Three Phrases to Help Your Toddler Understand Time

Toddlers have no sense of time. That can make ~~mornings~~ ~~afternoons~~ all of the time really hard. How do you let your child know you are going to be leaving the playground so that they’ll understand? How do you get across that an event will happen, but not yet? There are three phrases I use to help a toddler understand time.

These phrases will seem really obvious, but let me tell you that I don’t hear them used often enough by parents. I tend to hear “We are leaving in 5 minutes” or something along those lines. Let me clue you in: toddlers have no idea what that means. So here are the phrases that really work.

When Something Will Happen Within 30 Minutes

The first phrase is one I use frequently. If I am making dinner and Mac is telling me she is hungry, I use this phrase. If we will be leaving the park in 5 minutes, I use this phrase. The phrase I use is

Soon

That simple word is pretty powerful when it comes to toddlers. The more you use it, the better they will understand what it means.

When Something Will Happen That Day

This phrase I use if Mac wants to visit the park, but we can’t go until after her nap. Or maybe she is asking to watch TV, but it is still daylight and my electronics rule is in place. So I tell her that we will do those things

Later

I usually use this word and I put it in context with her schedule. So, if my mom is coming to visit, I will tell her that Zippy is coming later, like after her nap. Because we have the same basic schedule everyday, she is able to cobble together a little understanding of what that means.

When Something Will Happen Eventually, But Not Today

Sometimes I will try to tell Mac about what we are doing the next weekend or maybe I am describing an event like Halloween that is months away. Now, I try not to tell her about things that are in the distant future. You are setting yourself up for failure if you describe a bunch of fun things that won’t happen for a while. But when I do, I say it will happen

A Different Day

This is the simplest way to explain future events. Phrases like “this weekend” or “Thursday” mean nothing to a toddler. But they will understand what “a different day” means.

Bonus Tip #1

As I mentioned above, it is so much easier if you have a basic schedule you can use to help you toddler understand time. If you always go out and about after breakfast, you can say that when they ask if they can go to the park right after they wake up.

Bonus Tip #2

If your toddler has their heart set on a snack but they need a diaper change first, tell them that. Instead of getting frustrated and telling them to wait, simply say “Diaper first, then snack.” It reassures them that the snack is coming and tells them exactly when they will get it.