In order to be successful at most anything in life, a great deal of time and practice is usually involved.  Formulating these good habits can sometimes be hard in the beginning, but the rewards can be great when you stick with them.  For instance, I can remember when I was in the fifth grade, my band instructor made me put in a minimum of one hour of practice with my instrument every day.

At first that seemed like torture, but it wasn't long until I started reaping the rewards of my efforts and became quite an accomplished saxophone player.  Learning Resources believes that regular practice can help any child succeed and has developed the Time Tracker Mini to make those hours of effort just fly by.  Keep reading to learn more!

The Time Tracker Mini Visual Timer is the easy way to manage time in the classroom or at home.  Set it in two simple steps:

• Turn the dial to choose a length of time on both the green and the yellow dials and press start.  The green dial is the timer for the length of the entire activity while the yellow dial is the time to set before the warning alert is given.

Time Tracker Mini turns green, yellow and then red as it counts down the time in 5 minute increments, from 5-minutes to 2-hours.  360-degree viewing makes it visible from any angle, so it's the perfect way to manage and track time.  This timer requires 3 "AAA" batteries (not included) and has an adjustable volume control, which can also support visual-only timing if the volume is turned all the way down.  This is perfect for classroom use with many different timers being used at once.  Now the children will know when to move on to the next activity without disturbing everyone else in the room.

When I was a classroom teacher, I used to rely heavily on the Learning Resources larger model visual timer, the Time Tracker.  It used to always amaze me at how much order it would bring to my classroom activities.  Whereby children would argue and protest with me, the teacher, they would never argue with the Time Tracker.  There must be something special about an inanimate object, because they would always comply effortlessly with whatever length of time the Time Tracker deemed for an activity.

Although Riley isn't old enough yet for the Time Tracker Mini, I see so many potential uses for this device in the future.  :star:

• Track daily reading practice (no matter whether she reads a comic book, magazine or library book, any reading is good reading)
• Track daily sports, music or dance practice
• Dedicate a certain amount of time each day to the subjects in school with which she is having difficulty
• Track daily writing practice (creative writing on absolutely any subject is great for enforcing and enhancing literary skills)
• Create good household habits (setting aside just 15 minutes a day to tidy and clean your room can make this chore more bearable)
• Hone math skills and prepare for standardized tests by trying to "beat the clock"  :time's up:

If you are searching for a wonderful way to bring some organization and routine into your child's schedule, then I highly suggest starting this school year off with a Time Tracker Mini.  Having your child complete a few tasks each day for a short span of time might not seem worth the effort, but you will be amazed at how much they will learn and achieve if daily practice is implemented.  The Time Tracker Mini from Learning Resources makes creating good habits for your child both fun and easy!