Time Blindness in Kids: What It Is and How to Help
Does your child lose track of time, fail to plan ahead, and underestimate the amount of time a task will take? This is time blindness. But you can help!
What Is Time Blindness?
Time blindness is the inability to gauge the passage of time.
Your child may have time blindness if you notice a pattern in the following areas.
Loses Track of Time During an Activity
Some children get so absorbed by an activity that they lose all track of time.
Can’t Estimate Task Time
If you give your child a task and he cannot estimate how long it will take, this could indicate time blindness.
For instance, he may think cleaning his room will take five minutes when it will really take thirty (or the other way around).
Finds It Difficult to Plan Ahead
If you can’t tell how long a task will take, planning ahead to complete the task is very challenging.
Many times, kids with time blindness will inadvertently procrastinate because they underestimate the amount of time a task will take.
As a result, they often miss deadlines.
Is Often Late
You may not notice lateness if you have a young child, since they are dependent on you for their coming and going.
Older children and teens with time blindness are often late.
You may see lateness manifest in not being ready on time. You may think they are just moving slowly (and that may be a component), but it also may be time blindness.
What Causes Time Blindness?
Having a sense of time is an executive functioning skill that develops as a child grows.
Like other executive functioning skills, a sense of time is tied to the prefrontal cortex, which fully develops in the mid-20s.
Time perception can be disrupted in neurodivergent persons, particularly those with ADHD or autism.
Time perception is closely tied to working memory, so if working memory is short, it is difficult to gauge the passage of time.
People prone to hyperfocus or distractibility also struggle with sensing the passage of time.
Strategies to Help with Time Blindness
If your child is struggling with time blindness, you can help them with these simple (and sometimes fun) strategies.
Visual Timers
Make time visual with this visual countdown timer.
With one glance, kids can see the remainder of the hour as a chunk of a pie chart.
Color-Coded Schedules
If you already have a daily schedule displayed, you can enhance it with color-coding based on time.
Put morning tasks in one color, afternoon tasks in another, and evening tasks in a different color.
Kids can then immediately see what needs to be done when.
Countdown Charts
Use small stick notes to count down the chunks of time until a activity happens, like a homework break or bedtime.
After each chunk of time has elapsed, the child can peel off the sticky note.
Not only does this help with planning and transitions, it gives kids a more concrete sense of time.
Mini Deadlines
Larger tasks or goals need to be broken down into smaller, manageable tasks.
Set a bunch of mini deadlines to hit along the way as your child progresses toward her goal.
Time Transitions
When a child has time blindness, transitioning from one activity to another is difficult. Every transition feels abrupt.
Use actual number time cues to help kids transition (and stick to those times).
Say, “In five minutes, we are going to leave the library.” Make sure you follow through by leaving in five minutes.
Always give a final cue as well, notifying the child of 1 or 2 minutes until the transition.
Picture Routines
Pre-readers will benefit from pictures of routines.
For example, make the going-to-bed routine a picture checklist.
You can print the checklist, laminate it, and use a dry-erase marker to physically tick off the tasks before bedtime.
Time Tracker Apps
Time tracker apps help with productivity and time management.
Young kids will love the reward system with apps like Goally.
Teens may like the digital planner and time tracker tool with Microsoft To Do or Brili.
Do you want to start with something simple? Try Time Timer.
Personalized Planners
Teens with time blindness benefit from planners, but only if they actually use them!
Let your teen customize their planner with stickers or decals to truly make it their own. They are much more likely to use it.
Labeled Alarms
Typical alarms are not enough of a reminder for someone with time blindness.
Use digital alarms that notify you of the appointment or to-do item.
For a simple alarm clock on your phone, try Rise.
The app Alarmed works for iPad and iPhone and is a dual planner and labeled alarm system.
Beat the Timer Game
Turn ordinary tasks into a race against time.
Say, “Let’s see how many toys we can put away in 5 minutes.”
Race to complete the task before the timer sounds.
Guess the Time Game
This simple routine/game will help kids get a sense of the passage of time.
Before dessert (or some other fun and consistent part of the day), ask your child to close their eyes for thirty seconds.
They will have to listen to their own internal clock to guess how long thirty seconds is.
Use a timer to see how accurate they are.
Play this game every night but use a different amount of time: one minute, two minutes, 45 seconds, etc.
On-Time Reward System
You know that an accurate perception of time will benefit your child, but you need to motivate them to work on the skill.
Come up with a reward system for times when they successfullly complete tasks on time, follow their planner, etc.
A little positive reinforcement goes a long way.
Helping Kids with Time Blindness
If your kid has time blindness, don’t sit on the sidelines!
Use these games and strategies to improve their perception of time and accomplish their goals.
