

Like nothing else, watching that red circle shrink into ever-smaller slices motivates my kids to finish before it’s gone. With the Time Timer, time is no longer just some abstraction that’s arbitrarily measured out by adults and robots, and safely ignored. But especially for kids who haven’t quite grasped numbers yet, that’s all just some confusing pantomime before grown-ups cruelly snatch their food away. We’d tried timers before, of course - our phones, Alexa, even an old analog egg timer. Time means nothing to them.Īfter months of breakfasts ending in frustration, yelling, and tears, we discovered the Time Timer, a 60-minute timer with a visible red disk that slowly disappears as time runs out. And, like all appeals to a 4-year-old’s sense of reason, it fails spectacularly. This is a logically sound argument, delivered calmly and without judgment. They’ll miss out on their morning playground time, while mom and dad will lose some of the few precious hours we have in which to work, exercise, and write passive-aggressive articles about them. If anything throws off this timetable - like, say, taking 45 minutes to eat a bowl of Froot Loops - then we’ll be late. We’re currently in our second year of preschool, meaning we’ve spent hundreds of mornings discussing the importance of finishing breakfast on schedule, leaving us just enough time to pick out clothes, reject those clothes, debate whether they can just wear their Elsa costumes, demand an old pair of shoes we threw out last summer, grieve for a bit, say good-bye to all of their toys like they’re heading off to war, then, finally, get in the car.

I also need them to hurry up and finish their breakfast before I lose my goddamned mind. I admit, I need more of this in my own life (and I’ve spent countless hours with meditation apps trying vainly to achieve it). I envy their ability to stop and savor life at their own pace - to be totally within the moment, and to not let worry of the future cloud the joys of the present. Monitor timed responses to assist with diagnoses.My twin daughters, like most kids, have zero concept of time.Keep sessions focused and on track, and manage time in between sessions to document notes.See at a glance how much time is left with no disruptive alarm.Helps visitors and new caregivers stick to the family routine.Shows when challenging activities will end: “Let’s go shopping for 30 minutes.”.Encourages confidence, independence and natural talents like visual thinking.Eases stressful transitions by showing “how much longer” and “here’s what ‘5 more minutes’ really means.”.Use the Time Timer anywhere to help “manage life” and develop a reliable internal clock.This is a powerful tool for visual thinkers of all ages and abilities.Īdults and children with learning disabilities & ADHD: Recommended by Autism and ADHD experts, the Time Timer displays the passage of time with a disappearing red disk. For those who learn differently, this type of abstract thinking is even more difficult and often creates a high level of anxiety. There’s a world of difference between looking at a clock and being able to say that it’s 3 o’clock and understanding “how long” 5 minutes is.
