Timer
Started
—
Finishes
—
10:00
No ads in fullscreen
My times
- Nothing saved yet. Saved times stay on this device — no account, nothing uploaded.
An audio file up to 1 MB. It stays in this browser and appears as "My sound" in the Sound list.
- Space
- Start or pause
- F
- Fullscreen
- Esc
- Leave fullscreen
- R
- Reset
- ↑
- Add a minute
- ↓
- Take off a minute
- M
- Mute or unmute
Read next: How long should classroom activities actually take?All 8 timers
Group work timer for the classroom
Group discussion has a fairly reliable arc: a couple of minutes settling, a productive middle, then a decline around the ten to twelve minute mark. Time it in stages rather than one long block.
Sight Word Bingo pack
For the game after the timer goes off: made with our free Bingo Card Generator, this pack is ready for a class. Print it, cut it, play.
- 40 different 5×5 cards, each with its own number
- 48 calling cards to cut out and draw from a bowl
- A caller's checklist to tick as you go
- How to play, with five winning patterns
- Two blank cards and six winner slips
- A QR code that turns any phone or TV into the caller
$3.99
One payment · instant download · US Letter and A4 PDFs
Secure checkout by Gumroad, without leaving this page. Buying a pack is what keeps the free tools free.Every detail of this pack
More class packs
The short answer
Eight to twelve minutes is the working range for group discussion. Past twelve most groups drift, so for longer tasks split the time into stages with their own countdowns — "eight minutes to list, then six to rank" — or change the grouping partway, which resets attention because the audience changed.
Three steps to a timer on the wall
Step 1: Choose a time
Pick a preset or set your own. The timer remembers what you used last on this device.
Step 2: Press start
Start the timer, then press F or the fullscreen button to fill the screen.
Step 3: Run the room
Space pauses, the up arrow adds a minute, R resets. Fullscreen shows the timer alone, with no ads and no navigation.
Four things worth knowing
Stage it rather than extending it
Two timed stages beat one long one. The second countdown restarts attention, and the stage boundary is where you change the task from generating to choosing.
Change the grouping to buy more time
Moving one person per group, or pairing groups up, resets the discussion because the audience is new. It works better than simply adding minutes.
Give the group a deliverable, not just a duration
"Ten minutes" produces ten minutes of talking. "Ten minutes, three ranked reasons on the sheet" produces something you can take feedback from.
Put it on the board, not in your head
Groups pace themselves against a countdown they can see. Announced time invites negotiation; a clock on the wall does not.
No ads on your big screen
Ads pay for this page, and they stay on this page. The moment the timer goes fullscreen there is nothing on screen but the time — no banners, no navigation, no surprises in front of a room.
- Fullscreen shows the timer alone
- Ad sounds can never clash with the alarm
- Saved times stay on your device — no account
- Works with an ad blocker, and offline once loaded
Questions people ask
Anything we've missed?
How long should group work last?
Eight to twelve minutes for a single discussion round. Beyond that most groups have finished the thinking and moved to something else, so extend by adding a new stage rather than more minutes.
What if a group finishes early?
Give the early finishers an extension task before you start, not when it happens. A prepared "and then" removes the dead time without ending the countdown for everyone else.
Should I stop a discussion that is going well?
No. The timer protects the pace of the lesson; it does not override your reading of the room. If something better is happening than the plan, the plan is what should give way.
Does the timer work on a smartboard?
Yes. Press F for fullscreen and the board shows nothing but the countdown — no navigation, no branding and no ads at all in that view.
Time something specific
Guides worth reading
- Teaching
How long should classroom activities actually take?
Realistic durations for think-pair-share, group work, silent reading and tidy-up, and why a visible timer changes behaviour more than saying the time aloud.
6 min read - Teaching
How long should a brain break be? Timings, ideas and how to end one
Two to five minutes is the working range for a classroom brain break. How often to run one, what to do in it, and how a visible timer brings the class back.
6 min read
Other timers
- Live
Countdown Timer
Any time you like, rung on time.
- Live
Pomodoro Timer
Twenty-five on, five off, four times.
- Live
Speech Timer
Green, amber, red — the way clubs do it.
- Live
Exam Clock
Start time, finish time, time remaining.
- Live
Interval Timer
Work, rest, repeat — on the gym TV.
- Live
Tabata Timer
Eight rounds, twenty on, ten off.
- Live
Debate Timer
British Parliamentary, Worlds, LD.
Built by Spolvero studio. We design apps and websites for other people too.
Need an app designed?