Time-out is a common guidance technique in which the parent or child care provider tells a misbehaving child to sit out alone (either away from a group or in another room) for a designated amount of time, often 1 minute for each year of the child's age. The purpose of time-out is to remove the child from the situation, and to ensure that the child in time-out does not receive positive reinforcement for a particular period of time.

Time-out should be used as a time to cool off so that both child and adult can discuss the situation calmly. In order for time-out to be effective:

1. All members of the household or child care program must be acquainted with time-out rules.
2. The child should not be permitted to talk or have any one else communicate with him while in time-out.
3. Set a time limit; if time-out is too long, the child will entertain herself and forget why she is on time-out. No more than one minute per year of age is a good guideline.
4. The child should always be told she or he is going to time-out.

There are also some important limitations to time-out, including the following:

1. Time-out may be less effective with older school-age children.
2. It can be hard to implement outside the home because other caregivers may not be consistent with time-out.
3. Although teaching a consequence for their actions, it does not teach children new behaviors or skills to avoid future misbehavior.
4. At times, time-outs can lead a child to simply become more sneaky or deceptive in their acting-out behaviors.
5. A child may find time-out to be a fun activity where she gets to play by herself.

There are many other ways to guide children's behavior in addition to time-out. For ideas, check out the eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care page on Guidance and Discipline in Child Care.

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