ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Time Out Strategies

Updated on September 30, 2008

Time Outs: When to Use Them and How

 

We often hear the term "time-out" used in behavior management, but the key to employing this strategy successfully is knowing when to use it. I try to reserve time-outs as a chance for the child to extract himself from the situation and take some time to reflect on his behavior and make the appropriate changes. Time outs should never be used for a first infraction, UNLESS the child is endangering himself or others. In these cases, a more severe punishment than a time-out (such as a visit to the principal's office or losing privileges) may be necessary as well.

A good use of a time-out would be after a child has received a warning and continues to deliberately display negative behaviors. When warning the child initially, make sure to clearly state that if behavior does not improve and the child has to be reminded again, a time-out will ensue. Then, in order to gain respect and authority, you must follow through! Do not let the child engage in a debate, rather calmly direct her to the designated time out spot.

How Long? A good rule of thumb for time-outs is to make the time equal in minutes to a child's age. Thus, a 5 year old would receive a 5 minute time out. When time outs carry on for too long, the child becomes restless, frustrated, and often forgets why he is in time-out to begin with. This can lead to a cycle of continued negative behavior. It often helps young children to set a timer, so that they have a visual aide to help them understand how long they should stay in time out.

Where? It is key to have one designated spot for time-outs. Children crave routine, so knowing that time out will occur at the same place, for the same amount of time, each time, is actually comforting to children. A good time-out spot would be an area of the room that is away from a lot of activity and free from distractions for the child. Designating a chair, mat, or carpet square will help to define the time out spot and keep the child from wandering. Set the child up for success and do not surround him/her with things to get into. Some children may benefit from putting their heads down while in time-out.

Don't Give In! Children may often resist time out and respond with tears, screaming, pleading, negotiating, and other negative behaviors. Do not give in! Do not let yourself get pulled into an argument, debate, or negotiation with a child. Remember that you are the authority figure and the child must abide by the rules you have stated. Calmly direct the child to time out and then walk away. If the child leaves time out, physically assist him to the spot again and walk away. Repeat this until the child stays in time out for the desired amount of time. If the child is resistant or you feel uncomfortable physically moving the child, ask an administrator for his/her support and assistance.

Remember that time outs exist to correct negative behavior and help a child acheive desired behavior. Use them only when needed and be clear with your expectations. If you are clear and consistent with your time outs, many children will not continue to need them after they understand you will follow through with your expectations. For those that do, it will be a time where they can modify behavior and come back to the group.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)