Getting back into the school-year routine can be a mixed blessing for parents. You’ll no longer have to worry about keeping your kids entertained and out of trouble all day, but that will be replaced by the daily stress of making sure they arrive at the bus stop on time, complete their homework, and juggle all of their extracurricular activities. Let your smart home security system help with your back-to-school routine. It can help you stay organized and manage your fall schedule with less nagging and more fun.
Smart Home morning routines
We all know that a difficult morning can lead to a bad day. Getting started on the right foot makes for less stress and a lower likelihood of anything being forgotten. A few simple smart home routines like the ones below can make a big difference.
- Time to wake up! A smart speaker with some favorite music makes for a great alarm clock. Some kids, however, may favor a gentler wake-up routine. If that’s the case, set their in-room smart light bulb to slowly increase in brightness to mimic a sunrise.
- If coffee is a morning necessity, connect a simple coffee maker to a smart outlet, and have it turn on at the same time each day. Don’t forget to prep it the night before!
- Instead of yelling throughout the house, flash your smart bulbs to remind everyone that it’s time to head out for the bus. You can even set them to change slowly from yellow to red as the morning progresses for a visual indicator that it’s almost time to go.
- Set your smart locks to automatically lock 10 minutes after you typically head for the bus. If your schedule is more fluid, use your smartphone location or your garage door closing as a trigger for your locks. A service like If This Then That (IFTTT.com) can help with triggers that aren’t already covered by your security system.
Smart afternoon routines
If your kids come home from school while you’re at the office or out running errands, your smart home security system can keep them on track and ease your mind.
- Want to know that the kids are home safe? Your smart lock can send you a text message when they open the door. It can also trigger the heat or air conditioning to adjust for comfort.
- Flash the lights to remind your kids to start homework, complete chores, and perhaps get started on dinner prep.
- Check your smart security camera from anywhere via a mobile app to ensure that everyone is where they are supposed to be and on task with expectations around the house.
Smart bedtime routines
After a busy day, you may be looking forward to bedtime, but not bedtime struggles. Once again, a few smart home rules can make for a more relaxing experience for everyone.
- A gentle flash of lights in the playroom and bedrooms will alert kids that they need to start wrapping up and get ready for bed. If you have smart speakers around the house, you may also be able to make a multi-room announcement.
- Slowly dimming the bedroom lights as you head toward bedtime may help everyone start to calm down.
- When it’s time for lights out, a gentle flash of lights can signal that it’s time to wrap up. Five minutes later, dim the smart bulbs until they are at ideal sleeping levels in each bedroom.
- Kids may also enjoy listening to a radio (with smart outlet) or smart speaker until they automatically turn off. And if you're an Xfinity Internet customer, you can automatically pause WiFi access with the Xfinity app so your kids aren’t online playing games until midnight.
There is plenty for you to remember when the kids head back to school. Your smart home features can remove some of the scheduling so you can focus on more important things — like packing a never-ending parade of lunches.
