If you or someone you know spends a good portion of their time with children (COVID homeschooling anyone?) and doesn’t already use a timer, you will after this. Timers can be used to help motivate, develop time management skills, aid with focus and so much more. Timers – One of the best tools in the parenting and teaching toolbox!
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Are you and the kids late everywhere? A timer can help get you all out of the house on time.
- Decide what time you need to leave the house NO LATER THAN.
- Plan to set your timer twice – The first time set it for 15-20 minutes before the NO LATER THAN time and once that ends, set the timer again for 5 more minutes.
- Establish Expectations (My expectations for the first timer would be something like: Clean up toys/meal/project and go to the bathroom.)
- My expectation for the second timer would be: Put shoes and coat on.
The only other thing happening after the second timer (in my expectation plan) is walking out the door. You will, of course, need to decide what you want your expectation to look like to get your own family out the door on time.
Need to review how to Establish Expectations? Click here.
If you have a kiddo you think may not get with the timer-program right away, I suggest some practice runs. Practice using the timer but not when you are needing to be somewhere that requires you to be timely. Practice when you are going to the grocery store, or to their friend’s house to play 😉, not when you need to be at a doctor’s appointment.
What if they are still not ready when the timer goes off? Then you leave anyway. No drink of water, no bathroom, no change of clothes, no time to grab anything to bring along. They go as is. Next time they will plan accordingly. Or go without again. That would be the consequence portion of not following the expectation. If they did not do the clean-up they were supposed to (that the first timer was meant to help remind them of) not to worry. The mess will still be there when you get back and should be the first thing they do when they get home, before any other play or preferred activity.
Is bedtime routine a hassle? You can use a timer any number of ways at bedtime. It can be the final notice as in, when the timer sounds, get in bed and stay there. Or it can be used more like in the example above where it is used as a transition time. I will let my grandkids know that I am setting the timer for 15 minutes. That means they have until the timer sounds to finish playing, watching, or completing whatever they are involved in. Once the timer sounds the expectation is that they prepare for bed. So, at our house that means PJ’s on, dirty clothes in the hamper, teeth brushed, and in bed. For the older two, once they are in bed, they can read. I don’t set a timer for the reading because they have a clock in their room, and I will tell them the time that lights need to be out which they watch for on the clock. With the littlest one I have already started reading with him to extend the bedtime routine before I set the 15-minute timer, giving him even more transition time. That way he is ready to go right to sleep once he is in bed.
*Have you noticed that I am saying “When the timer sounds” and not “When they hear the timer?”In my experience when you say to children “When you hear the timer you need to such and such” (especially if they are not looking forward to stopping what they are currently doing) they will never “hear” the timer. That’s their story and they are sticking to it. 😊 So now I say, “When the timer sounds, I need you to such and such” so that it is implied that they will hear it. You would be amazed at the difference in the subtle wording.
Does your child become motivated by challenging themselves? There are certain kiddos that may not generally seem intrinsically motivated, but they thrive when you set a timer for them to race themselves! “How long do you think it will take you to finish page 32 in your math book?” Then you set the timer for the amount of time they guess. It is interesting the number of kids who are able to better focus when they have a timer counting down in front of them. If they are not done by the time it goes off, it’s ok. They were just racing against themselves so there isn’t normally any upset. If they do “beat the clock” then it can add to their motivation because they have accomplished a goal that they set for themselves. Also, you can discuss how close they were to the time they gave. Did they finish early? Did they almost finish but not quite? Were they not even close? Talk about that. It is a great way to start understanding time management.
Is the pressure of being timed too stressful for your child? While some kids like the challenge of racing the clock as it counts down, we know that other personalities would find that stressful and even triggering. If that’s the case, the timer can be set to count up. In this scenario the child would probably also like to be in control of the timer. Meaning you could say, “Here’s the timer. Go ahead and push START when you are ready and then push STOP when you finish. Take your time and just try your best.” That way the time is strictly informational, but can help them focus also. Once they finish and the timer is stopped you can say something like “This shows you worked hard for 9 minutes and 32 seconds, great job!”
Timers are great for sharing. Do you get complaints about how long one kid has played with the ball? Or that someone has jumped longer on the trampoline, or stirred the cake mix more? Solution = Timer. You can set a timer to ensure that everyone has the same amount of playing, jumping, and stirring time. Have all parties agree on how much time they each get and then let the timer do the rest.
Although I just gave you the suggestion to use a timer for sharing I will also tell you that I am not a fan of micromanaging everything that kids do. I believe that parents over involve themselves in kids play and it can have a counter affect. They can become so dependent on an adult stepping in that they never learn to problem solve with their siblings and peers. Then they are at a loss on the playground when no one is available to step in. Using timers can be a great tool but be mindful not to overuse them. Sometimes the answer is just telling them to “Work it out!”
Timers – One of the best tools in the parenting and teacher toolbox. I have given several examples of ways you can use timers, but the options are truly endless. They are great for most any type of transitioning. They are also really helpful when trying to account for screen time (I suggest you follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for screen time usage to be sure they aren’t getting too much). And they are of course valuable when implementing the ever-popular “Time Out” which AAP says should last about one minute per year of age (once they understand what a time-out is.) Timers are so versatile and fabulous that you might even want to set one for a BREAK FOR YOURSELF. “Hey guys, mom needs a little bit of quiet. I’m going to set the timer for 30 minutes and you can either read or color until it sounds.”
What kind of timer should I get? There are about as many timers as there are ways to use them. You probably already have one since most everyone has a phone that comes with stopwatch and timing abilities. They are also on many of the watches available to people now, including kid watches, and if you’re at home you can use the oven timer like I recommended above. But if you are looking for something a little more accessible (when handing over your phone doesn’t sound like a good idea) or just something more fun and appealing to kids, you could try one of these:
Click on image for details
Aside from the timer on my phone because of the convenience of it, visual timers are my favorite. The “disappearing” red is very easy to see from a good distance and there is something about the contrast in color. It makes it really obvious to see how much or how little time is left, and I think that can be really motivating. But regardless of the type of timer you use, when used correctly timers can provide an additional element of support and accountability.
