Naughty Step

Screenshot of Naughty Step app

The Naughty Step technique is a method for parents to take a child out of a situation into an area where they can calm down and get back to normal. Whether this is a real step (for safety reasons, the first step of a staircase is recommended) or another area, such as a time-out mat or chair in a corner, is dependent on the layout of the building.

It was made popular by the TV series Supernanny, aired both in the UK and in the US (and maybe other countries as well) as a means of trying to bring order in a fair way to children who don't have well defined boundaries.

The child is removed for a period, often using 1 minute for every year's age, until they are calmed down. Unfortunately, young children often have no concept of time and so often need some kind of external mechanism to keep track.

The Naughty Step application shows a graphical bar which decreases with time, so that the end of the time-out is when the bar disappears.

This application is designed to assist parents who are already using the Naughty Step technique to provide a graphical measurement of how long remains. The time is also shown in the top-right corner in minutes and seconds.

The Help page explains how to use the application. Naughty Step is on the App Store for both iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices.