Guide for grown-ups › Time-blind kids
A visual timer for time-blind kids
“Five more minutes” means nothing. Shoes go on at the exact moment you need to leave. If that's your mornings, the problem may not be listening. Some children can't feel time passing, so it helps to let them see it.
What “time-blind” means
It's an everyday phrase many families use for children who find it hard to sense how much time has passed, or how long a job will take. It isn't a diagnosis, but it's very common in children with ADHD: research consistently finds they judge durations less accurately than other children. (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2017; Scientific Reports, 2022)
For a time-blind child, “we leave in 10 minutes” is invisible. A shrinking slice on a clock isn't.
What helps
- Make time visible. Show how much is left, instead of saying it.
- Use deadlines, not durations. “We leave at 8:15” is clearer than “20 minutes”, especially when it's on a clock they can see.
- Break routines into small steps, each with its own end time.
- Warn before the change, not at it: ten minutes, five minutes, one minute.
- Keep the clock where they are, not in your head or on your phone.
Set it up in Pizza Clocks
Open pizzaclocks.com/app on a phone or tablet, add it to your home screen, and tap Timer.
Tap 🗓 Routines and Edit (you'll set a grown-up PIN). Pick School morning, set the time you leave, and adjust the steps: get dressed, breakfast, teeth, shoes.
Press Start. Each step appears as a coloured slice on the clock, and the current one shrinks as time passes.
The app speaks when each step starts, one minute before it ends, and when it's time to go: “Shoes and coat on!”
Your child taps ✓ Done when they finish early. A coin and a “Well done!” makes being quick worth it.
For a single deadline, use Leave the house with ⏰ and pick the time. For bedtime, there's a Bedtime routine and a 2-minute Teeth timer.
Make it work day to day
- Put it where they'll see it: an old tablet on the kitchen counter works well.
- Keep the screen on (iPhone or iPad): Settings › Accessibility › Guided Access, with Display Auto-Lock set to Never.
- Start the routine before they need it, so the first slice is already counting down when they come downstairs.
- Praise the Done taps, not just being on time. Noticing time is the skill.
- Practise reading the clock in the Explore and Practice tabs at calm times, so the morning clock makes sense.
Questions
Is it only for children with ADHD?
No. Any child who loses track of time, or is still learning to read a clock, can use it.
Does it work on an old iPad or phone?
Yes, in any web browser. Add it to the home screen to use it like an app.
Is it free?
Yes, with no ads and no sign-up. Routines are free during early access, until 31 January 2027, and stay free on devices that use them before then.
Pizza Clocks is a practical tool, not a treatment. If you're worried about your child's attention or development, talk to your GP or school.