Purpose and benefits

Purpose and benefits of the Color Clock

Sometimes it is still possible to put your child to work. Allowing your child to play or work independently for some time sometimes becomes more difficult. If a child can't tell time yet, how does he or she know how long 5 or 10 minutes are? Some examples:

  • In 20 minutes you'll be leaving for grandma's or the zoo. How often does a child ask: 'Are we going now?'.
  • Take turns behind the computer..... each child for another 15 minutes. How do you make that clear?
  • Have one or more children in the class complete a task-oriented work within a certain time.

Sometimes the above situations are difficult to explain to children, and the child needs help with this.

Every teacher, care provider and parent is probably now thinking of times when a Color Clock can be used even more within his/her work field or at home. It depends on each child how the clock is used. What goal is being pursued?

Model B in practice

The main goal is to teach children to be independent for a period of time. From the experiences of parents/teachers who work with the Color Clock, we also know that:

  • Children are motivated to work with the Color Clock (they even ask for it)
  • Children experience peace
  • The child will actually use the time remaining within a color.

Some children may need to work on a certain skill in the group, in the classroom and at home. The advantage of a Color Clock in this case is that 'the sign' that is used is clear and the same in all situations (e.g. not a traffic light at school, but a kitchen timer at home). Another advantage of the Color Clock for children is that they can actually work constructively. One color further means being able to work independently for longer.