It may have been the best $2.95 I’ve ever spent.
While we were picking up school supplies last week, I grabbed this handy little kitchen timer. I thought it might be something nice to try while I work to keep four boys on task and productive and happy during school time.
And so far…it’s working. It’s WORKING! I love it when things work!
When the boys need a break between phonics and math, I have them set the timer for ten minutes. For ten blessed minutes, they go shoot things and defeat things and build things and knock them over and do all the things boys like to do when they have free time. In the meantime, I wash a few dishes…look over papers…close my eyes…whatever I need to do with ten minutes of quiet.
When the timer goes off, they run back in and are ready to hit the math books.
We’ve also used the timer while the boys are reading books so that they don’t ask twenty times, “How much longer should I read?” They just read until the timer goes off (and then they read some more if they want to).
In the evenings we’ve started a “Ten Minute Tidy” to see how many things they can pick up before the timer goes off.
I’m SO GLAD this little gadget is working. But here’s what I’d like to know:
Why in the world do the boys respond so well to a little ticky thing that has a VERY annoying ~BZZZZZZZT~ to let them know that their time is up…when they could just come down the stairs when their mother’s sweet, loving voice calls them down to do math?
It’s another one of those great mysteries.
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This post is linked to Works for me Wednesday.
My husband loves the title of your post. I had to share the last little bit with him as I found it very amusing. Life’s mysteries…I got one of these once…brand new from the store and it never worked properly…very disappointing. We do set the timer on the oven though for certain things. Thanks for sharing!
Timers are WONDERFUL!!! We used them all the time when we homeschooled. Still use them a good bit for things like chores and wii time. They work GREAT for motivation!
I started using a timer, too…when my son was taking 2 hours to finish his math. Wouldn’t you know, the second I started using that timer, it took him 20 minutes. You’re right…boys & timers…who knew? ;)
I just use an oven timer but for the same purpose. Also I give my 3 year old playroom time for 30-45 minutes each school day so I can work on phonics with my son. It also teaches her to be more self sufficient.
This is an excellent tip, one that I will definitely use when we start school next week!
What I’ve noticed is that the timer can be an unbiased third party. There’s no compromising or bargaining with a timer. I occasionally used one when I taught elem. school and the kids liked it. Really, they actually liked it!
Note to self add timer to next shopping list :)
I use the timer on my watch throughout the day! It helps to ease lots of transitions for my preschoolers.
Timers are wonderful inventions! And I think it IS the non-mother tone that makes it work. I need to use it more often.
I lover timers! Along with timers, I have a bowl with names of rooms or chores to be cleaned on strips of paper. You mix it up and pick one out of the bowl and then handle that chore for the duration of the timer.
I think it is because boys like competition and somehow timers remind them of races, etc. Just a thought!!!
We use a timer for timed math drills, but otherwise my kids hate them. My daughter when she was younger would burst into tears when the timer came out. She is such a free spirit, that panic mode would set in if she thought something had to be accomplished by the set time. My son does nothing until the timer rings. I’d rather the math get done than to look at a blank page. I, however, use the timer for the speedy clean and find them a useful tool.
I’m horrible at motivating myself to get things done. So I set a timer for 10 minutes and when it goes off, I get up and work. Sometimes I even set the timer for portions of my work so that I make sure I get everything done. I love that thing.
What a FABULOUS idea. I might have to employ this timer trick! (Does it work on husbands???)
Timers are wonderful tools! They don’t work for my wife so well because she often just turns it off to finish what she was working on and forgets to go on to the next thing [smile]. But timers have helped me quite a bit over the years.
One guess as to why timers may be so great for boys comes from Why Gender Matters, in which Dr. Sax points out that boys typically work better in slightly stressful situations. Maybe?
~Luke
I LOVE my timer – it’s amazing what can be done in 15 minutes! I get the electronic ones at the dollar store – that way I can clip it to my clothing and go anywhere and not forget that I even set a timer .
We use it in school for break time as well; 10 minutes is just enough time to get out the wiggles and giggles and everything else for the next 30 – 45 minutes.
Ready, set, go!!!
We are timer people as well! Yesterday I cleaned my whole house using the timer. 15 minutes in each room. My son found one online that he loves to use for reading. It’s has a buzzer that sounds just like a score board. Pretty cool!
we use the timer, too:) I use it for school as well as for chores. I even use it for myself! It is a great motivator and helps keep us on task. I love it! :)
LOL! Answering to their sweet mother’s voice—we have timers here too and they respond to them better than me! :) I even picked up 2 more because I kept finding that someone was always using it when another kid needed it
I love my timer! It also works great for brushing teeth–they set if for two minutes and brush until it dings.
Thanks for the tip. I will try this with my 5 yr old son. On top of being all boy he has ADHD as well. The structure and routine are important. I can see where a timer would help him know when things start and stop.
I got a blue one! and yeah, it’s a really good thing, especially for 8 yo boys….
Timers are wonderful to use with your kids. They remove you from the situation. We have been using one with our son for years, and he knows that when the timer goes off, “it’s just time” to stop. Some mentioned using them for reading… did you know there are bookmarks called Mark My Time that have a timer that counts up or down, depending on the need of the reader? These helped our son as well, and we were removed from the process of keeping track of the time for him!
I need to get a new one. Our old one got worn out, but everything works so much smoother with it.
my mom used a timer for everything when we were kids but id forgotten all about it. looks like i need to get one.
and keep the homeschool posts coming. my oldest is only 2.5 but i love hearing what works for people…
What a great tip. I also use a timer like this to remind me of a myriad of things. Multi tasking can lead me to forgetting something important like changing the laundry or stirring the beans etc. So I use one and carry it through the house with me!!
Please stop by my blog when you have time-which might be a long time from now!! I blog to encourage MOMS in the fine art of Christian mothering.
Stop by tomorrow to play 5 Things Friday if you get a chance. Write a post on 5 of your favorite summer activities for children and then link up to my blog. Blessings as you walk with the Lord and train up your flock in the way they should go!
My boys love a good timer, too. :) They get the dishes done 10x faster when I time them!
As a retired Kindergarten teacher I couldn’t have made it through the day without my timers. They kept both the children and myself on schedule. I worked on center method where the children worked in different parts of the room at different amounts of time. The times help them be more self sufficient and boosted their confidence knowing they had more control over their day.
The down side was multiply times going off…
Hugs and blessings,
Vikki