Visual timer for kids, classrooms and focus

An online tool that shows the time remaining as a shape: a shrinking disc, a ring, a bar, countable dots, a candle burning down. The digits can be switched off entirely, which makes the countdown readable to anyone who cannot yet read a clock and to anyone whose sense of elapsed time does not report. It also fixes the worst moment of any timer — the end. This one warns you first and swells the signal in from silence instead of hitting full volume with no notice.

How to use it

Set the duration with the fields, a quick-pick chip, or straight on the dial — drag around it the way you would turn a real timer.

Choose what shows the time: disc, ring, bar, dots, fill, candle or bubbles. The previews are live, so pick by looking.

Under "Signal and behaviour" decide how early to warn and how to finish: sound, flash, vibration, or any combination.

Press Start. The "+1", "+5" and "+10 min" buttons extend a running countdown without resetting it.

For a board use fullscreen; to work over a presentation use "Float on top". Space starts and pauses, "F" toggles fullscreen.

Run a countdown readable from the back row — and one that ends gently

05:00

Duration

min

sec

Quick pick

How to show time

Colour

Signal and behaviour

Warn before the endA quiet cue a few minutes early, so the ending never arrives out of nowhere.

Gentle endingThe signal swells in from silence over several seconds instead of hitting full volume at once.

Sound at the endEach choice plays as you pick it — listen for what suits the room.

Volume

Screen flashA slow pulse instead of sound. Kept below three flashes per second; with "reduce motion" on it simply tints the screen. Flash colour Flash speed

VibrationWorks on Android; iOS and desktop browsers do not support vibration.

Show digitsTurn off for anyone who cannot read a clock yet — only the shape remains.

Proportional to an hourThe whole dial is one hour, so 15 minutes fills a quarter — this is how the dial teaches time.

Keep the screen onWhile the timer runs, a tablet or classroom board will not fall asleep.

Stages: several blocks in a row

For example: 5 minutes reading, 10 discussing, 5 writing. The timer moves on by itself and marks each handover with a quiet cue.

Features

Seven ways to show time, from a strict dial to rising bubbles

Disc and ring echo a classic clock face, bar and fill read best off a projector, dots turn the time into countable pieces, and candle and bubbles carry no sense of a race — they are the ones to pick when the goal is to settle someone rather than hurry them.

An early warning, and a signal that grows out of silence

Thirty seconds, one, two or five minutes before the end the shape shifts colour and a quiet cue sounds, then the final signal takes several seconds to reach full volume. A sudden ending is the main reason anxious children come to dread timers; here it is off by default.

A window that floats above your other apps

The "Float on top" button moves the countdown into a small window the operating system keeps above your slides, document or video call. The tab holding the timer can be minimised while it runs.

Fullscreen for a board or projector, with the screen kept awake

In fullscreen only the shape and large digits remain, and the panels fade out after a few idle seconds. While the countdown runs the tool holds a tablet or interactive whiteboard awake instead of letting it sleep mid-lesson.

A silent lane: screen flash and vibration

Sound, flash and vibration switch on independently, so the same timer works in a library, in a lesson and for someone who will not hear a chime. The flash rate stays below three per second, and with the system "reduce motion" setting on the screen simply tints instead of pulsing.

Stages in one run, and a link to the finished setup

Up to twelve named blocks run back to back with a quiet cue at each handover. The "Link" button builds an address that reopens exactly this duration, style, colour and stage list — keep it as a bookmark or hand it to a colleague.

Questions and answers

How is a visual timer different from a normal one?

A normal timer reports the time as digits, which you then have to read and mentally convert into "plenty" or "almost none". Here the time remaining is the area of a shape: peripheral vision catches it, it reads across a room, and it makes sense to someone who cannot read a clock at all.

My child cannot read a clock yet. What should I do?

Turn off the "Show digits" switch in the settings block. Only the shape is left on screen, and you can put it in plain words next to it: "when the red is gone, we tidy up".

What does "proportional to an hour" mean?

It is how the classic mechanical visual timer works: a full circle is exactly one hour, so 15 minutes fills a quarter of the dial rather than the whole thing. Use it when the timer should also teach the clock. Without it the chosen duration always fills the dial, which is clearer when all that matters is how much is left.

Will the signal fire if I switch to another tab?

Yes. The sound is booked ahead of time on the browser audio clock, so it fires on schedule even in a hidden tab where ordinary timers get throttled. The screen flash is only visible once you come back, so for background use rely on sound or the floating window.

Is the screen flash safe?

The rate is capped so it stays clearly below three flashes per second — the threshold the WCAG accessibility guidance ties to risk for photosensitive people. If your system has "reduce motion" enabled there is no flashing at all: the screen simply holds a steady tint. The flash can also be switched off entirely.

Where does vibration work?

On Android in Chrome and related browsers. iOS and desktop browsers do not implement the Vibration API, so the switch is hidden there and the screen flash carries the silent signal instead.

Can I keep the timer visible while I present?

Yes, that is what "Float on top" is for: the countdown moves into a small window the operating system keeps above everything else. It works in Chrome, Edge, Opera and Safari; in browsers without the capability the button is not shown.

How are "Stages" different from just starting the timer again?

Stages advance themselves: when one block ends the timer gives a quiet cue and moves straight to the next, with nothing to press. The loud final signal only sounds after the last stage, so a lesson in three parts does not become three alarms.

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Who is this tool for?

🎓 Students 📚 Educators & Teachers ♿ Accessibility Users 🏥 Healthcare Professionals 👨‍👩‍👧 Parents & Families 🧘 Wellness & Meditation 📽️ Projector Owners 📋 Productivity

Published 07 Mar 2026 Updated 01 May 2026 Author: The Supreme