For grown-ups
How to use it
- Let the child pick a little / a while / a long time, or set the exact minutes with the − and + buttons.
- Tap Start; watch the pie drain together. Tap it again to Pause.
- When it ends, the sand is gone and Dune yawns. There is no alarm — the ending is meant to be calm.
- Optionally tap a little picture for what the timer is for (brushing, a turn, waiting, tidying). It's just a picture — nothing is counted.
Why a visual timer
Young children can't yet read numeric time, but they can perceive a shrinking quantity. Making duration visible is the long-standing approach in early-childhood and occupational-therapy practice for supporting waiting, transitions, and turn-taking. (We cite the evidence honestly and claim no measured outcome — SandTots is a supportive tool, not an intervention.)
Make it the child's timer, not a hurry-up
A timer pointed only at a child can become a pressure device. SandTots is designed to be the child's tool: encourage them to set it for you as often as you set it for them, and keep the ending gentle.
Our promises
- No notifications, ever. On-screen time only; a "reminder" is a person, not a ping.
- No streaks, no scores, no "how many times." The record — if any — is only what the timer was for.
- On-device. No account, no sign-in, nothing leaves the device.