One of the cool little extras that’s included with every Mac computer is the speech function. Simply highlight some text and you can get one of 24 different voices to read to you. Even though it’s really cool, I haven’t found much use for it in my life except to entertain the kiddos.

I’ve found that my kids (4 & 7) love it when the computer calls them in to have a chat. They usually don’t want to stop. Check out our example below…

 

 

How to Make Your Mac Computer Talk To Your Kids:

1. Go to System Preferences

2. In the System section, select “Speech”

3. Select the voice you want to use from the drop down list. Test them out to hear which one you like best. We used “Junior” in the video.

4. Set a key combination to press when you want the computer to speak. I use command/shift/R

5. Highlight a piece of text somewhere, press your key combination and you’ve got a talking computer!

It’s best to type out your text beforehand to make the conversation flow. I’ll paste the text I used in the video to give you a head start.

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Hey Kids Come Over Here! I want to talk to you!

I’m lonely over here – can you talk with me?

Hello, I am a computer, my name is Mac.

I see a boy and a girl sitting there – hello, little boy, what’s your name?

Hi _____, how old are you?

___?, wow, you are getting old!

Hello little girl, what’s your name?

Hi _______, how old are you?

Wow, you are getting to be a big girl.

Do you like unicorns and princesses?

I like them, too.

What is your favorite toy, Wesley?

I like that, too. Could I play with you sometime when your daddy is done working on me?

Would you like to hear a joke?

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get to the other side!

Do you know my friend Wall E?

Robots and computers make good friends.

Wall E is a good friend of mine – would you like me to say hi to him for you?

Can I tell you something very important?

Make sure you eat your vegetables so you grow up big and strong, okay?

It’s important to listen to your mommy and daddy because they love you very much. Make sure you give them a hug and kiss for me, okay?

I love them very much, too. Even though they get frustrated with me sometimes.

Sometimes I don’t work very well. I get so tired and I want to go to sleep but your daddy still wants to work on me. Can you tell him to be patient for me?

He needs to learn how to take a break sometimes.

I can tell that your dad wants to get back to work – I really liked talking with you kids. Can we do it again sometime?

Bye Bye _____ – Bye Bye ____ – Be Good!

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