Is a smart speaker worth having as a parent? Check out some ways it helps….

I’ve been on the fence for awhile about getting a smart speaker like google assistant or amazon echo for awhile. On the surface it seems like such a handy thing when your 7 year old asks you- “how big is a blue whale” or “how far is it to Hawaii?”  Who doesn’t need an assistant to answer all of those crazy questions your kids come up with when you’re in the middle of cooking dinner or paying the bills?
On the other side though, I worry that something like this could lead to laziness in my kid, taking away her critical thinking, increasing her time with electronics as opposed to interacting with people, and there’s the fear of spying and data usage.  That’s why I decided to do a little research to see what parents think about these smart speakers and whether or not they are a temporary distraction or a great tool for the family.
Turns out there’s a lot more good than I thought! For instance, my daughter asks quite often for me to tell her a story, and after a long day at work my brain can be fried. Enter Alexa to tell a fun and creative kid friendly tale for the kids. They can also play kid friendly music for dance parties in the living room instead of screen time in the bedroom.
The smart speakers can set timers and reminders for screen time, homework, morning alarms, and deadlines for projects. Alexa even has a feature that makes getting out the door in the morning a game with kids- getting them to brush their teeth, get dressed and put their shoes on.
There are lots of other great things you can do with smart speakers to help your family including cooking, playing games, reducing yelling, and even answering weird questions.
If you’ve been on the fence, check this out…..