In a large household such as ours where there are more little bodies than large ones, a basic timer is a blessing. Mom no longer has to keep a close watch on the clock.
Example One: Nap or rest time for the 3 year old is set at 2pm. Once lunch is over, I set the timer for it. When she hears it, she’ll stop all her play and go up to the bedroom by herself.
Without any fuss.
At the beginning (as with all new things) she’d protest but after a week of consistent usage, she happily goes upstairs and rests.
Example Two: Computer usage is limited to 30 minutes each. Thereafter, each child who either played or watched is required to rest his/her eyes for 5 minutes by looking out of the window.
So before they play a game, they’ll automatically set the timer. There’s no need for me to be the stopwatch.
There are countless uses for a timer – boiling soup/limiting computer usage (for mom!)/etc. So simple. So basic. And such a helpful tool for me!
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