July 22, 2008
Try This Tuesday #1: Using a Timer
It's time for the first official Try This Tuesday, and I hope you will participate by sharing a creative solution you have found to make your child's life or your family's life a little bit easier. For more information about how this meme will work, you can read the welcome post, but here are the basics:
- Post a challenge and the way you have dealt with it on your blog. Don’t be afraid to share something that seems insignificant; if it works for you, you have no idea how many other families it might help as well.
- Sign the Mr. Linky below this post with the direct link to your Try This Tuesday post (not your blog homepage).
- Click the other links in the Mr. Linky to get ideas and suggestions from others and hopefully make some new friends in the process.
- We all love comments! Please leave a comment on the weekly post here at 5MFSN and also comment on the posts you visit if you can.
And now, on to my first idea to try!
One item that gets a lot of use at our house is the timer. We use it for many purposes, most of which are related to giving structure to the day and making transitions go more smoothly. Anything that helps us avoid a meltdown is definitely worth its weight in gold around here!
Here are some of the ways we have used our timer:
- A timer can show how long until an event will start and thus ease the transition into the next item on the schedule. I use this often to make it clear when dinner will be ready or when we will need to leave the house to go somewhere.
- It can also be used to make it clear how long an activity will last, whether it is a preferred activity like TV or computer time or a non-preferred task like cleaning up or doing homework. This awareness can help reduce the whining and complaining about how much time is left or when Mom says "all done."
- Another way a timer can be helpful is to encourage waiting patiently. If it is clear how long until Mom will be off the phone, it is that much easier to refrain from interrupting her every 30 seconds. (In my book, stretching out the interruptions to every 60 seconds is an improvement, but often my son will wait even longer when he knows the timer has been set.)
- Of course, a timer can also be used for its original purpose - to measure the length of a time-out. (Seriously, isn't that why they were invented?)
What kind of timer you use depends on your child. We commonly use our small kitchen timer that can be clipped on a belt or stood up on a table. If a loud timer will upset your child or you need a more concrete representation of time, you may want to try a visual solution like the Time Timer®, which comes in various sizes and with or without sound.
Another technique I have seen used is to make laminated picture cards with the numbers 1-5 on them and use Velcro® to put them on a schedule board. Then you can take them away one at a time, starting with the number 5, to show the time until the next transition. One advantage here is that the actual length of time is variable depending on how you use it; it could even be used to represent specific tasks instead of time, such as picking up 5 toys before clean-up time is over.
My son has responded very well to this technique and sometimes will even ask to use the timer on his own. I would love to hear how you use your timer and also look forward to reading your own Try This Tuesday posts.
Find out more about Trish
Read Trish's weekly column
You can also find Trish at her blog, Another Piece of the Puzzle.
Filed under Stuff We Love, Tips and Tricks, Try This Tuesday by Trish
It's Your Turn To Help...
Thanks! Kirtsy is our Favorite. :)
11 Comments on Try This Tuesday #1: Using a Timer »
#1 - Melody @ 1:21 am
Really, I must stop being first on these memes…it seems as though I have no life. Oh yeah, I don't.
We love the timer at our house and would never try to live without it. You have good ideas for using it.
#2 - PsychMamma @ 8:39 am
Trish -
I love the ideas for timer use! We have one and use it for a couple "traditional" things, but I never even thought about incorporating it while I'm on the phone or working on the computer! Maybe that will help limit interruptions while I'm blogging or answering emails. Thanks for some great tips!
http://psychmamma.wordpress.com
#3 - Jenny @ 10:04 am
Our therapists have suggested this forever. Why have I not done it?? Okay, no more putting it off, I'm going to go get a timer! Thanks for the tip!
#4 - Carol Russell @ 10:48 am
When we have a behavior problem, my little guy has a time out but instead of a timer we use a song. I know this sound hokey but it works. He has to sing a determined number of songs while in time out. This keeps his mind busy and redirects in a positive happy way. We developed this because regular time out did not work he spent the entire time thinking about the offence and just got more angry.
#5 - Rickismom @ 12:34 pm
I have a daughter, Ricki (did you guess LOL?), who is almost 14 and has DS+ADHD. I found the timer useful in doing homework. On one side, she wanted, as a teen, more independence. But since she is included, she does need help at times with her homework. So I would explain a task, set the time for 5 minute, telling her that she should work alone for 5 minutes, and then when the timer rang, I came to check if she was doing OK, needed help, etc.
#6 - jollyholly @ 12:56 pm
Love the timer suggestions. We use a timer with our *typical* needs kids and these ideas would work well for them, too. I plan to look into the visual timer for my special needs girl. Thanks!
#7 - poetry&lotions @ 2:25 pm
Staying on the timer topic, we us it for cleanup. I set the timer for 10 minutes (or however messy the room is, I determine how much time is appropriate) and they start cleaning. If they give me an attitude or just move slowly, I warn them that what ever is left on the floor after the timer goes off, I will be giving that toy(s) to less-fortunate kids who will take better care of their toys and not leave them on the floor.
I've actually followed through once when the kids were being extra defiant for me one day. That's the only time I've had to do it. They now know I mean business!
**FYI, I do give them ample time to clean. If they're doing it with a good effort and good attitude, I'm not going to give their toys away.
#8 - Trish @ 3:16 pm
Thank you all for your great comments - I love the idea of using the timer to help kids become more independent and I have taken toys away in the past (although just for a few days)!
Carol - I think using a song to measure time outs is awesome! I have heard to use it for brushing teeth and hand washing, but this is ingenious. Singing is very calming for my son and definitely helps change the atmosphere.
I have learned so much visiting all the participants and can hardly wait until next week! But first I have to find a great photo so I can be the first one on Melody's meme tomorrow.
#9 - lonestar818 @ 10:31 pm
I'm a little late to the party… work has been crazy and little man is in one of his insomniac spells (he's still awake but he's calm at least). Hopefully I'm not too late (after all, it's still Tuesday for another hour and a half!)
Trish - I love the timer idea! We've used the microwave timer with our older boys a lot and it works great, because they can see the numbers counting down. I haven't heard the number card idea before, I think that might work well with our little guy. Thanks!
#10 - Michelle @ 3:17 am
I love your velcro board idea Trish! Especially the idea of using it as a visual for some more abstract concepts - thanks for the great tip!
#11 - Try This Tuesday #2 @ 12:01 am
[...] you so much to everyone who left comments and posted their tips on our first Try This Tuesday last week. There were so many great ideas to learn from; I especially liked the idea from Carol [...]