A 15 minute timer you can see
Fifteen minutes is a good block for one clear job: a quarter of an hour that you can see.
This is a visual timer. The time is a blue disk that shrinks as the minutes pass: more disk, more time. You can read it in one glance from across a room, with no numbers to work out. The last minute turns amber, and the end is one soft chime.
What 15 minutes are good for
- Reading time, alone or together.
- Screen-time turns between brothers and sisters.
- A quarter of an hour of practice: music, spelling or handwriting.
- Resetting one room before visitors arrive.
One tip
For turns on a screen, let the child who is waiting hold the timer. They can see their turn coming, and the child who is playing can see the end coming too. Fewer surprises means fewer arguments.
Other timer lengths
1 min · 2 min · 3 min · 5 min · 10 min · 15 min · 20 min · 25 min · 30 min · 45 min · 60 min
Need a different length? Type any number of minutes from 1 to 180 in the Custom box, or open the main visual timer, which remembers the length you used last. For work and break cycles that run themselves, use the pomodoro timer.
Why a shape works better than numbers
Numbers only help if you can feel what "15 minutes" is like. For many children, and for many people with ADHD, that feeling is unreliable. This is often called time blindness. A disk that shrinks turns time into something you can see, so nobody has to guess. More in our guide to visual timers.
Questions about the 15 minute timer
How do I use a 15 minute timer for screen time?
Agree the rule first: "when the disk is gone, the screen goes off." Start the timer where your child can see it. The last minute turns amber, which is a warning they can spot on their own.
Why does the timer stay calm at the end?
It plays one soft chime and turns amber, never red. A loud alarm can cause panic, and panic makes stopping harder.
Is this 15 minute timer free?
Yes. It is free, with no signup and no account. It runs in your browser on a phone, tablet, laptop or classroom screen.
Does the 15 minute timer make a loud alarm?
No. It plays one soft chime at the end and the disk turns amber, not red. You can switch the sound off with the bell button.