Google Home is actually for kids!

We got our first Google Home shortly after it was available on the market in November of 2016. After plugging it in and setting it up, it was clear that it would be a welcome addition to the household. At the time, we mostly played music on it and used it to set alarms and timers, but we quickly learned how to listen to the news and get weather updates by starting our day with a simple “Of Google. Good morning.”

Our Google collection grew very rapidly when Staples ran a promotion to get a free Google Home Mini with any purchase of $150. It just so happened that Staples was also running a sale on Happy Gift Cards which could then be used to buy Visa Gift cards at Bed Bath and Beyond. We snagged several Minis during that promotion – two we held onto for different rooms around the house and a few we sold as a quick hustle.

All that said, we had no idea that after becoming a family of three, our Google Home would actually find its purpose in life – to entertain our toddler. Even when he was barely talking, he was mesmerized and amused into fits of giggles by it. Now, that he is three and very outspoken (ahem-bossy), he has become the ruler of the radio, the tamer of the technology, the God of the Google. It was hard to narrow down a list of his favorite uses, but below is a list of the top 5 functions for Google Home in our house. The list grows longer each day!

1.) The Animal of the Day

“Ok Google. What’s the animal of the day?” This question cues up a catchy-little tune that instantly puts a smile on my son’s face. Today is was the Gibbon. Yesterday, the Arctic Fox. Google provides a little bit of information such as where the animal lives, what is eats and what it sounds like (the best part!) You also have the option to get more information on each animal if you are interested and get ideas for creative challenges for the day. I’ve found that this is a great way to teach time concepts such as “yesterday” or “the day before yesterday” or days of the week. Remember, kids LOVE animals, so they tend to absorb information about them quickly. Try writing down the animal of the day on the calendar each day and then talking about it with your kiddos. “See, yesterday’s animal was the killer whale.” “The wolf was the animal of the day last Tuesday.”

Pro tip – You can ask Google to make different animal sounds by prompting: “OK Google. What does a Grizzly Bear sound like?” If you want more animals, you can also just continue with, “play another animal sound.” This right here, is hours of entertainment. When I can, I’ll also pull up a picture of the animal, so he can put the two together. While looking at animal books, he’ll ask Google what the different animals sound like. Google ingeniously knows sounds for dinosaurs and dragons and even does a fantastic fart impression. Thank me later

2.) Google has the answer to all their “WHY’s????”

At the tender age of three, we have found ourselves firmly in the middle of the “why?” stage in this house. I try my best to answer all of the son’s many quandaries, but inevitably, sometimes I just have no idea. This is rarely an acceptable response for littles. Enter Google. He is the hero in this house and I’m OK with it. Some recent fun questions from our house include: “Why do dogs lift their legs when they pee?” “Why does daddy have to work?” “Where does Santa live?” Get a Google, thank me later. He also loves to ask Google questions about the weather for the day or what day of the week it is.

3.) Play Ding-Dong Coconut (Again and Again)

“Ok Google. Play Ding-Dong Coconut.” Remember “Simon,” the game of memory straight out of the 1980’s (technically, 1978)? Ding-Dong Coconut is the renovated, upbeat, audio-only version that will send your tot, and you too, into a fit of giggles. Google will start the game with two different sounds each associated with a word. For example, you might hear the sound of the wind blowing and have to say “resplendent” after it. A clap of thunder might require the word “porcupine” and of course a fart noise might command you say “bicycle.” It’s a game so silly, you can’t help but laugh. After each successful round, Google adds another word/sound association and you keep going until you make a mistake. Not only is it tons of fun, our son is being introduced to tons of new (random) words and attempts to create his own version of the game when playing – each unique sound made by him corresponds to one of the names of his monster trucks.

4.) Spotify to play any song they could possibly want

Spotify really works for everyone in the house, but it’s particularly nice to be able to play any kid’s song you want at any time. Currently, “Run baby run” is on top of the playlist. My toddler loves to follow the commands of the song and his 6 month old brother squeals as I carry him around following him. We have a designated pickup song – “Oh my goodness look at this mess” which does a great job of cuing that it’s time to clean up. All of the “Blippi” songs have their turns on Google as well. I could probably recite all of the words from “The excavator song,” but don’t worry, I won’t. It’s also super nice to be able to cue up “Baby Shark” or whatever the flavor of the week happens to be when the LO is having a meltdown. I don’t know what it is about that song, but it never fails to shut the waterworks off.

Having the ability to play calming sounds such as rain, waterfalls or crashing waves is wonderful when we’re trying to bring the energy level down. It’s also been a great tool to help introduce the concept of taking turns. Conrad has a turn picking a song, Mommy has a turn, Daddy has a turn and even baby Max gets a turn. We are practicing having fair time and also doing our best to incorporate different types of songs and music into our son’s arsenal.

5.) Tell me a story

“OK Google. Tell me a story.” Google has some good ones. Tales of castles and knights, dragons and wizards. Some are familiar stories, – we recently heard “Goldilocks and the three bears”, while others seem to be made up entirely for the Google Home. I find this is a good alternative to screen time, especially when we need to calm down or spend some time relaxing.

6.) Count to 20

Really, this could be any number. Lately, we’ve been asking google to “Count to twenty” in order to play hide and seek. This is a great way to practice counting with a little reinforcement from Google. It’s also a great way to make sure everyone playing can hear the counting clearly. I recently discovered that Google can also respond in several languages depending on how you ask a question. If you were to say “cuenta hasta diez” Google would follow by counting to ten in Spanish. Kind of fun if you’re up for a language challenge!

So there you have it. I’m sure we’ll continue to find more uses and fun in our Google Home that we can add to this list of things that we do daily. What do you use your Google Home for? Comment below and give me some new ideas!