The Parents Guide to Visual Timers

Under 3’s - Time doesn’t exist yet, babies and toddlers live entirely in the moment. They react to what’s happening in front of them right there right now.

Ages 3-4 - They get a feel for time, but mainly due to repetition. “Ten minutes” doesn’t really mean anything, and yesterday can mean anything from three weeks ago, to last year.

Age 5-6 - This is when it starts to change, they know yesterday, they count in numbers of sleeps, they know ‘soon’ or ‘later’. But it’s not reliable or consistent.

Age 6-8 - Slowly, a real, logical understanding of time starts to develop. It might not be the best time-management strategies you’ve seen, but that development is starting to stick.

What age is your little one at?

We’re leaving in ten minutes … We can go to the park later this afternoon … Just give me a minute … Dinner is ready in five minutes …

We constantly use measurements of time in talking to our kids, but to a little one, you might as well be speaking a foreign language. 

The meltdown when it’s time to turn the TV off, even though you told them they only have ten more minutes of screen time left? The literal flop-on-the-ground at the park because you said it’s time to go (for the 4th time)? That’s not being difficult, or throwing a tantrum, that’s simply being caught off guard.

You can tell them “five more minutes.” You can even set a timer on your phone, and wait for the alarm to sound. But this doesn’t show them how long five minutes actually is, or what it feels like.

That’s where visual timers come in. There’s a few ways to visualize time;

• The analog clock with a coloured in wedge – “we have to leave the house when the little hand is at 8”
• A digital countdown timer or app – “bath time is finished when you hear the alarm”
• Hourglass timers – “we finish watching TV when the sand runs out”
• Kitchen / wind-up timers – “we’ll set a timer for five minutes and then it’s time to sit down for dinner”

I’ve been experimenting with visual timers for a couple of years now and one thing we have learnt is the more tactile, the better. The digital countdown on your phone tells them when time is up, but doesn’t show them that time is passing. I really don’t need another screen or another battery to change, and I definitely need something they can operate independently. 

A visual timer means no beeping, no flashing lights - a simple hourglass timer. There’s nothing to decode, they literally just watch the time pass. My five year old now brings the timer when her sister is having trouble sharing - “It’s your turn for two minutes, then it’s my turn” she says. 

Whatever tool you choose, the goal is the same. We want our kids to have an understanding of time, to know how much time is left before a task needs to be completed.

Give your child something they can see, not just something they’re told.