Seven Reasons to Have a Visual Timer in Your Classroom

Timers can be a teacher’s best friend.  (Well, that sounds pretty sad when you put it that way, but you know what I mean.)  I have been through my fair share of timers…

• The timer that I set on my phone. (students can’t see it plus its not loud enough unless I turn my ringer on… nope)
• The small timer that sits on my desk. (always lost the thing)
• The magnetic timer for the board. (too small so students would stop working and check the timer)

Students know what to expect.

Okay, so technically this one is true for all timers that your students can see.  Transitions can make or break your classroom management, so by letting your students know when their time is up for a certain activity… it eliminates the SURPRISE, TIME TO CLEAN UP madness.

As we all know, some of our students with special needs especially benefit from knowing a routine and being prepared for what is to come.  This timer accomplishes that goal without singling anyone out.

It is big enough for students to see.

In my opinion, a timer is no good unless your students can see it from wherever they are working.  If they have to get up and come to the board to see how much time is left, that just interrupts their learning.  This timer is HUGE!  I set it on top of my filing cabinet, and it can be seen from all corners of the room.

It is a VISUAL timer.

When you set the timer, the red rolls out however far you push it.  As time goes, the red disappears.  This is a great visual for your students to see if they still haven’t grasped the concept of how long a minute is 😉

It is a 60 minute timer.

I love this part – it sets the stage for telling time.  Fifteen minutes looks like 15 minutes on a clock.  It may not directly correlate, but I think it primes your students to start looking at a clock and understanding how many minutes have gone by.

It is foolproof to set.

This is the easiest timer in the entire world to set.  Just touch the clear dot at the edge of the red and drag it out.  Done!  No more wasting time messing with a timer that you have to set with numbers and all that.  Nope.

It runs on batteries.

You can pick it up and take it wherever you want, because it isn’t plugged into a wall.  This came in handy when I would take my students out for extra recess – I could just set the timer and put it on the bench and they could all see how much time they had left!

BEEP BEEP BEEP!  It’s loud, but not too loud.

When the timer goes off, there is an ‘alarm like’ beeping noise.  It is loud enough to get your students’ attention, even when they are working cooperatively and the room isn’t silent.  But it’s not too loud that everyone who is working silently will jump out of their seats when the time reaches zero 😉

So there you have it.  In my opinion, this is the best classroom timer investment a teacher could make.  Check it out by clicking the image below!

What other gadgets have you found to be essential to have in YOUR classroom!!

Disclosure: I wasn’t asked to write this post for anyone, nor am I being specifically compensated  The link above IS an affiliate link, but I would have endorsed this product either way!