Are we nearly there yet?
Are we nearly there yet?
No, it takes about an hour to get to Granny's.
Oh.
*Five minutes elapses*
Are we nearly there now?
No, it's only been five minutes, so we should be at Granny's in around 55 minutes. That's five minutes less than an hour.
Oh.
*Five minutes elapses*
Are we nearly there now?
The concept of time
Sound familiar?
Sadly, aged around three the concept of time is tricky to grasp. Even when you're talking hours, let alone the concept of next week, or next month!
It's a common frustration that many parents face, and it can often feel like your child's deliberately trying to antagonise you.
What's this all about?
Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
Time as a concept is a tricky thing to grasp at this age. By now your child will probably know the days of the week, and indeed that certain days of the week are linked to activities - e.g. - Monday to Friday they go to nursery. But the concept of the passage of time can be more difficult for children to understand.
Dr Keith Tanner, Child Psychologist highlights that children perceive time differently depending on their age and suggests that parents need to understand differences in time processing when talking to their children.
Janet Chan, a writer for Parenting Magazine says:
"Toddlers perceive time in little bits by the routines of their day: now it's breakfast, now it's lunch, now it's time to take a bath, now it's bedtime and these parts of their day all add up to how they can make sense of time later on."
How should you handle it?
It can get frustrating, but try to remember that the passage of time as a concept is confusing for a child. Therefore when describing when something is going to happen try to help your child visualise the when.
Play and pretend
Help your child understand the passage of time with this game.
