Koala Countdown
Time they can see coming.
A fun countdown timer for kids — a calm, repeatable way to measure out the time you’ve set. Set the time, pick a friend, and your child watches the timer run down. The ending is predictable, and always finishes with a fun celebration from their favourite character.
Every parent knows the moment when nothing they say is landing.
Koala Countdown turns time-out or a timer into a calm, repeatable ritual, same steps, same friendly faces, same warm ending, every time.
Three little steps
Set the time
Big buttons and quick presets, with a gentle rule of thumb: about one minute per year of age. Short works best.
Pick a friend
Twenty-one soft friends to choose from, or tap surprise and see who turns up to wait with them.
Hand it over
The disc slowly empties while they settle. When their friend celebrates, it's the timer, not you, saying it's done.
A friend waits at the end
Twenty-one soft, friendly characters, each with a celebration all of its own when the timer runs out. It's never rushed and never interrupted, because nothing else is allowed on that screen.
Tap any friend to watch its celebration — press and hold one to make it your favourite, so it's first next time.
…and more on the way!
Because not every moment is the same
Breathe with Koala
For full meltdowns and littler ones. A slow in-and-out the two of you follow together, because some moments need closeness, not distance.
The classic reset
For everyday time-outs and waiting. Pick a friend, hand it over, and the disc slowly empties — no ticking, no pressure. When it’s empty, their friend pops up to celebrate.
Just play
No timer needed. A child can call up any friend's celebration on the spot and tap Play again to watch it as many times as they like.
Why it works
A good time-out isn't a punishment, it's a brief, predictable pause followed by a warm reunion. That's one of the best-studied ideas in child psychology, and every part of the app leans on it. It's also the same visible-time approach occupational therapists reach for when helping little ones through transitions.
When time’s up, it’s up
You decide how long the timer runs, and your child can watch it run down — so time’s up is something they see coming, not something they hear and test. Same steps, same ending, and always a celebration to finish on.
Time they can see
"Two minutes" means nothing at three. A big disc slowly emptying makes the wait concrete and bounded, not endless.
It ends with a reunion
The celebration isn't just a reward, it's the cue to come back together, name the feeling, and move on. That's the part that matters most.
A calm beat for you too
Half the value of a pause is the grown-up getting a moment not to escalate. The same ritual steadies everyone.
A note to parents and carers: made by a parent, not a clinician, built on the well-studied basics of a good reset. Keep it short, about one minute per year of age, keep it predictable, and end warmly. And when your child is truly overwhelmed, or under about two, a cuddle beats a countdown. That's what Calm Together is for.
For all the little transitions
The same visual countdown works any time a little one needs to see time, not just hear about it.
"We brush until Giraffe wakes up."
Two minutes is exactly one good tooth-brush. Kids brush for the friend, not the fight.
"Two more minutes in the bath."
The disc makes "two minutes" real, so getting out isn't a surprise.
"When Koala jumps, we're leaving the playground."
A friendly ending they can look forward to beats a countdown they dread.
"Screen time's done when Puppy cheers."
Handing back the iPad gets easier when the timer owns the decision.
Made for parents to trust
Free to try, AU$2.99 once
Download free and try it for 3 days. If it's right for you, one small one-time purchase unlocks it for good, behind a grown-up hold gate, no subscriptions, no upsells.
No ads. Ever.
Nothing appears on screen that we didn't put there ourselves. No ad can interrupt the countdown, or the celebration.
Collects no data
No accounts, no tracking, nothing leaves the phone. This website counts visits anonymously, with no cookies and nothing that identifies you.
Grown-ups stay in charge
Settings and early exits sit behind a parent gate, so the device, not a contested decision, owns the finish line.
Cheers through silent mode
If you set a timer, you'll want to hear it end, so the celebration now plays even with the phone's silent switch on. The volume buttons still control how loud it is.
A look inside
For the next hard moment.
Free to download, with a 3-day free trial. AU$2.99 once to unlock it for good, no subscriptions, no ads, no data collected.
Download on the App Store