Google Home Scheduled Announcements: The Secret to Fewer Reminders for Kids -

Part of the fiction, or at least the frustrations in my life as a mom, is the constant reminders to tell the kids what to do. Having that mental clock going.

So, for example, kids ask if they can do something for a bit longer maybe it's TV time, reading time, play, etc. Past self me would look at the time, agree to the length of time, and then continue with what I was doing.

However, I kept reminding myself to check the time, or I would use a timer on my phone. But then I would be in the middle of what I was doing when the timer went off, and, of course, I would be on a separate floor, trying to yell to the kids that time was up. The whole process was exhausting. That's why I started integrating Google Home.

Organized wall command center with clocks

What are Google Home scheduled announcements?

Inside the Google Home app, there is a section called automations. The automations I am talking about are Starters, and I choose the schedule option. Which means I set it to a time.

At the scheduled time, the automation will announce something over the speaker.

This has changed the mom mental load for me for years now.

Why I use Google Home instead of repeating myself

I talk a lot about how moms are the systems, and we carry the mental load, which is why we have tons of tabs open at any given time. It also leads to burnout.

As moms, we repeat ourselves a lot!! As the kids started to grow in their independence, Google Home became a way for them to stay on task.

Sometimes I would feel like I could not focus on any given task at one time. Because I would have these idle tabs of things I would need to tell the kids at a certain time.

And honestly, how many times have you, as a mom, said something to the kids and it's like they have selective hearing?

Using Google Home helped with the selective hearing because it was a pattern interruption; it wasn't just Mom's voice reminding them. You see, pattern interrupts reset attention spans. Win-win for Mom! Especially when you have multiple kids.

What announcements I schedule for my kids

My primary automations are the daily tasks that stay the same each time at the same time.

Time to get ready for school
Time to leave for school
Time to tidy up
Shower Time
Bedtime

You can truly have a long list of items in your home, but these are my VIP's!

I don't stop there; I also use the timer function on Google Home. And there are numerous ways to use the timer function. However, the best part, in my opinion, is that it annoys my kids because it keeps ringing over and over until you tell Google to STOP.

There goes that pattern interruption again. I giggle each time because simultaneously I will hear my younger two yell at Google, "HEY GOOGLE STOP!".

And guess what they do....what needs to be done!

You can go above and beyond to have a Google Home Speaker in each kid's bedroom and do announcements to them like it's dinner time, or do a broadcast to all supported speakers, and everyone would hear the same thing.

How scheduled reminders reduce friction in our home

For me, the friction reduction has been just being able to close some mental tabs. Getting other tasks done from start to finish without the consistent interruption.

But also has helped me stay on task as well. Because the automation is pattern intertuption for me too as a mom. So that I don't try to squeeze in one more thing.

It keeps our daily flow going and everyone on the same page. My husband apprecaites the anoucments because he joins in on the routine. Since I manage the kids daily schedule he will consistantly asking me things like what time do you leave for school again?

Now he knows to listen for the Google Home. And on those special days when he is not traveling for work or is able to join in on school drop offs the automations help him jump into routine without hesitation.

Even when our parents have come over to help with the kids the automations help them know the kids routine. Or the kids will say to them "Google didn't say it yet".

Another good laugh

We have have a hand full of babysitters in the past as well and I have been able to tell them just listen for Google for the daily routine to help.

The other fun part is how creative you can get with how it says the announcement.