A guide for parents

How to teach kids to tell time

An analogue clock is hard for children because one number means two things. Small steps help.

1. Just the short hand first

Cover the long hand and only ask “what hour is it”: the short hand points at 3, so it’s three o’clock. Link it to the day (breakfast at 7, lunch at 12).

2. O’clock and half past

Long hand at the top on 12 = o’clock. At the bottom on 6 = half past. Say it both ways too: “half past three” and “three thirty”.

3. Quarter past and quarter to

Split the clock face into four pieces like a cake. The long hand on 3 is quarter past, on 9 quarter to.

4. Minutes in fives

Count the numbers on the face in fives: 1 is 5 minutes, 2 is 10 minutes… The five times table helps here.

Clocks all around

Ask during the day: “How many minutes until we go out?” A clock with hands on the wall helps more than a digital one.

Written by Honza, a former teacher and a dad of two daughters.