accommodation.
These 10 cool Alexa skills for kids help with everything from homework to scheduling, which is sure to make your life just a little bit easier.
You can get a basic Echo device for around $30, so this is an affordable way to offer executive functioning support at home. Learning to use Alexa also fosters independence, since an adult won’t have to be the voice all the time.
See also: Amazon Echo for Disabilities | 8 Alexa Uses for Disabled People | Autism
Alexa Reminder Skill
One of the best ways to use Alexa to help your kids with school at home is to set reminders. Whether they have a class meeting tomorrow afternoon or just need a daily reminder to log in at a scheduled time, the reminder skill is a must.
To set a reminder, just tell Alexa to set a reminder. You can then add the details of the reminder, the time it should go off, and the frequency (one time, daily, weekly, etc.).
[amazon bestseller=”amazon alexa” items=”5″ template=”table”]Alexa Alarm Clock
Make sure your kids wake up for school on time by setting an alarm on their Echo Dot. With the Wake Up Clock skill, your kids can set an alarm for a certain time or you can adjust your kid’s wake-up time so you can be sure your kids are up and ready for school on time each day.
In addition to setting alarms for wakeup times, you can set it for other times too. When is it time to put on pajamas and brush your teeth? When is screen time over? When is it time to gather your things and get ready for the bus?
Surely you don’t want the alarms going off all day, every day. But a few key time challenges from your child can be assisted with Alexa. (also, why do I keep capitalizing Alexa? is she a person?)
Alexa To-Do List
Keep your kids on track as they go through their routine with the help of the Daily Routine skill.
Create a to-do list for your kids, then let Alexa guide them through each step.
To start this skill, your child can say, “Alexa, ask Daily Routine what’s next.” And to finish a task, say “Alexa, ask daily routine to mark an item as complete.”
Alexa Math Facts
Help your kids hone their math skills with the Math Facts skill. Most of us try to incorporate multiple senses during learning and that can be a challenge sometimes. With the Alexa Math Facts Skill, you can choose the level that will be presented to your child.
To start, I’d choose a level you know they can master to increase confidence.
Ask Alexa to open Math Facts to start practicing basic math skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Alexa Science Quiz
Your kids can learn fun science facts with the help of the Science Buddy Skill. Based on questions from the National Science Bowl, each 10 question quiz covers topics like biology, earth science, and physics.
To start a new quiz, say, “Alexa, open Science Buddy.”
Learn a New Language with SayHi
I used to speak (not terribly fluent) Italian and Spanish. But, with no practice and the passing of time, I no longer remember most of it. And what if your child needs help with their foreign language practice?
If your teen needs help with their foreign language homework, enable the SayHi skill. This skill plays basic conversations in a different language – you can choose from Spanish, French, German or Danish. Alexa then breaks down the sentences into learnable lessons to help your high schooler develop their language skills.
Enable SayHi by saying, “Alexa, open SayHi.”
Alexa Spelling Practice
Whether your kid is writing a paper or just practicing their spelling words, Alexa can help. If your kid is wondering how to spell a word, all they have to do is say “Alexa, how do you spell ___?”
Alexa Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is a part of school that many of our kids really struggle with. And again, it’s important to try and add in as many ways to practice this as we can find. Only by trying new approaches will we find what works for them.
So if this is an area of need, hey, why not enlist Alexa?
Help them practice this essential skill with the help of Alexa by enabling the Bamboo Books skill.
Ask Alexa to open Bamboo books to hear a read-aloud book with reading comprehension exercises.
Alexa Skill-Kids Quiz
Got a little trivia and facts junkie in your house?
For a more general educational skill, try Kids Quiz. Featuring questions about a variety of subjects, the Kids Quiz skill can help your kids practice the skills they’re learning in school.
To start this Alexa skill, just say, “Alexa, open Kids Quiz.”
Alexa Alphabet Practice
Even students with limited skill sets can benefit from Alexa. Reciting the alphabet is more than child’s play. It practices articulation, it is sequencing and so much more.
With the Alphabet Teacher skill, your student can practice reciting the alphabet with the help of Alexa.
To add the Alphabet Teacher skill to your Echo, just say, “Alexa, ask Alphabet Teacher to say the alphabet.”
