5 Minute Timer

Already set to 5:00: press Start with music, then Full screen, and the whole room can see the time left.

Timer length: 5 minutes

Tap the time to set your own length.

 

 

Ready-made routines (18)

Start of the lesson

Tidy-up and transitions

Writing and talking

Practice and review

Breaks and resets

More options

View

Sound

 

On a phone or a tablet the silent switch mutes this sound as well, and the page cannot tell. Press Test sound to check.

Music

It plays while the timer runs and stops at the end.

Keys: Space starts and pauses, R resets, F is full screen. They rest while a button or a field has the focus.

Copies a link that opens this timer at this length.

Next step See all the classroom timers

How it works

This online five minute timer shows a disc that loses one of its five slices each minute, so a pupil who cannot read 3:00 counts three slices.

Read the full guide

A 5 minute visual timer for the classroom

This radial timer's whole disc stands for the 300 seconds, not for an hour like a clock, so each minute takes away a slice of 72 degrees. Under More options, Disc only hides the digits, and Chime at 1:00 gives a one minute warning.

Routines that fill five minutes exactly

Retrieval quiz is five questions at a minute each. Think, pair, share is 1 minute of silent thinking, 1 minute for each partner and 2 minutes of sharing. Spelling check is 10 words at 30 seconds a word, with a halfway cue as you read word 6.

  • Keep the timer tab in front: browsers slow hidden tabs, so a cue can show late.

Questions and answers

How do I set a timer for 5 minutes with music?

It is set already, so press Start with music. Drift, a calm track of slow chords, plays until 0:00. Meadow, Lantern and Tidy-up are in the Music list beside the button, and Tidy-up gets faster from about 1:40 left.

Why is there no sound when the 5 minute timer ends?

A 5 minute alarm rings only once you choose its sound. Open More options, pick Soft chime, Hand bell or Wood block under When the time is up, and press Test sound. Still nothing? The laptop may be sending its sound to the projector.

Is this a 5 minute timer for kids?

Yes. Ready-made routines (18) holds classroom jobs with cues, such as Whole-room tidy-up: desks clear at 3:00, floor check at 1:30, behind your chair at 0:30. For one table, choose Station turn on a spare tablet and press Start again for each group.

Does the 5 minute countdown keep going if the laptop sleeps?

The time stays right. The end is fixed against the device clock at the moment you start, so after a sleep the timer shows what is truly left, or Time is up with a count of how far over.

All 18 routines

Start of the lesson 4

  • Device log-in Laptops or tablets out, logged in and on the right page. At 2:00 anyone still stuck raises a hand, so you can help the last few while everyone else begins the task. Cues: 2:00 Still stuck? Hand up.
  • Do-now starter A task is on the board as pupils walk in and they begin without being told. At 1:00 they finish the question they are on. At 0:00 pens go down and you go over the answers. Cues: 1:00 Finish the question you are on.
  • Retrieval quiz Five short questions from earlier lessons, one for each minute, so every slice of the disc is one question. Read the next question each time a slice disappears. Cues: 4:00 Question 2; 3:00 Question 3; 2:00 Question 4; 1:00 Question 5.
  • Settle and read Pupils read their own book in silence while you take attendance and deal with notes from home. At 1:00 they find a stopping place and get a bookmark ready. Cues: 1:00 Find a stopping place.
Show all 18 routines (14 more)

Tidy-up and transitions 3

  • Change for PE Change, fold your clothes into one pile and sit down ready. At 1:00 shoes should be going on. Younger classes may need two rounds at the start of the year. Cues: 1:00 Shoes on.
  • Pack up for home Bags packed, letters in, chairs up and a line at the door. By 2:00 everyone should be packed and walking to the line, which leaves time for a calm last message. Cues: 2:00 Packed? Join the line.
  • Whole-room tidy-up Three jobs in order: desks are clear when 3:00 shows, the floor check starts at 1:30, and at 0:30 everyone stands behind a pushed-in chair. Name the three jobs before you press Start. Cues: 3:00 Desks should be clear; 1:30 Check the floor; 0:30 Stand behind your chair.

Writing and talking 4

  • Exit ticket Two or three questions on a slip of paper at the end of the lesson. At 1:00 names go on the slip, and pupils hand it to you at the door on the way out. Cues: 1:00 Name on your slip.
  • Quick write Four minutes of writing without stopping on one prompt, then one minute to reread and underline the best sentence. Nobody asks about spelling until the timer ends. Cues: 1:00 Reread and underline your best sentence.
  • Show and tell slot One pupil presents for three minutes, then the class asks questions for two. The cue at 2:00 tells the speaker to stop and take questions, so you do not have to interrupt. Cues: 2:00 Time for questions.
  • Think, pair, share One minute of silent thinking, one minute for each partner to talk, then two minutes of sharing with the whole class. The cues tell partners when to swap. Cues: 4:00 Partner A talks; 3:00 Partner B talks; 2:00 Share with the class.

Practice and review 4

  • Flash card partners Partners quiz each other with a stack of cards. At 2:30 they swap roles, so each pupil asks for half the time and answers for half. Cues: 2:30 Swap roles.
  • Math facts sprint Pupils answer as many fact questions as they can and try to beat their own score from last time, not each other. At 0:30 they finish the row they are on. Cues: 0:30 Finish your row.
  • Spelling check Ten words at 30 seconds a word fill the five minutes exactly: say the word, use it in a sentence, say it again. The halfway cue appears as you read word 6. Cues: 2:30 Halfway: word 6.
  • Station turn One turn at a computer, a reading corner or a math game. At 0:30 pupils save their work or tidy the pieces, and at 0:00 the next group moves in. When the time is up, press Start again for the next group. Cues: 0:30 Save and tidy up.

Breaks and resets 3

  • Brain break Four minutes of movement, then the last minute to walk back to seats and take a breath. Without the last-minute cue, a break runs over. Cues: 1:00 Back to your seat.
  • Calm-down after recess Lights low, heads down or quiet drawing, no talking. The disc without digits suits this one, because nobody needs to read a number to see that the time is nearly gone.
  • Water and stretch break A pause in the middle of a long work block: stand, stretch, drink, sit down again. The cue at 1:00 sends pupils back to their seats so the next task starts on time. Cues: 1:00 Back to work in 1 minute.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written on 2026-09-18 from common classroom practice. Each routine is one way to spend exactly 5 minutes with a class, and each cue is given as the time left when it appears. The timings are suggestions, not rules or research findings. Licence: own work

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