Here’s an effective way to use a timer when working with children :

1.Buy a manual timer ( not a sand (hourglass) timer or digital one)
*See picture below*

2. Have the child turn the timer – however much they desire!!

3. Grown-up (parent, teacher, therapist etc.) : hold the  ticking timer in hand, and sound the timer when you feel is best. Yes, when you decide time is up ( we don’t actually wait until the timer sounds by itself).

As an OT, I use this :

-To initiate the session

-To signal time for breaks (especially for children who have a hard time focusing for a full session)

-To signal when it’s time to get back from break.

Benefits: 

Use of a manual timer is great for many reasons:

It gives children a sense of control of their time

It provides auditory feedback to help provide external structure for sucessfully navigating the session and ultimately supporting internal self-regulation

The resistance of the knob while turning it is also great for sensory regulation (i.e. via proprioceptive “muscle work” input)

Not to mention, fine motor practice and strengthening, as the child engages a lateral pincer grasp to turn the knob🎉👍

Now, if you don’t have a manual timer, go ahead and get one. Don’t use your phone’s timer ( it won’t “do the trick”! )

Keep the manual timer as a trusty tool  in your bag. It may be something extra to carry, but trust me, it is worth it!!👍