Stopwatches allow kids to bump up against numeracy and measurement, can be used in experiments and games, hone visual tracking and hand-eye coordination, and more. They’re pleasingly fun loose parts.

When I was a kid, handling a stopwatch was a rarity. I’d maybe get a chance once in a while during gym class relay races. When I was a bit older, a buddy got his hands on a stopwatch (it looked like the red one above). We timed everything: How fast we could run to the end of the block, how fast we could bike around the block, how long we could hold our breath, how long we could go without blinking, how fast we could drink a Coke, how long we could stand on one foot, how long we could hop on one foot–and on and on and on.

An Abundance Of Stopwatches

Now, I’m surrounded by stopwatches. As I write this, there’s one strapped to my wrist (Fitbit), one in my front left pocket (iPhone), one in the top left drawer of my desk (iPad), and at least 6 more are a few clicks away on my computer.

While these built-in all digital stopwatches are convenient, I have a warm spot in my heart for the old school versions and think they make better loose parts for a couple of reasons.

To start with, they are both inexpensive (affiliate link) and fairly durable. That makes them much easier to let kids handle. Adults are much more likely to let a couple kids go off to the far side of the playground with a cheap and durable stopwatch to time their belches and farts than they would be to hand over their phone or iPad. This might be old-guy bias, but I also think old school stopwatches offer a more sensory rich experience. Seeing the hands sweep around the dial, pushing actual buttons, listening to the faint tic, tic, tic.

Whichever version you decide on, you’ll find these gadgets popular with kids. You’ll also be amazed at the things they decide to time–who can put their shoes on the fastest, who can guzzle water from the drinking fountain the longest, who can hang upside down longest…

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