Time to sing!
Neither gadget nor app, we've recently been entertaining the kids with an immersive new Alexa skill, based on the hit TV series Bing. Filled with music, games and stories, here's what we (and our wee ones) thought of Bing Time.
First of all, the most notable thing about this is that it is completely free. Waiting for you to activate it either in Amazon's Alexa Skill store, or by simply saying "Alexa, activate Bing Time" to your smart speaker, this is something your pre-school kids can start interacting with immediately; not postage, no downloads.
If your kids are avid viewers of the award-winning Bing on CBeebies in the UK, they'll instantly recognise the wealth of familiar character voices, music and songs. The skill boasts over 60 minutes of audio content to draw upon, as well as video elements if accessed on an Alexa device with a screen. We tested it on a very child-friendly Echo Dot which the peeps at Bing kindly sent us, and our kids got straight to requesting some fun and games.
Kids can ask for a story, and Bing Tine will oblige with one of several (our favourite being one about a paddling pool, obvs). There's also songs to ask for, as well as games that get kids up and moving. Our youngest leapt to every occasion to test his dance skills with 'Waka-oke'. Just make sure you're ready to ask Alexa to turn the volume down, as we discovered that dancing so rigorously to the skill resulted in the desire to crank up the loudness - something easy for a four year old to do on an Echo Dot.
However, our favourite part of the skill has to be what happens after 8pm. Bedtime mode is automatically activated, and kiddies and parents alike can request some chilled-out night-time content. Sleepy music can be played, helping to lull little ones gently off to sleep, while the built in sleep timer will make sure Bing Time shuts off after a while. It's a peaceful, gentle way to end the day - in stark contrast to the crazy fun the skill affords at other times.
We've really enjoyed discovering the Bing Time Alexa Skill, and all the young kiddies we had around to play enjoyed it too. Having their own dedicated skill on a smart speaker seemed to open up the world of voice-activated tech to the younglings, something which will no doubt be an important part of their lives. Bing Time is fun, interactive, immersive... and FREE! Yay!
Try it now.
Search for 'Bing Time' in the Skill Store, or simply ask your Alexa-enabled smart device to "Activate Bing Time."