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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Behaviour and Guidance

Time-out

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

nounCommon term

In child development & early education, time-out means: A behaviour strategy in which a child is briefly taken away from an activity to a quiet place after unacceptable behaviour, so that they can calm down.

In Turkish: mola yöntemi, düşünme molası, ara verme

How it is used

Widely known from parenting books and television, but views differ: many early years settings now prefer 'time-in', where an adult stays close and helps the child calm down. Also written time out or timeout.

Example sentences

  1. Our behaviour policy does not use time-out; staff stay with the child instead.

  2. Some families use a short time-out at home.

Common collocations

  • give a time-out
  • time-in
  • calm-down corner
  • naughty step
  • behaviourThe way a child acts and reacts, especially in everyday situations with other people; in childcare it is often discussed in terms of what the child is trying to communicate.
  • co-regulationThe process in which a calm, caring adult helps a child manage strong feelings, for example by staying close, speaking softly and naming the emotion.
  • boundariesClear and consistent limits that adults set for children about what is and is not acceptable, so that children feel safe and know what to expect.
  • challenging behaviourBehaviour that is difficult for adults to manage or that may harm the child, other people or property, such as biting, hitting or frequent long outbursts.

More terms: Behaviour and Guidance

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