I received an Amazon Echo for Christmas a few years ago, and I have to admit at first I was a little skeptical. What is all the buzz about anyway and what can I actually do with an Amazon Echo?

I wasn’t sure it could really do more for me than Siri or my phone, but after having Alexa (cool note: that’s the voice’s name, though it’s come to stand for the device) in my home for a few years now, connected to my WiFi and linked to my Amazon account, I have to say that it’s been life-changing.

It’s helped with everything from little things like checking the weather to bigger tasks, like grocery shopping and meal planning, even homeschooling.  Hooray for technology!

This post has been updated for 2023
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Alexa Skills for Homeschooling

Alexa Fitness Skills
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Alexa Meal-Planning Skills
Alexa Skills for the Holidays

44 Cool Alexa Skills for the Amazon Echo

PRO TIP:  if you happen to have a family member named Alexa — like, say, you happen to be reading this post, Billy Joel or Christie Brinkley —  you can change the command name in your settings to Amazon so your Alexa is not turning on every time you speak to a living, breathing Alexa.

However if you have relatives named both Alexa and Amazon, you’re out of luck.

Also note that some of these commands will need to be enabled in your Skills tab in the Echo app

 

1. Alexa, play David Bowie.

Purchase music on Amazon and stream it right to the excellent Bluetooth speaker, though the Echo. It can also play content from Amazon Prime, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Audible and Kindle Books. So, pretty much anything. All without draining my phone battery or using up data.

2. Alexa, when’s the next time we’ll have a Saturn and Jupiter conjunction?

You can ask Alexa to look up any info you’re curious about, like sports schedules and scores; who won the Golden Globe for best actor in 2020; or which year Cleopatra was born.

3. Alexa, set timer for 10 minutes. 

Whether you’re setting an alarm for the cookies in the oven or the kids’ screen time, it’s really easy to just call out for Alexa to do it for you.

4. Alexa, start 7 minute workout. 

The results offer simple exercises like jumping jacks and sit ups, but maybe this Echo command will get you moving — or your kids — especially as we’re all stuck inside this winter.

5. Alexa, play NPR. 

I love how easy it is to catch up on the news in the morning, since Alexa plays streaming radio upon request.

6. Alexa, what’s traffic like right now? 

Alexa can tell you the roads to avoid on your morning commute, which is especially nice if you don’t want to wait ten minutes for a traffic report on your local station. You can even get the estimated time of your drive!

7. Alexa, turn on my humidifier. Or bedroom light.

Alexa can connect to any WeMo Smart Switch enabled outlet, ecoBee smart thermostat, Ring Smart Video Doorbell, or similar smart home devices. Name it according to what’s plugged in there, and Alexa it will turn on and off for you.

Play Bingo with Amazon Echo calling the numbers. Free printable Bingo cards via Aspen Jay

8. Alexa, play Bingo.

Download some free printable bingo cards, like these from Aspen Jay, and ask Alexa to join you for an easy family fun night. Unfortunately, she won’t pop the popcorn for you — unless you have a popcorn popper hooked up to a WeMo, actually.

(Bonus: For a more advanced game, try Alexa, Open Escape the Room for five fun Escape Room games of different levels.)

9. Alexa, I need a recipe for homemade mint chip ice cream.

Alexa will provide measurement conversions (Alexa, how many cups are in a pint?) and even give you step-by-step recipes through AllRecipes. You can even tell her to set your Instant Pot Smart Cooker to a certain temperature for that Instant Pot Veggie Curry recipe you’ve been craving.

10. Alexa, how many calories are in this pint of mint chip ice cream?

Ask her questions…but be sure you want to know the answers.

11. Alexa, what wine goes with a mint chip ice cream?

Yes, you can get wine pairings using MySomm skill on Alexa. Though I can’t say I recommend them with ice cream, but you do you.

12. Alexa, forget wine. Order me some coffee from Starbucks.

Using Starbucks Reorder skill, you can open up your last 10 locations you’ve visited and order the usual, or choose from 5 previous orders. Then, just run in the shop and pick it up.

13. Alexa, is it going to snow today?

This is a favorite of ours, especially with the weather as wonky as it’s been.

14. Alexa, ask Translator to how to say “please clean your room” in Japanese.

Ask for translations in 50 languages, and you’ll find the answers in the Alexa app. (Sadly, Alexa’s foreign language speaking skills aren’t existent right now so she won’t repeat them back to you.)

15. Alexa, check my credit card balance.

There’s now a Capital One Alexa Skill, Amex Alexa Skill, US Bank Skill and a few others from financial institutions. Check your balances and more – -at least provided you have one of their cards. This Alexa skill even lets you go ahead and make payments.

Ha, remember when we used to write checks, look for stamps and mail them? That was fun.

16. Alexa, what are your deals?

Get special deals from Amazon, just for Alexa users. Just be sure that if you’ve turned Voice Purchasing off, you’ve got it turned back on if you want to shop.

17. Alexa, reorder dog food.

When you empty the last bit of dog food (or AAA batteries or bulk pack of paper towels), just shout out for Alexa to add it to your shopping cart on Amazon. In fact, you can add any purchase from your recent Prime shopping history, so no, your kids can’t order an Xbox without you knowing. But if they order a few more KN95 face masks in fun designs, maybe that’s not so bad.

18. Alexa, turn down the lights.

Connect the Echo to any Phillips Hue Smart Bulbs and she can control them through voice commands the same way you can via the Phillips Hue app.

19. Alexa, what’s on my calendar today? 

With this Alexa skill, she’ll search through connected calendars in the app like Google Calendar, and pull up your day’s activities while you’re making your cup of coffee in the morning. Nice to remember oh…those 400 things parents have to do every day. You might even get a helpful reminder to sign that permission slip that you’d otherwise have forgotten if you didn’t check that morning.

 

Why I love Todoist: The first to-do list app I've stuck with for a whole year!

20. Alexa, add “call the dentist” (or, anything else) to my to-do list.

Voila, you’ve now got a reminder saved. While you can use the Alexa app as your daily to-do list, it now offers more comprehensive integration with popular apps like Todoist so you’re not managing multiple lists.

21. Alexa, read my book.

When Amazon Echo is connected to your Audible account, a number of Alexa voice commands allow you to hear any book read to you through the speaker. Plus you can skip chapters, pause, resume, and more.

It’s not just audiobooks by the way — Alexa will now read books from your Kindle library.  While I wouldn’t use it as an alternative to hearing David Sedaris read Me Talk Pretty One Day, it could be great for certain non-fiction books where tone isn’t essential.

Alexa can also read articles — say ones you’ve saved through the Pocket app, which we love.

22. Alexa, Simon says… 

Alexa will repeat whatever you say immediately following “Simon says,” which is a really fun trick to play on your kids. Especially if you use the Echo’s remote control from another room and suddenly they hear Alexa say, kids, take the trash out. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces.

23. Alexa, ask Word Master to play a game.

This is like Geography, in which Alexa says a word, then you have to follow with a word that begins with her word’s last letter. The longer the word, the more points you get. It’s fun, and even a little challenging for the kids.

24. Alexa, start Animal Game/Capital Quiz. 

Try playing 20 questions (all animals, no minerals thankfully!) or helping kids with geography. There are plenty more games and quizzes, but these two in particular great for kids in grade school.

25. Alexa, start Star Wars quiz.

Like that won’t your favorite thing ever, especially with Season 2 of the Mandalorian in the mix.

26. Alexa, play Jeopardy. 

Trivia geeks, like me, will love the six Jeopardy style questions that Alexa asks each day. Just don’t forget to answer in the form of a question!

27. Alexa, what happened on this day in history?

How cool is this? The This Day in History (by A&E) skill will tell you exactly what happened on this day in history. There’s also This Day in Disney History for the kids.

28. Alexa, what Chinese restaurants are nearby?

Now you can support that local restaurant in your neighborhood that could really use it. Or, ask Alexa whether the local bakery is open right now. Because any time is a good time for croissants. Or sesame noodles. Or tacos. Or…

29. Alexa, I need a Lyft (to take out from the Chinese Restaurant).

Using the Uber Alexa Skill or Lyft Alexa Skill, you can order a ride, set your destination, and even find out how much the trip will cost.

30. Alexa, tell a Dad joke.

She’ll tell you one, but we won’t guarantee it will be a good one.

31. Alexa, roll the dice.

This is one of my favorite cool skills you can do with Amazon Echo. It’s perfect for those games that are missing dice, or for younger kids who can’t manage to roll dice without knocking over all the game pieces on the board. (

And FYI for all you gamer geeks out there, Alexa will roll 10-sided, 20-sided, and other dice too.)

32. Alexa, add milk to my grocery list. 

Using AnyList, Lisa’s favorite meal-planning helper, Alexa will add items to your grocery list. That way, when you hit the store, you can just check the app on your phone and everything is right there. Genius!

33. Alexa, read us a bedtime story.

Use the Short Bedtime Story skill by Webguild to –you guessed it — tell your kids a bedtime story. You can even personalize the story, so Alexa reads right to your own kids. Of course it’s no substitute for you reading your kids a story, but it is a pretty cool thing that Alexa can do. Especially if you listen together.

34. Alexa, tell Sleep Sounds to play some white noise.

Start a white noise machine using Alexa. Try Sleep and Relaxation Sounds — ocean sounds are a favorite for me, though there are also options like a fireplace, rainstorm, wind chimes, or a babbling brook.

35.  Alexa, ask for a fart.

No, I have not told my kids about this one yet. But then, they probably knew it before you did.

36. Alexa, trigger “find my phone.” 

Another cool thing you can do with Amazon Echo if you’re signed up for IFTTT, is to link it to your Amazon account and download any of the dozens of recipes for Alexa. That includes Find My Phone, send a voice email or SMS to someone, or print your shopping list.

37. Alexa, send a text message

Using the Alexa app on Android (sorry iPhone users!) it’s easy to use SMS to send “see you Friday” to Kristen.” Done!

38. Alexa, make a phone call.

Use Alexa to make a phone call, or call other Echo devices around your house so you can use it like an intercom system.

39. Alexa, more cowbell.

The same way Siri has had fun answers for ages to questions like What does the fox say? And what’s the meaning of life? you can try one of the many, silly Amazon Echo Easter Eggs out there.

Questions and statements to try include  Alexa, to be or not to be? And, Alexa, rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock. There are dozens! Movie fans might try Alexa, use the force! Or Alexa, who shot first?

40. Alexa, we need a dinner conversation topic.

Need something new to discuss at family dinner? Try a few rounds of Would You Rather? with the Either/Or skill.

41. Alexa, open up The Magic Door.

Try this popular choose-your-own adventure skill as you journey through fantasy worlds filled with gnomes, princesses, wise wizards and witches.

42. Alexa, I want to play Earplay.

These are interactive story-based games for adults and teens (think film-noir mystery) that let you also choose your own adventure as the story progresses.

43. Alexa, where can I fly for $300?

Thanks to the Kayak skill, there are all kinds of ways that Alexa can help you plan a vacation, track a flight and more.

44. Alexa, I need to meditate.

These days, we’re all big fans of mindfulness enabled by tech. Which is less ironic than it sounds. Use Alexa to access Guided Meditation through Stop, Breathe, Think, which is a favorite of ours. Besides, quieting our minds, if only for a moment, is something we could all use more of these days.