Mornings in my home are chaotic, hurried and crammed with last-minute reminders nobody needs to listen to — particularly from me, the mother. Brush your enamel. Pack your lunch. Do not forget your homework. I can say the identical issues 5 occasions and nonetheless get clean stares.
So as an alternative of repeating myself but once more, I attempted one thing totally different: I repurposed a Chuck E. Cheese sport card and turned it right into a bodily “button” my youngsters may faucet to set off Alexa+ reminders. I’ve used an old hotel key for myself, however I made a decision to make use of an identical trick with my youngsters. It sounds difficult, nevertheless it’s not. And it’s now a part of our each day routine.
What’s actually happening here
If you’re like me, you have that one junk drawer that fills up with things like old hotel keys and arcade cards. Most hotel card keys and arcade cards — including Chuck E. Cheese game cards — have an NFC chip inside them. It’s the same technology used for contactless payments, transit cards and smart tags.
When you tap the card against a phone, it can trigger an automation. So, in my case, that single tap kicks off an Alexa+ routine that announces a short sequence of reminders on our Echo devices around their house, in the kitchen and in their rooms, that I plan the night before.
Reminders include updates to their typical schedule like an early pickup for a dental appointment or a reminder about a math test. The key difference here is that my kids control it. One tap in the morning, and Alexa takes over — not me.
What you need
You don’t need to buy any new smart home gadgets to make this work. Here’s exactly what I used:
- From traveling and going to arcades with my kids, I have a bunch of old NFC cards, but if you don’t, you can buy NFC cards on Amazon; they’re fairly cheap.
- A smartphone with NFC assist, which inclused iPhone XS or newer, or most trendy Android units
- The Alexa+ app and no less than one Echo system
- iOS Shortcuts (on iPhone) or an Android automation instrument
That’s it. No good buttons, no subscriptions, no further {hardware}.
How to set it up
Step 1: Create an Alexa routine
Open the Alexa app or Alexa+ on the web and create a brand new routine with the reminders you need Alexa to announce.
I saved it easy with spoken bulletins, however you may add music, sounds, or pauses between reminders if that works higher on your family
Step 2: Hyperlink the cardboard utilizing NFC
Now you’ll join the NFC chip contained in the Chuck E. Cheese card to that Alexa routine. I take advantage of iPhone, however I am going to embrace the steps for Android customers, too.
On iPhone:
Open the Shortcuts app
Create a brand new automation
Select NFC because the set off
Scan the sport card
Set the motion to run your Alexa routine
On Android:
Use your telephone’s built-in automation or an NFC app
Scan the cardboard
Assign it to set off the Alexa routine
It is a one-time setup.
Step 3: Put the cardboard someplace apparent
I positioned the sport card and my telephone close to the place my youngsters already cease within the morning — the lavatory. As soon as that is arrange, your youngsters received’t want their very own telephones — they’ll simply faucet the cardboard on a dad or mum’s system. Every certainly one of my youngsters has their very own card with their very own reminders.
Now the routine is easy: Get up, faucet the cardboard and Alexa+ takes it from there.
That is significantly minimize down on morning craziness, yelling and works higher than Alexa reminders alone. As somebody who has used Alexa reminders for years, this trick solves the issue of engagement.
This works as a result of it’s bodily, not only a voice command. The children really feel like they’re beginning their day themselves and there are not any screens concerned. They do not even should unlock my telephone. They simply faucet it.
Thus far, the novelty hasn’t worn off. And even when it does, it nonetheless beats me shouting from the kitchen.
Who this is actually useful for
This setup is ideal if you:
- Already use Alexa+ at home
- Have kids who tune out voice reminders
- Want a low-cost smart home upgrade
- Prefer automations that quietly do their job
And if you don’t have kids, the same idea works just as well for:
- Morning routines
- Medication reminders
- Chore check-ins
- Bedtime wind-downs
The takeaway
As a mom of three, I’m used to getting creative, but this hack for easier mornings is an absolute no-brainer. I didn’t buy a new gadget or download another parenting app. I reused something we already had (and may have otherwise thrown away) and turned it into a small but meaningful smart home upgrade.
Sometimes the best Alexa+ automations aren’t about adding more tech. They’re about using the tech you already have in smarter ways.
Comply with Tom’s Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date information, evaluation, and opinions in your feeds.
Extra from Tom’s Information
Again to Laptops
