Complex, but very useful once mastered, learning to tell time is an essential part of our daily lives.
Before acquiring this skill, the child will first need to master other skills: reading numbers, the concept of time passing, time of day or night… Here we give you some keys to approach this new learning calmly and playfully.
At what age should a child learn to tell time?
Generally, it's between the ages of 6 and 8—in first, second, or third grade, depending on the curriculum—that children begin to take an interest in and learn to tell time. Before starting this new learning process, children need to develop certain skills. They should be able to count at least to 60, and ideally by fives. They should be aware of the different times of day: morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and night (especially to distinguish between 2 a.m. and 2 p.m., for example). They should also be familiar with certain terms: less, more, before, and after. And they should master certain skills: reading numbers, being able to visualize the numbers corresponding to the dashes on a clock (to be able to read the minutes). For example, the dash after the 1 (5 minutes) corresponds to 6 minutes.
How to teach your child to tell time step by step?
To help your child learn to tell time, there are some basics they need to know.
Before starting, we equip ourselves with a fun clock
For learning materials, you can use learning clocks to address all the complexities that the child may face.
But to get your child more involved, why not make a homemade clock together? It's a simple, fun, and educational craft activity that promotes learning through play. All you need to do is:
- draw and cut out 2 needles on slightly thick paper : a large hand for the minutes and a small one for the hours (one color per hand);
- hook the needles in the center of a paper plate using a fastener Parisian ;
- Note the different numbers on the clock and make small lines for the minutes.
Distinguishing between the needles
To help him/her locate each needle correctly, you can look at them together. this simple and clear video :
You need to learn to distinguish between the different types of needles:
- an hour hand: the small hour hand (usually the thickest one);
- a minute hand: the large minute hand;
- a thinner hand for seconds: the second hand (which is not always present).
Learning to tell time
The child must begin by locating the small hour hand.
The numbers written correspond to the hours: for example, small hand on 1: 1 o'clock, small hand on 4: 4 o'clock, etc…
Next, you need to be able to distinguish between morning and afternoon.
There are a few key points to keep in mind:
- When the big hand reaches the 12, it is at 0. The day starts at 0h (midnight).
- Afternoon (12pm) is the afternoon, so you should not read 1am but 1pm then continue until 11pm and come back at midnight.
- 1 day + 1 night = 2 complete revolutions of the clock.
- 60 minutes = 1 hour
- 60 seconds = 1 minute
Learning to read minutes
The minutes are indicated by the small lines on the clock. You have to look at the big hand to read the minutes.
Once that's mastered, you can move on to the half hour. When the big hand is on the 6, we say "30" or "half past", we also speak of half an hour.
And when this step is fully mastered, move on to the quarter-hour.
Quarter past the hour: the minute hand is on the 3, or 15 minutes. Quarter to the hour: the minute hand is on the 9, or 45 minutes.
And what about the second hand in all this?
As for the second hand, it's sometimes there, but not always. It moves faster than all the other hands. The second hand makes one complete revolution for the minute hand to advance one minute. And when the minute hand has made one complete revolution, the hour hand advances one hour.
Materials and games to encourage telling time
To practice, you can choose from different fun and educational games about spatial and temporal awareness.
In short
To learn how to tell time, firstly, you need to master a few skills:
- to be able to orient oneself in time;
- to be able to count up to 60 and by 5s;
- to orient oneself to the time of day;
- distinguish between before / after;
- to become familiar with and become acquainted with the tool (the clock);
- learn to distinguish between the different needles.
Then, subsequently:
- mastering the reading of time;
- mastering the reading of minutes;
- train with appropriate equipment.
Remember that above all, you should not force the child if he is not yet ready to want to tell the time.
This learning process is complex. Don't hesitate to coordinate with the time the child will learn to tell time in class, and especially to familiarize yourself with the method the teacher will use so as not to confuse the child with different approaches.
Learning to tell time is acquired through repetition and practice.
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