More to do together
Thank you for reading Time Tamers with your little one.
This page is for the grown-ups. It gathers a few small ideas you can try at home, each one borrowed from a Time Tamers story. None of them need special supplies. A scrap of paper, a timer and a few cups go a long way.
Pick one idea that fits your day. Try it for a few days. Some days it will click and some days it won't, and both are part of practicing.
Warmly,
Dr. Monti
A poster for each book
Each Time Tamers book by Dr. Monti has a companion poster for the wall, made to help your child practice the same plan from the story. Find your book below.
Every poster comes in 8x10 ($8.49), 11x14 ($14.49) and 16x20 ($28.49). Glossy poster print, sized to fit standard frames. Free shipping to US addresses. Ages 3+.
Fennel's Morning Map
If you liked Fennel's Morning Map, try its add-on: My Morning Routine Poster
Six picture steps for the morning, each with a Time Tamers friend, and a box to tick after each one.
From $8.49
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Bumble and the Cookie Countdown
If you liked Bumble and the Cookie Countdown, try its add-on: Kitchen Helper Countdown Poster
Get ready, line it up, then two waits, Bake and Cool, with ideas for what to do while you wait.
From $8.49
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Pippa and the Snack Passport
If you liked Pippa and the Snack Passport, try its add-on: My Snack Passport Poster
Plan it, pack it, then wait for the ding, with Now, Later and Share boxes and passport pages to stamp or color.
From $8.49
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Ollie and the Tinker Timer
If you liked Ollie and the Tinker Timer, try its add-on: Little Jobs Builder Board Poster
Plan, Build, Stop, Check, Tidy, with five little jobs to tick off one by one.
From $8.49
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Luna & Chip and the Checkpoint Plan
If you liked Luna & Chip and the Checkpoint Plan, try its add-on: My Adventure Map Poster
A path of six checkpoint cards, each with a friend and a star to tick, ending at Last stop: Saved treat!
From $8.49
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The Festival Countdown Team
If you liked The Festival Countdown Team, try its add-on: Team Job Board Poster
Job cards from Look to Tidy, and role badges with a name box for everyone who helps.
From $8.49
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From the Time Tamers notebook
A few notes from the Time Tamers Substack, written for parents and caregivers.
A snack tray for little ones who want it now
Three small cups marked Now, Later and Share turn snack time into a gentle way to practice waiting. The post shows how to keep the first waits very short and how to give the waiting time a small job, like wiping the table.
Checkpoints for a long walk with a little one
When the end of a walk is out of sight, a tiny hand-drawn map with three to five stops can help. At each stop you pause, tick the map and say a short chant together, with a slow breath ready for any part that feels big.
All six Time Tamers books are here
Alongside the news that the full series is out, this note shares two ideas to try: a Little Jobs List for tidy-up time, from Ollie, and giving each person one small role in a family job like setting the table, from the Festival team.
Read more on the Time Tamers Substack
Tips for calmer days
Small, Montessori-inspired ideas from the stories. Try one at a time.
1. Put the morning on the wall.
In Fennel's Morning Map, Fennel the fox follows four pictures in a row: teeth, clothes, breakfast, bag. Draw or print a few picture steps and hang them at your child's eye level, so they can see what comes next without needing to read.
2. Offer a small choice inside the plan.
Fennel's routine stays the same, but there is room to choose. Try "Shall we start with teeth or clothes?" A little choice can help a child feel the plan belongs to them.
3. Give the wait a job.
In Bumble and the Cookie Countdown, Bumble the bear waits for his honey cookies by playing I Spy and tidying three things. Before a wait, list two or three calm things your child can do, like putting a spoon in the sink or setting two places at the table.
4. Name the feeling, then help the plan.
Bumble wants a hot cookie right away. A kind line to borrow from the book's caregiver notes: "Your body wants the cookie now. Your plan says later. Let's help your plan."
5. Try a Now, Later, Share tray.
In Pippa and the Snack Passport, Pippa the Pocket Bird sorts her snack into three cups: Now, Later and Share. Set out three small cups with simple pictures, keep the first wait short, and agree together on when the Later bite will be eaten.
6. Make big jobs into little jobs.
In Ollie and the Tinker Timer, Ollie the octopus feels his Bubble Boat is a big job, so he makes a Little Jobs List and does one box at a time. For tidy-up time, draw three to five little jobs and let your child tick each one as it is done.
7. Add a "check" step before "done."
Ollie stops after each job to look for a wobble or a squeak, then fixes it. Invite your child to look first: "What do you notice?" Then name the effort: "You planned. You checked. You fixed it."
8. Turn a walk into checkpoints.
In Luna & Chip and the Checkpoint Plan, Luna and Chip follow five stars on a small map from the forest to the meadow. Draw a few stops for a walk or errand, like the mailbox, the big tree and the bench, and let your child move a sticker at each one.
9. Practice a Brave Breath together.
When Luna feels a little scared, Chip shows her Brave Breath: in for three, hold, out for three. Practice it on a calm day, so it is familiar when a moment feels big.
10. Give everyone one role.
In The Festival Countdown Team, six friends each wear a role badge and follow a Fix-It Board to build a bridge before the sand lantern runs out. For a family job like setting the table or clean-up, give each person one small role, and swap roles next time.
Keep going
Would you like a picture chart to start your mornings? Our free 3-step Morning Routine chart has Pippa, Fennel and Bumble showing the way: wash up, get dressed, eat breakfast.
Get the free Morning Routine chart
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Looking for something for the wall? Companion posters for the books are in our shop.
Search "Time Tamers" on Amazon
You can find all six books here: The Time Tamers series on Amazon