A visual timer for kids that shows time running out
Young children find “five more minutes” hard to picture. A visual timer for kids makes it concrete: a bright coloured disc fills the time you set and shrinks steadily until it disappears, so a child can see how much is left without reading a clock. Use it for tidy-up time, turn-taking, getting dressed, screen time, homework sprints or a quiet calm-down corner.
Choose the classic 60-minute dial, where 15 minutes fills a quarter of the face, or Full disc, where any length starts as a whole circle — handy for very short timers with toddlers. Add a label like “Tidy up!”, pick a colour, and go fullscreen on a classroom screen or a tablet propped on the shelf.
Gentle sounds play only after you tap Start, with a mute button and an optional soft warning one minute before the end. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no sign-up.
How to use the Visual Timer for Kids
- Tap a quick time (1 to 60 minutes) or type minutes and seconds.
- Choose the face — 60-minute dial or full disc — and a colour.
- Optionally type a label, pick an end sound, or mute it.
- Tap Start (or press Space). Tap again to pause; use +1 min to add time.
- Tap the fullscreen button so the whole room can see it; press Escape or tap again to leave.
Visual Timer for Kids features
Shrinking disc
A smooth coloured wedge redrawn from the clock, so it never drifts — even if the tab sleeps.
Two faces
A 60-minute dial with numbers, or a full disc for any time up to 3 hours.
Kind sounds
Soft chime, bell or beeps at the end, a one-minute warning, and a mute button.
Fullscreen
Big and clear on a whiteboard or tablet, with a fallback on phones that block fullscreen.
Labels and colours
Five colours and your own label, such as “Shoes on” or “Reading time”.
Stays awake
Asks the screen not to sleep while running, where the browser supports it.
Why a visual timer works for toddlers and the classroom
Time is abstract for young children. A shape that gets smaller is not: they can glance at it, see that “a little bit” is left and get ready to switch. That makes transitions — from play to bath, from carpet time to tables — less of a surprise. Teachers use a visual timer for the classroom to pace group work and tidy-up, and many families use one for turn-taking so the timer, not the adult, says when the turn is over.
Some children, including some autistic children and children with ADHD, find visual schedules and timers especially helpful. If your child has a support plan, follow the strategies agreed with their teacher or therapist; this page is a simple tool, not a therapy.
Tips for using a kids timer
- Show the timer before it starts and say what happens when the disc disappears: “When the red is gone, it’s time to put the blocks away.”
- Start short. Toddlers do better with 1 to 3 minutes on the full disc than with a long countdown.
- Use the one-minute warning as a cue to finish up, not to stop suddenly.
- Keep the colour the same for the same job so it becomes part of the routine.
- For longer work-and-break cycles for older children, try the pomodoro timer; to count down to a date or an event, use the countdown timer; and to plan daily screen time, see the screen time calculator.
How the disc is drawn
On the 60-minute dial, the wedge covers the minutes left out of 60: 10 minutes is one sixth of the circle (60°), and 30 minutes is half. On the full disc, the wedge is the share of the time you set, so 5 minutes left of 10 is half the disc. The time is worked out from the start time and the clock on every frame, rather than counted tick by tick, so it stays accurate if the screen locks or the tab is in the background.
Visual Timer for Kids FAQ
What is a visual timer for kids?
A timer that shows time passing as a shape — here, a coloured disc that shrinks — so children who cannot read a clock can still see how long is left.
Can I use this visual timer in the classroom?
Yes. Open it on the classroom screen, tap the fullscreen button, choose a big colour and a label, and use Space to start and pause.
What is the best visual timer setting for toddlers?
Short times on the Full disc face — 1 to 3 minutes — with a soft chime. Show your toddler the disc before you start.
Does it work without sound?
Yes. Tap Sound on to switch to Sound off; the disc and the “Time’s up!” message still show the end.
Will the kids timer keep running if the screen locks?
The time stays correct because it is based on the clock. Where supported, the page also asks the screen to stay awake while the timer runs.
Is it free?
Yes — no sign-up and nothing to install. It runs entirely in your browser.