In a world surrounded by digital clocks, adults may wonder if there is any point in teaching children how to tell time. One simple reason to teach time is so that children can read analog clocks they may encounter in various settings. Another reason is that using analog clocks can help children understand elapsed time and how to calculate the passage of minutes and hours. Finally, teaching analog time is beneficial because it can support learning fractions, such as quarters and halves. Let’s take a look at introducing children to telling time.

Toddlers may use some vocabulary around time but have little understanding of what it truly means. For example, they may say they want three more minutes before going to bed, but have no idea how long three minutes is. They also haven’t developed a concept of days, weeks, months, and years. “Next weekend,” for example, is a construct they can’t yet grasp.

More direct instruction around time typically begins during the preschool years. This is when calendar activities can be introduced so children start to understand the difference between days, months, and years. They begin learning the names of the days and months, in their correct order. Calendar activities can also incorporate counting, such as determining how many days it is until a special event. Using vocabulary such as “yesterday,” “today,” and “tomorrow” is practiced.

The preschool years are also a time to introduce the four seasons. They can be easily linked to calendar activities, as children learn what season it presently is, how to dress for that season, and what activities people participate in during that time of year.

Beyond the calendar, young children can begin learning about times during the day. Help them understand the concepts of morning, afternoon, and night. Pairing each of these times with familiar activities can help their understanding. For example, point out how it’s dark at nighttime and they go to sleep. Talk about things that happen in the morning, like the sun coming up, getting dressed, and eating breakfast.

Teachers can begin with teaching telling time to the hour. In order to be successful, they must first know the numbers from 1 to 12 and be able to correctly identify them. Without this skill in place, telling time will be too challenging.

To help children learn how to tell time, it is helpful for them to have their own clock to explore. You may have demonstration clocks for them to use or they can make their own clocks using a printable and brass fastener for moving hands. You need to teach them the role of the short hand and the long hand. It may be beneficial for each hand to be a different color.

Once they have mastered telling time to the hour, move on to the half-hour. The prerequisite skill for telling time to the half-hour is knowing how to count by fives. This will help children understand what is meant by “thirty” when using half hours. To support this learning, add labels to clocks to show the five-minute intervals, from five to 55. Some educators add these labels to the clock in the room and leave them there for children to refer to. 

This is also an opportunity to teach children that each number on the clock has its own space. They need to recognize that the short hand does not always point exactly to a number and can be in-between numbers. Having each space represented by colors can help them develop this understanding and support them with telling time.

After teaching time to the half hour, progress to five-minute intervals such as 9:25 and 11:45. Again, having a visual to refer to with the five-minute intervals added to the clock will help children. This is also the time to introduce vocabulary such as “quarter after” and “half past.”

The last step in reading analog clocks is identifying time to the minute. Children need to be proficient with numbers from 1 to 60. They need to be able to count on from a variety of starting points. For example, if the long hand is two marks past the three, they need to know that the three represents 15 and to count on two more spots to 17. 

Teaching time can be supported by using interactive clocks as well as worksheets that provide practice with identifying the time and with drawing the hands for given times.

Some clocks do not have numbers and instead have dashes or other symbols in their place. Other clocks are only labeled with the numbers 3, 6, 9, and 12. Some clocks do not have dashes in between the numbers to indicate the minutes. When children are learning how to tell time, it’s best not to use these clocks until they have solidified their understanding of time and interacted with clocks long enough to recall how the numbers are placed. Until then, stick with using very clearly labeled clocks. When ready to progress, try using clocks with four numbers labeled first. 

Understanding elapsed time has real-world implications. It helps children understand things like how long tasks take to complete and what time they should start getting ready to go somewhere. Children need to have a solid grasp of telling time before they can begin calculating elapsed time.

Begin teaching elapsed time using the clock. This will help children develop an understanding of what elapsed time is, which going straight to calculations may not do. Using the clock allows them to see how minutes and hours pass as we move from a starting time to an ending time. As their understanding develops, help them see the connection between elapsed time and addition and subtraction.