Sand Timers

Sand timers are a great and quiet visual tool to help your students who need help transitioning, focusing, or to give them another level of independence. In the past I have used visual timers a lot when I allow free time. When I forget a timer, tantrums can arise because there was no warning for them to be ready to put the fun thing away and move onto work. The timer is then a great visual to show them that they have this much time for their preferred activity and that when it ends it’s time to put stuff away.

I have started to use the visual timer this year to help my students focus. I have a few hyperactive kiddos that need that timer to know that during these 5 minutes I have to give all of my focus and that when it’s over I can relax. A great way to start this out is to start with the least amount of time from 30 seconds to a minute if your student is really struggling with focusing. Once they have mastered being able to focus for 30 seconds then move to the next timer and so on. Make sure that once they have focused for that time they then get a preferred activity like playing a game, an edible, or iPad time.

Another reason to use a timer is to allow your students to be self sufficient. If you tell them they have 5 minutes to finish their warm up activity they can get the timer and start it on their own. It is a great way to allow them to do the activity independently and keep track of their time. In my class we run on a very tight schedule and I am constantly timing us to keep us on track. If your students are then able to do this themselves they can transfer this skill into their own lives later in life.

I found this great article that goes into even more detail of what a timer can be used for that I may not have used myself yet by Friendship Circle . I hope this may help you accommodate for a student who may benefit from a visual sand timer in the class.

Happy Teaching :)