• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Feels Like Home™ logo

  • Shop
    • Christianity Downloads
    • Family Downloads
    • Food & Cooking Downloads
    • Hobbies & Crafts Downloads
    • Learning Downloads
  • Blog
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Marriage
    • Kids activities
      • Kids Crafts
      • Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers
      • Christmas Crafts for Kids
      • Christmas Crafts for Tweens & Teens
    • Learning
      • Reading & Writing
      • STEM
  • Faith
    • Bible Study
    • Encouragement
  • Recipes
    • Comfort Food
    • Eating after Bariatric Surgery
    • Gluten-Free
    • Recipes for Foodie Kids
    • Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals
  • Health
    • Mental Health
      • Hobbies & Crafts
      • Self-Care
    • Physical Health
      • Bariatric Surgery
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • SHOP
  • RECIPES
  • FAMILY
  • FAITH
  • HEALTH
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    See More:   Elementary Aged Kids Learning Preschoolers Reviews

    Last Modified: May 23, 2022 by Tara Ziegmont

    11 Tips To Teach Telling Time

    38FacebookMessenger2kPinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    2k
    SHARES
    A close up of a clock

    My kids like to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve. The trouble with this is that they normally go to bed at 8:30, and by 9 or 9:30, they are so exhausted that they are lying on the couch and not even picking up their heads. It's pathetic.

    Grace, our now 10-year-old, taught herself to tell time at a very early age, and we had to secretly change all the clocks to three hours fast so that she would think she was staying up until midnight, even when she was going to bed at 9.

    Don't judge me for lying to my child.

    Last year, Grace was at a sleepover on New Year's Eve, and Allie, who was five at the time, did not know how to tell time, so we didn't change the clocks.

    About 9:30, Allie's gas had run out, and she was yawning and lying on the couch. 

    "Allie, why don't we get ready for bed? It's late." I said.

    "No, I want to stay up until midnight," she replied.

    "It's almost midnight," I lied.

    "No, it isn't. The clock is pointing to the 9 now, and at midnight, the clock will be pointing at the 12. Gracie told me."

    ARGH!

    I sent her to the bathroom and changed the clock. She was so tired that she didn't even notice what happened fifteen minutes later when I pointed out how the clock was almost at the 12.

    Thanks to Grace's talking about the clock, teaching Allie to tell time was fairly easy and quick. We practiced with a paper clock for a couple of weeks, and we talked about the big hand and the little hand, and she picked it up without any stress. If only learning to read was that easy!

    Here's what we did:

    11 Tips To Teach Telling Time

    1. Buy a digital clock or watch. Digital clocks and watches make it easy to tell time. Even a preschooler can read "9-0-1" and figure out that it is a little after nine o'clock. This is the first step in learning to tell time - an awareness that the numbers mean something.
    2. Hang an analog clock in a prominent location. I like clocks. We have clocks all over our house, in every single room. Does everyone have this obsession? I don't know, but it is easy to find a clock here. (One minor issue is that the enormous 3-foot wide clock in our dining room has roman numerals on it. I wouldn't recommend that if you want your children to be able to read it. But it is very pretty, so I am not replacing it.)
    3. Talk about the hour. Now that you have that big clock on the wall, talk about it. When you are sitting down to eat, ask her what number the little hand is pointing to. Ask when you're walking out the door to an appointment. Ask on the way to church. Keep asking, creating an awareness of the importance of that little hand to identifying the hour. You don't need to talk about minutes at this point, just focus on the hours.
    4. Make a good, old fashioned paper clock. You can print one out at the TIMEX Time Machines page at Scholastic, and use a brass fastener to assemble the hands. This will give your child an easy way to manipulate the clock without your having to shell out money on a plastic clock that you will need for approximately two weeks, until she figures out how to read the real clock. 
      A close up of a watchPin
    5. Track your time. I love this activity, which came from the TIMEX Time Machines teacher packet. It teaches an awareness of AM/PM and also the hours of the day. You will have to print the schedule printable, which you can get here. Then help your child to figure out what she is doing for each hour of the day. Once she has it all filled in, help her to create a timeline of that day. To do this, you will want to print out or draw 6 (or so) clocks, one for each major event in her day. Have her draw the hands on the clock and glue the clocks in order on a large piece of construction paper or poster board. It would be fun to draw or write out what she is doing at each of the times, and she could title the whole thing MY DAY or MY TIME or something like that. 
      A close up of a clock worksheetPin
    6. Don't be in a hurry to add in the minutes. Your child will probably pick up the hours in a day or two; hours are easy. Let her practice the hours for longer than you think she needs, like a week or longer. Only go on if she starts asking about the minute hand or if she can tell you what the hour is without a moment's hesitation. She will also need to be able to skip count by 5's, or she will probably have trouble with this step.
    7. Adjust your clock for learning the minutes. When she's ready to add in the minute hand, add small sticky notes to your clocks with the minutes on them.
    8. Start with half hours. The first thing to teach your child is how to read half hours and hours. Don't talk about all the numbers, just the 6 and the 12. It's either the top of the hour or the bottom. Don't mess around with all the other numbers and times, just teach her that the 6 is :30 and the 12 is :00.
    9. Add in the quarters. Next, add in the 3 and the 9 and teach her the minutes that go along with them. Talk about a quarter to and a quarter after.
    10. Finally, talk about the rest of the minutes. Again, take this process really slow. Teach each number separately if you think she needs that, or if she is getting the hang of it easily, go ahead and teach her a bunch.
    11. Make it okay to estimate. Especially in these beginning stages, make it okay for her to estimate the time. It doesn't have to be 2:07, it can be 2:10 or even 2:15. We do this all the time as adults, don't we? It's not necessary to be precise when you're recounting the time (unless you're working on those tiny minute increments on purpose).

    For more classroom & homeschool learning content, check out the Learning Index.

    Scholastic and TIMEX have teamed up to help parents and teachers help their children learn to tell time using the TIMEX Time Machines website. Telling time helps to reinforce math skills including addition and subtraction and skip counting, the foundational skill for multiplication.

    The activities on the TIMEX Time Machines site help kids learn time management in addition to the basic math of the clock. They estimate how much time it takes to do familiar activities and then see how much time it actually takes.

    There are many resources and at-home activities available on the TIMEX Time Machines site including:

    • How much time? Practice converting digital time to analog while completing daily tasks with your kids
    • Time to Talk: Learn how to discuss time management and identify what daily tasks you and your child are struggling with.
    • Matching Time: Cut out digital and analog clocks and mix them up with this fun matching game.

    TIMEX has also put out a fun app called TIMEX Time Machines, and I think your kids are really going to love it. My kids love their screen time, and I love it when their screen time is something educational. This app has no ads or in-app purchases, which makes it safe for kids of all ages. I think you'll find that using the app is a really great way to reinforce learning to tell time. There's a tutorial mode where kids can learn and then a couple of game levels where they can try to beat the clock. 

    A screen shot of a computerPin

    TIMEX has made it easy to teach your kids to tell time, thanks to their kid-friendly app and parent-friendly website. Let me know in the comments:

    How are you  teaching (or did you teach) your kids to learn to tell time?

    This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Timex. The opinions and text are all mine.

    38FacebookMessenger2kPinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    2k
    SHARES

    More Elementary Aged Kids

    • How to Introduce an Elf on the Shelf Plus 26 Creative & Fun Elf Ideas
    • Christmas Gift Guide for Families
    • 24 Best Non-Tech Gifts for Kids
    • 18 Fun Things to Do with Your Kids

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tara.

    Harrisburg PA mom blogger Tara Ziegmont
    I am passionate about helping women to care for themselves and their families physically, emotionally, and spiritually by making time for what matters most through a combination of delectable recipes, Christian inspiration, and family fun. If you're tired of feeling so weary and uninspired, you're in the right place. I'm so glad you're here!
    Read more about me...

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn email me subscribe

    Popular Recipes

    • Cheeseburger Soup from Taste of Home
    • Cracker Barrel Copycat Fried Apples
    • Sweet Balsamic Pork Roast in the Instant Pot
    • Couldn't Be Easier Cherry Pie

    Food with an Instant Pot in the background

    AS SEEN ON

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Popular Bible Studies

    • A Grateful Heart - 2 week printable study
    • 10 Bible Verses on Anger
    • 13 Bible Verses on Disappointment
    • 50 Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know
    • 10 Bible Verses to Overcome Worry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    As seen on

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Contact Tara


    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy.

    Copyright © 2022 Feels Like Home Blog

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    SettingsAccept
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT