Stock Photo © Yekophotostudio

Visual timers for kids who have difficulty with time

Published  1 September 2018

Developing a sense of time can be a struggle for many children, especially children who have attention difficulties or limited number sense. Visual timers that represent time graphically can be helpful to children having difficulty managing time, completing tasks, or transitioning at the end of an activity. My favorite visual timers are the 3.5-inch Time Timer MOD (pictured below on the left) and the 7-inch Time Timer Plus (pictured below on the right), which are available at TimeTimer.com, Amazon.com, and many other retailers.

© Time Timer

Features

  • The passage of time is represented by the red disk that disappears as time elapses.
  • With only a glance at the timer’s red disk, children who have limited number sense can usually understand how much time is left.
  • The timer has an elegant presentation that eliminates distracting details commonly added to timers (e.g., seconds, milliseconds, blinking graphics, etc.).
  • The timer is virtually silent (and does not make “ticking” sounds).