With everyone cooped up inside, your younger family members may be going a bit stir crazy. Normally, handing your phone off to your child feels irresponsible. But what if you get their brains activated and hone their questioning skills? Apple’s Siri offers plenty of opportunities to get your kids’ minds working. Amazon’s Echo, otherwise known as Alexa, also has plenty of games to keep them occupied for a few hours. Here are a few things to try:
Siri
Ask Siri these questions for some entertainment. Don’t forget your manners!
- Siri, tell me a bedtime story.
- Siri, what’s zero divided by zero?
- Siri, what does the fox say?
- Siri, what do you think of ____?
- Siri, give me a hand.
- Siri, Make me laugh.
- Siri, what is Inception about?
- Siri, Do you have any pets?
- Siri, what is the meaning of life?
- Siri, what phone is best?
You can also download a user-created game called SiriLibs, which gives all the fun of MadLibs—but with a bit of a twist. See, Siri doesn’t always fully understand what you say, and that can make the story results even funnier than expected.
Siri is also always available for chance games. Tell her to flip a coin, roll the dice, or even give you a Magic 8 Ball reading.
Alexa
These are games that come free with your Amazon Alexa. Be careful, some of them can be expanded to a more complex version at a cost.
Tell Alexa to open any of these games to begin:
Escape the Room
Here’s a great family game to get your brains working. Much like the escape rooms you’ll find sweeping the country, this game also requires you to “think outside the box” to escape the virtual room holding you prisoner. Challenge yourself by levelling up or beating your speed.
Pet Rock
Your Alexa device comes with her very own pet rock for you to train. This rock can do so much more than the one that just sits on your desk and stares at you. With prompting commands, you can feed your rock, name it, take it for a walk, teach it tricks, and even change its color. Play every day to level up to new tricks and more interesting snacks.
Game Show Knock-Offs
Your favorite TV game show or board game may have an Echo version. Try one of these:
- Deal or No Deal
- Jeopardy
- Millionaire (like Who Wants to be a Millionaire?)
- Song Quiz (like Name that Tune)
- Categories (like Scattergories)
Google Assistant
Google Assistant also offers a wide variety of games to enjoy with the whole family, from music to general knowledge.
Are You Feeling Lucky?
Play five rounds of fun with the kids to test their general knowledge. It’s a great way to keep their minds sharp while you wait for schools to open again.
SongPop
You get to choose the music genre. Then join together in an updated, AI version of “Name That Tune.” Get points for naming the song and the artist, or get a hint if you’re stumped.
The Vortex
Taking cues from the earliest computer games, The Vortex is an updated adventure game where you control the action through voice commands.
Star Wars Trivia
After a family binge session of the Star Wars movies, ask Google to play Star Wars trivia to see how much your kids retained.
Jeopardy!
Just like the classic TV game, Jeopardy includes several different categories of random and advanced knowledge.
You’ll probably discover several more that are perfect for after-dinner activities, but this list should get you started.
Sometimes, you and your family need a puzzle to work on, and sometimes you just need a good laugh. Either way, using your AI device can give your family some fun together time and memories to last during this difficult time. And, while we may not be able to visit with you now to install smart home equipment so that you can play games in every room, we’ll be right here waiting as soon as these tough times are over.
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