Seconds Timer – Short Countdowns in Whole Seconds

How it works

This seconds timer opens at 30 seconds on a bar. Press another length, from 10 seconds to 2 minutes, or type your own. Ready-made routines cover quick jobs, from a countdown to silence to a two minute vote.

Read the full guide

Pick the seconds, press Start

1. Press a length: 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, 1 min, 1:30 or 2 min, or tap the time and type your own. 2. Press Start the timer. The bar shrinks to the left. 3. At 0 the screen says Time is up. Press Start again for the same length.

A seconds countdown in whole numbers

A countdown of under 100 seconds shows bare seconds: 90, 89, 88. Two minutes shows 2:00 down to 1:00, then 59, 58, 57. The shortest countdown is 10 seconds and the longest on this page is 2 minutes. The timings in the routines are suggestions.

Repeat, under More options, restarts the same number of seconds at 0 with no press, which suits a new word card every 30 seconds.
For digits alone, open More options and press Digits under View. Full screen then fills the board with the seconds.

Questions and answers

Is there a 10 second timer, a 25 second timer and a 35 second timer?

Yes. Press 10 sec under Ready lengths. For 25 or 35, tap the time and type the seconds. Any whole number from 10 to 120 works, so a 12 second timer is 12.

Is there a 15 second timer and a 20 second timer?

Yes. Press 15 sec or 20 sec above Start the timer. Under Ready-made routines, Wait before you call on anyone uses the 15 and Balance hold uses the 20.

How do I set a timer for 30 seconds?

This page opens at 30 seconds, so press Start the timer. After another length, the 30 sec button sets it again.

Can I use this timer with seconds for 40 or 50 seconds?

Yes. Under Ready-made routines, Tell your neighbor, then swap sets 40 seconds and Ten cards, five seconds each sets 50, with nothing to type.

Does the seconds timer make a sound at zero?

Only if you ask. Press Sound: off beside Start the timer and a soft chime plays at 0. Press it again and the end is silent. The other sounds are under More options.

All 16 routines

10 seconds 2

Countdown to silence Ten seconds to end group talk. Press Start and count down aloud with the class. At 0 every voice is off and every eye is on you.
Whiteboards up A 10 second timer for a question with a one-word answer. Pupils write it on a small whiteboard, and at 0 every board goes up at the same moment.

15 to 30 seconds 5

Balance hold Twenty seconds for PE or a movement break: stand on one foot, and the cue swaps feet at halfway. 10 + 10 = 20 seconds. Cues: 0:10 Switch feet.
Desks down to a pencil A 25 second timer, which you type or get by picking this routine. Everything goes off the desk, and at 5 seconds left only a pencil stays out: 20 + 5 = 25 seconds. Cues: 0:05 Pencil only.
Sentence from a card Thirty seconds, the length this page opens on. A pupil turns over a word card, says the word in a sentence and passes the pile on. With Repeat on, each new 30 seconds is the next pupil.
Stretch between two tasks Half a minute between two tasks: stand and stretch for 20 seconds, then the cue gives 10 to sit and face the front. 20 + 10 = 30 seconds. Cues: 0:10 Sit down.
Wait before you call on anyone Fifteen seconds of thinking after a question. Press Start and call on nobody until the bar is gone, so the first hand up is not the only answer heard.

Show all 16 routines (9 more)

40 to 60 seconds 5

Carry a book to the carpet Forty-five seconds to fetch a book and carry it to the carpet. At 10 seconds left the cue asks for everyone seated with the book open: 35 + 10 = 45 seconds. Cues: 0:10 Sit. Book open.
Collect the worksheets by row A 45 second timer for the end of a task: 30 to pass the worksheets forward along each row, then 15 for the front desks to stack them. 30 + 15 = 45 seconds. Cues: 0:15 Front desks: stack them.
Proofread your last line Sixty seconds, counted 60, 59, 58. Pupils read back the last line they wrote, and at 20 seconds left the cue points them at capitals and periods: 40 + 20 = 60 seconds. Cues: 0:20 Check capitals and periods.
Tell your neighbor, then swap A 40 second timer, typed or set by this routine: one neighbor answers for 20 seconds, then the cue hands over for the other 20. 20 + 20 = 40 seconds. Cues: 0:20 Swap: the other one talks.
Ten cards, five seconds each A 50 second timer, typed or set by this routine: hold up ten flash cards for 5 seconds each, since 10 x 5 = 50. The cue marks card 6 at halfway: 25 + 25 = 50 seconds. Cues: 0:25 Card 6.

90 and 120 seconds 4

Card sort race A 90 second timer, shown as 90 and counted down in whole seconds. Pairs sort a set of cards into groups, and at 30 seconds left the cue calls for a check of the piles: 60 + 30 = 90 seconds. Cues: 0:30 Last cards. Check your piles.
Draw what was just taught Two minutes, shown as 2:00 and then as 59, 58, 57 for the last minute. Pupils draw the idea from the lesson so far, and at 30 seconds left the cue asks for labels: 90 + 30 = 120 seconds. Cues: 0:30 Add labels.
Seat swap for group work A 1 minute 30 second timer for moving to group seats: 60 seconds to carry chairs and bags, then 30 to sit and get materials out. 60 + 30 = 90 seconds. Cues: 0:30 Sit. Materials out.
Vote and tally Two minutes, the longest countdown on this page: 1 minute to write a vote on a slip, then 1 for two counters to tally at the front. 60 + 60 = 120 seconds. Cues: 1:00 Votes in. Count them.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written on 2 October 2026 from common classroom practice. Each entry is one short thing to time, with its length in seconds and, where it has one, the cue that appears on the screen. The timings are suggestions, not rules or research findings. Licence: own work