Show and Tell Timer

Common uses for a show and tell timer

Weekly show and tell
Early speaking practice
News time
Rotating a class across several sessions

Show and tell gives each child a turn to speak to the group about something of their own. It is early public speaking practice with the anxiety removed, because the subject is something they already care about and know more about than anyone listening.

The arithmetic decides it. Thirty children at two minutes each is an hour, which no timetable has, so most classes either rotate a few children per session or shorten each turn. Two minutes suits a confident five-year-old with something to say; ninety seconds is plenty for younger children. Work backwards from the block you actually have rather than from an ideal per-child time.

Rotate rather than rush

Five children per session across a week gives each of them a proper turn, and it gives the audience a session short enough to listen through. Thirty children at forty seconds each teaches nobody to speak and nobody to listen.

A visible rota also removes the question of who is next, which otherwise takes up more of the session than the speaking does.

The child with nothing to say

There is always one, and the timer makes it worse by making the silence measurable. Have a fallback: a question you ask everyone, an object from the classroom they can talk about, or the option to pass and go later in the rota.

Keeping the timer out of sight for a struggling child is a reasonable adjustment. The point of the activity is speaking practice, not enduring a countdown.

Teaching the audience, not just the speaker

Half the value of show and tell is on the listening side, and it does not happen automatically. Asking every child to prepare one question for the speaker turns passive waiting into active listening, and it gives shy speakers an easier second half.

Two questions per speaker is usually the right budget. More turns the session into an interrogation and pushes the timing out much further than the extra minute suggests.

Work backwards from the block you have. Rotating across the week almost always beats squeezing everyone into one session.

Show and tell planning by class size
Class size	Per child	Children per session	Total block
10	3 min	10	30 min
15	2 min	8	16 min
20	2 min	7	14 min
25	2 min	5	10 min
30	90 s	5	8 min
30	2 min	6	12 min

Add a minute or two per session for transitions between speakers — it is never zero.
Younger children rarely need two minutes; ninety seconds is usually plenty below age five.

Source: Widely used classroom practice. Per-child timings are teaching convention rather than a measured standard

Sources

Widely used classroom practice. Per-child timings are teaching convention rather than a measured standard , TheTimerLab — accessed 2026-07-28

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How long should each child get?

Two minutes suits a confident five-year-old; ninety seconds is plenty for younger children. Work backwards from the block you actually have — thirty children at two minutes each is an hour, which no timetable accommodates.

Should the whole class go in one session?

Usually not. Five children per session across a week gives each a proper turn and keeps the session short enough for the audience to listen through. Forty seconds each teaches nobody to speak and nobody to listen.

What about a child who has nothing to say?

Have a fallback ready: a question you ask everyone, a classroom object they can talk about, or the option to pass and take a later slot. The timer makes silence measurable, which is exactly what an unprepared child does not need.

Should the child see the timer?

For most children it helps them pace themselves. For an anxious or struggling child, turn it away — the activity is speaking practice, not endurance, and a visible countdown can be the thing that stops them starting.

How much time should I allow for transitions?

A minute or two per session, and it is never zero. Children getting up, fetching an object and settling again takes real time, and a plan with no slack in it overruns every week.

What if a child goes well over their time?

Let a good one run occasionally, but signal the end consistently — a warning at fifteen seconds gives them a chance to finish their own sentence. Cutting a child off mid-thought is what makes the next one reluctant to start.