Keeping the family entertained while limiting screen time is a challenge in normal circumstances, but now more than ever, we're turning to screens for a sense of escape and normalcy. And to a certain extent, that's OK — it's all about striking a balance.

Another interactive form of entertainment in your home can now take the shape of a light switch — unobtrusive and simple in form, yet full of fun options for the entire family. We're talking about Instinct, our Alexa-powered light switch.

An Instinct for family fun

With Alexa inside of this smart light switch, there's no need for another Alexa device.

So besides streaming music, eBooks and podcasts, or controlling your lights and Alexa-enabled smart home accessories with voice commands, you can use Instinct to play just about any type of game you can think of: role-playing, choose-your-own adventure, educational, strategy, tabletop, puzzles, quizzes, humor, mystery, and more. 

Build your skills 

You access these games by turning on Skills, which are just like apps on your phone. Enable Skills with a voice command, or in the Amazon Alexa app. If you're new to Alexa and Skills, check out this guide to see what else you can do. Games are just one subset of Skills you can take advantage of to get even smarts from your Instinct. 

Most Skills are free, which is a huge plus. There are thousands of games you can choose to play with Alexa devices like Instinct. If you feel like browsing yourself, here are the highest rated games to choose from. You can also find plenty of adult games for your next video happy hour. 

If you're not sure where to start, check out the list below. You'll find plenty to keep you and your family busy for days on end. 

Choose-your-own adventure

Your decisions decide what happens next. There are usually multiple paths, keeping you and the family busy for hours. Try acting out some of the adventure in your home and dress up for the game you're playing to get into character; use your imagination! When you enable the Skill, just double check the audience the game is intended for. Some games are for mature audiences only. 

Magic Door
Tell Alexa what choices to make as you explore a magical land with various regions, including a forest, sea, garden and castle. You'll collect hidden items, solve riddles, and help magical creatures. This is a great game to get started with. It utilizes Alexa's "voice" as your guide. Many games also take advantage of voice actors. 

 Explore ancient ruins in order to uncover the secret of a cursed painting hidden deep inside an abandoned castle, and stop the undead curse plaguing the kingdom in this expansive RPG.

This isn't just one game, but a voice-publsishig platform with a variety of content. Enjoy audio stories you play with your voice, featuring voice acting and sound effects like in a radio drama. You become part of the story, interacting with characters to affect how events unfold. 

Engaging adventures for ages five and older. Children and families first select an animal to rescue, and then the journey begins.

Bring the family together

These games are great for bringing the family together around the table for both a good challenged, and a belly full of laughter. 

Escape the Room
You're trapped in a room. Search your room, pick up items, and solve puzzles to find your way out. There are several rooms to choose from. 

No melody to help; guess the song just by hearing lyrics.

Answer ludicrous and silly questions written especially for kids.

Brain teasing trivia quiz game where you need to decide whether statements are true or false.

For kids and toddlers 

Ask SillyThings to give you something to do and it will give you something funny to act out. 

Mischievous elves have kidnapped the Tree Queen, and she can only be rescued if you, her best mathematician, unlock the charms that are keeping her hidden. Kids 6-8 use early elementary math facts, solve word problems, and stretch their imaginations and vocabularies in a quirky tree house castle full of surprises and kid-friendly humor.

Kids get to become different animals while getting exercise. 

Bust out your best moves and when the beat stops, you freeze. 

New questions daily for children ages 5-12, from animals and science to brainteasers and fun facts.

Play games like hide and seek with Elmo. 

Bonus tip: Smarter screen-time control

It can be difficult to keep tabs on TV time these days, but the iDevices Wall Outlet can help. It looks just like a standard outlet, and doesn't require any additional wiring or setup beyond connecting it to the iDevices Connected app. It works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and IFTTT. 

When Wall Outlet is off, it completely cuts power to the device plugged in. Plug TVs into Wall Outlet in the areas your kids usually spend their evenings gaming or watching shows. Set a schedule based on your daily screen time limits. This can differ by age, weekdays and weekends.

If bedtime is 9 p.m. on weeknights, and you want your kids to read for a half-hour before bed, set Wall Outlet to turn on at 6 p.m. and off at 8:30 p.m., so the kids will only have access to that TV for a set period every weeknight after dinner; and you won't have to continually check up on them to make sure it's actually off. You can do the same for gaming consoles plugged into Wall Outlet. 

Set different schedules on the weekend to allow for more screen time if you like. You have the power to set up to 24 individual schedules per Wall Outlet, so you can really get granular with how you control TV time. Click here to learn more about product schedules. 

We hope the insights and tips above help keep your household connected and entertained. Don't hesitate to reach out to our customer experience team with any questions, and connect with us on social for more smart home insights.