Lori Sullivan, an IT consultant in Malverne, New York, is thankful to get that help from a well-structured home automation supported by Google products. 

Sullivan uses the Google Home app on her Pixel phone to help keep her three boys on track during the day. Before heading back to school, a morning alarm sent out through the Nest Mini speakers in her boys’ rooms helps wake them up. They also get evening reminders as they wind down for bed and get ready for the next day. 

“I was an early adopter of Google products, so I’ve been creating my own systems for a while,” Sullivan said. “But I love how easy Google Home is.”

As summer ends and your children head back to school, Pixel can get them started with their days. You can set up home automations for morning wake-ups, nighttime wind-downs, and throughout the day to keep after-school activities and play dates on schedule. Kids can also use Google Assistant on Pixel phones and the Pixel Tablet to help with homework. And whether your children are using their devices while commuting, studying, or hanging out with their friends, Pixel’s safety features can help keep them safe. 

For many parents, routines are important, no matter what each day brings. Zachary Hoffman and his wife work two different schedules, but are diligent about maintaining their daughter Lily’s morning and nighttime routines.  

“There’s so much about a kid that’s unpredictable,” Hoffman said. “So the more predictability you can have, the easier your life will be.” 

Custom Routines that work seamlessly with your smart home devices can take some of the stress out of even the most hectic days.^1,,,2 Instead of setting a jarring alarm, you can create a home automation that gradually turns on your smart lights to simulate a sunrise.³ To help your kids concentrate on their homework on weekday afternoons, ask Google Assistant to set your Nest speaker to play a customized playlist of focus-time music. 

Sullivan uses her Google Nest devices as intercoms by asking Google Assistant to send voice messages to other devices in her house. “If I want one of my kids to come down for breakfast, I’ll just tell Google Assistant to broadcast a message that plays on his Nest Mini,” Sullivan said. And for recurring announcements like leaving for the bus or homework hour, you can even schedule broadcasts using home automations.

A well-maintained calendar goes a long way toward quelling chaos. The Pixel Tablet can help with that. With the Google Calendar app, you easily view a schedule or day/week/month views for the whole family – so you always know what’s coming up that day and what fun events to look forward to over the weekend.

Beyond helping parents set routines, the Pixel Tablet and Pixel 8a are also great options to help your kids in school. Sullivan’s children use their Pixel devices as study tools by asking Google Assistant to give historical context for a book they’re reading or check their work on math problems. 

“There’s a new way of doing math now, and I’m less familiar with it,” Sullivan said. “So when we need to check my son’s work, he’ll use Google Assistant to verify that he’s done it correctly.” 

For after-school learning, they can use Google Kids Space on the Pixel Tablet, which launches a kids mode with recommended books, videos, apps, and games based on their interests. Kids Space helps your child access appropriate and engaging content and works with Family Link for parental controls.

To help keep your child safer as they head back to school and go to activities, you can stay connected on the go through the Family Link app. You can locate your child and get critical notifications when your child arrives or leaves a certain location as long as their phone is with them. And contact widgets make it easy to call or text family.

Their web traffic will also be secure when they browse online with their Pixel phones, thanks to Pixel VPN.⁴ Sullivan said she’s found a VPN to be particularly important because she can’t always monitor what her children do online.

“They turn their phones into hotspots and share data with friends, so it’s really important that they’re protected,” Sullivan said. “After all, kids will be kids.”