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Homework Timer
Tap your child’s grade and the timer sets 10 minutes per grade level. Start it when everything is on the table.
30 minutes
Spacestart / pauseRresetFfull screen+ −add or remove a minute0–9type a time
Homework time by grade (the 10-minute rule)
| Grade | Homework per night | How to split it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 min | One sitting |
| 2 | 20 min | One sitting |
| 3 | 30 min | One sitting |
| 4 | 40 min | One sitting, or 20 + 20 |
| 5 | 50 min | 25 + 25 with a 5-minute break |
| 6 | 60 min | 30 + 30 with a 5-minute break |
| 7–8 | 70–80 min | Two halves with a 10-minute break |
| 9–10 | 90–100 min | Two halves with a 10-minute break |
| 11–12 | 110–120 min | Two or three parts with 10-minute breaks |
Ten minutes per grade level is a guideline for the total across all subjects on a school night. Advanced courses in high school often set more. The suggested splits are ours and are not part of the rule.
How to use it
- Tap the grade. Grade 3 gives 30 minutes, grade 6 gives 60, grade 12 gives 120.
- Get everything ready first: books, worksheet, sharpened pencil, a drink, phone out of the room.
- Press Start when your child sits down to work, beginning with the hardest task.
- For sessions over 40 minutes, pause at the halfway point and run the break timer for 5 to 10 minutes, then resume.
How long should homework take
The 10-minute rule says about 10 minutes of homework per grade level per night: 10 minutes in first grade, 60 in sixth, 120 in twelfth. It is associated with the researcher Harris Cooper and has long been supported by the National PTA and the National Education Association. It counts all subjects together.
Read it as a ceiling to aim around, not a target to fill. If the work is finished and correct in half the time, homework is over. The rule also gives parents a fair question to ask when evenings go wrong: whether the work takes too long, or starting it does.
When the time runs out before the work does
Once in a while, let your child finish. If the alarm goes off with work left on most nights, do not keep adding time. Stop, write a short note on the page saying how long was spent and where it ended, and tell the teacher. Teachers set homework expecting it to take a certain time, and a class where it takes double is information they need.
Routine does much of the rest. The same place and the same starting time each day remove the daily negotiation about when homework happens. Starting with the hardest task uses the freshest attention on it and leaves the easy worksheet for the tired end of the session.
Common mistakes
- Starting the clock while your child is still hunting for a pencil. Set up first, so the minutes measure work.
- Treating the full time as compulsory. A second-grader who finishes in 12 minutes is done.
- Extending the timer every night to get through everything. That hides a problem the teacher can fix.
- Hovering and correcting each answer. Stay nearby, be available for questions, and check at the end.
- Leaving a phone or tablet on the table. Notifications turn 30 minutes of homework into 60.
Questions people ask
How long should homework take in each grade?
By the 10-minute rule, about 10 minutes per grade level per night: 10 minutes in grade 1, 30 in grade 3, 60 in grade 6, 90 in grade 9 and 120 in grade 12, across all subjects.
What is the 10-minute rule for homework?
It is a guideline of roughly 10 minutes of homework per grade level each school night. It is linked to the homework researcher Harris Cooper and backed by the National PTA and the National Education Association.
How much homework should a kindergartner have?
The rule starts at first grade. For kindergarten, schools that send anything home usually ask for a few minutes of practice and reading together; the reading timer suits that better than this one.
Should kids take breaks during homework?
Up to about 30 or 40 minutes, most children can work in one sitting. Beyond that, a 5 to 10 minute break halfway helps. Make it a moving break, not a screen break, and time it with the break timer so it ends.
My child rushes to beat the homework timer. What should I do?
Explain that the timer shows when homework ends, not how fast to go, and check the work before it is put away. If rushing continues, turn the screen so only you can see the countdown.