How to use it

1. Pick a scene: Tree, Snowman or Sleigh. Dial gives you the plain countdown.
2. Choose a preset or type your minutes, from 1 to 60.
3. Press Start, then the full screen button to put it on the board.
4. The voice takes over for the last ten seconds and a chime plays at zero.
5. Press Reset for the next activity, or tick Repeat for center rotations.

Christmas tree timer

The tree starts dark. Its twelve lights come on one at a time as the minutes pass. At zero, the star on top lights up and the whole tree twinkles.

Half the lights on means half the time gone, so children can see how much is left without reading a number. It suits clean up and quiet work, when you want the room calm but moving.

Light the tree

Melting snowman timer

The snowman starts tall and slowly melts into a puddle as the time runs down. At zero, all that’s left is his hat and carrot nose. Three and four year olds find this one very funny. That makes it good for jobs nobody wants to do. Tidying the block corner feels like a race when the snowman’s melting.

Show the snowman

Santa’s sleigh timer

Santa’s sleigh flies across the night sky toward a house, climbing and crossing the moon on the way. It lands on the roof at zero. The windows light up.

Use it for a countdown the class is waiting for, like the last few minutes before the party or before going outside to play in the snow.

Fly the sleigh

Quick Christmas timers, 1 to 30 minutes

Tap a time to set the timer above. It won’t start on its own. Press Start when the class is ready.

A 1 or 2 minute timer covers lining up and handing out cookies. Use 5 minutes for clean up before the party. Allow 10 minutes for a craft table, or 15 to 20 minutes for a center. A 30 minute Christmas timer suits a party block or a movie with a hard stop.

Christmas classroom ideas for the timer

• Cookie decorating stations. Set 8 minutes per table and tick Repeat. When the sleigh lands, everyone moves one table along. The next round starts by itself.
• The gift exchange. Give each child 1 minute to open a present while the class watches the tree light up.
• Christmas freeze dance. Play a carol from your own device and run a 3 minute snowman. When it melts, the dance is over.
• Clean up before the party. Five minutes on the tree, and nobody eats until the star lights up.
• Quiet reading before winter break. Set 10 minutes and choose Silent. The screen flashes at zero instead of chiming.

Does it play Christmas music?

No. The timer has a voice countdown and a chime. You can choose the chime alone, or silence. There’s no music.

You probably already have the carols you want on a playlist. Play your song from your own device and run the timer on the board. The voice still counts the last ten seconds over the top, so the class knows when the song is about to stop.

How many days until Christmas?

Count the days to December 25 with your class.

Counting down the days is a good math routine for December. Make a paper chain with one link for every school day left before winter break. Let a different child tear off a link each morning. The chain gets shorter as the days go by, the same idea as the tree lighting up.

FAQ

Is this Christmas timer free?

Yes. It is free, with no signup and no account. Open the page and pick a scene. Press Start.

Can I put the Christmas timer on my whiteboard?

Yes. Press the full screen button in the top left of the timer to fill the screen. The digits are large enough to read from the back of a classroom.

How long can the timer run?

From 1 to 60 minutes. Choose a preset or use the quick timer buttons on this page. You can also type your own number of minutes.

Can I turn the voice off?

Yes. Tap the speaker button to switch between the voice and chime, the chime only, or silent. In silent mode the screen flashes when time is up.

Does the timer keep going if I switch tabs?

Yes. It keeps time from the clock, so it stays accurate when you open another window or put the timer in the background. It still chimes at zero.

Is there a timer for the rest of the year?

Yes. The everyday classroom timer has a rocket, a candle, an egg timer and a bomb with a fuse, plus a stopwatch.