Young children often have a hard time grasping the concept of elapsed time. The first step in teaching them time management is to give them a tangible way to measure the minutes.
The Time Timer does this beautifully. By giving them a good grasp of how much time "15 minutes" or "half an hour" really is, they are better able to manage their own study time, and gain time-management skills.
We use the Time Timer for a variety of tasks:
My 8 year old uses it for piano practice. She knows that if she gets lost in practice she ends up getting behind on her other plans for the day. While she’s able to read a regular clock, seeing the red countdown keeps her time closer to the forefront of her mind. (And she can come back and do additional practice later in the day.)
My 6 year old enjoys using it for her math and reading time, and my 2 and 3 year olds like just having me set it for random things so that they can get an idea of how long activities take.
Domestic Chaos Tamer and Homeschool Mom of Five, Dell writes about home, heart and hearth.
