We talk about time all of the TIME, but we need to teach our children to feel and understand time! When you reference a specific amount of time, often children can’t grasp how long that is.
That’s because this is a development skill - you wouldn’t ask your kid to ride a bike before they can walk or without teaching them first, right? So let’s not ask our kids to understand time before their brains know-how.
Around 3 years old (this can vary too) a child’s ability to understand time is just STARTING to develop. I love how @biglittlefeelings approach this! Kids can still hear you say “its 3pm” and respond to you… but their brains can’t imagine or visualize what 3pm is in relation to the rest of the day yet.
So when you say, we’re leaving in “5 minutes!” they can’t grasp how long 5 minutes is…. Yet! Together with them, you can build their ability to understand time.
Key Tip: compare amounts of time to something they already know. When you’re saying “3 more minutes!” Share that’s a little longer than it takes to brush your teeth. When you say “15 more minutes!” Share that 15 minutes is about half of a TV show.
Let's Talk About Time
