Security

Smart door locks, cameras, and doorbells are easy additions to any home that will not only help you feel safer, but also help busy parents keep track of kids coming and going. For younger kids, you might automate your doors to unlock at the same time their babysitter arrives for after school care to avoid keeping track of keys. Have independent high school-aged kids? Cameras and doorbells will empower you to see when they get home from school, who’s with them and check in if they’re running a little later than usual.

Climate Control

Smart thermostat rebates are hot right now. If you’ve recently installed yours, be sure to automate your home heating and cooling. Turn it off when you all leave for the day to save energy and money on your utility bill. Many smart thermostats also allow zoning automation to individually heat or cool specific rooms or groups of rooms based on your unique schedule.

Create Routines with Google Home or Amazon Alexa 

Smart speakers like the Google Home Mini and the Amazon Echo Show make it possible to create customized routines, combining several actions with a single command.

For example, you might establish a morning routine for school days to ensure things always run smoothly. Any smart speaker can be set to report the day’s weather forecast, provide travel time (with traffic) to school and read your calendar to you with a simple phrase like, “Good Morning.” Depending on what other smart home devices you have connected to your smart speaker, your “Good Morning” can also include turning on the downstairs lights, bumping up the heat, and brewing your morning coffee before you even find your slippers.

Enlist Your Smart Speaker to Help with Homework

Even the most involved parent doesn’t have time to sit down with each kid to complete homework every night. Smart speakers can fill in, answering simple questions, and providing instant help whenever your kids need it. They can provide valuable help in recalling algebraic equations, getting definitions and help with spelling while writing a school paper, and even remind your kids when “I” comes before “E.”

Smart speakers can also be used to set study timers and play classical music to keep kids focused during homework time. They can also remind students about upcoming tests and initiate quizzes to test their readiness. Ask your children’s teachers which smart speaker tools they use in the classroom to provide a more cohesive educational experience for your kids at home.

Get Help Keeping Kids Occupied and Entertained

Do you have chatty kiddos who seem to need endless entertainment and attention when all you need is a moment of quiet to get dinner cooking? Smart assistants can fill those gaps of time with fun games and activities.

• Math Games. Ask your Alexa to play the 123 Math game to test your kids in arithmetic or have Google play Mental Math that also includes division and multiplication challenges.
• Geography Games. Challenge your kids’ geography knowledge with games like Google’s County Capitals and National Geographic Bee.
• Guessing Games. Alexa’s Animal Game will provide your kids clues until they guess the animal that Alexa is thinking.
• Science Experiments. Turn on Amazon’s Busy Hands to walk your kids through simple science projects to keep them occupied.
• Active Games. If your kids need to let some extra energy out, start Alexa’s Silly Things game that makes kids act out an action to get all those wiggles and giggles out.
• Language Learning. Why not use that extra time to teach your kids a new language? SayHi Language Learning by Alexa is just the app!

Start the School Year Off Right with Smart Routines

Go back to school this year with sanity, strength, and smart routines. You can easily set schedules to automatically control your home lighting, security, climate, appliances, and more to free your mind and hands.

You might create grouped actions that automatically remind your kids about homework, upcoming tests, and to brush their teeth with a single command. Or you might even use your smart speakers to keep your kids busy while you tackle chores, catch up with friends over the phone or dare we say, take a relaxing bath! The opportunities are endless with smart technology.