Teaching a child to tell the time can be a daunting task. So, you might be asking how to teach a child to tell time? There are many different strategies for teaching a child how to read and understand the time. By using this 5-step instructional guide, you will have all the information you need to teach your child to tell the time in no time! These five simple steps are easy enough that they can be adapted for all ages while also teaching them important skills, like reading analog clocks and telling digital time.
Step One: Find Out What Your Child Already Knows
Before you can teach your child anything, you need to find out what they already know.
If they know how to read the time on an analog clock, they can skip step two. Otherwise, ask them if they know what the numbers mean and what order they are in. If not, move on to step three.
Step Two: Start with Analog Time
Once you have mastered the single-digit clock and all of the minute hands, it’s time to move on to analog clocks. Analog clocks are more complicated than digital clocks because they show both a.m. and p.m. and have a 12-hour clock rather than 1-hour.
Analog clocks are typically divided into two halves, with hours on one side and minutes on the other side. To read an analog clock, start by finding out what hours it is. The first hour is at the top left corner (1 am) and progresses in order to the right until you reach 12 am or midnight. This is where your 12-hour clock begins again at 1 am or 1 pm, depending on whether it is morning or afternoon/evening, respectively. You can tell what time it is based on which hand lines up with the number of hours you want to know about, starting from the bottom of each half.
Step Three: Move to Digital Time
In Step Three, you’re going to move from analog clocks to digital time. Children will be able to tell the time using a digital clock and an analog clock. You’re going to need a few materials for this step:
-A digital clock with numbers and hands
-An analog clock with numbers and hands
-The written form of ‘five minutes past three’
-Two plastic cups
First, you should show your child how to read the digital clock. Write down ‘five minutes past three’ on a piece of paper and give it to your child. Show them what five minutes past three looks like on both clocks. Then, fill up one of the cups with water. Take turns pouring out a minute until only two seconds are left in the cup. Then, count how many seconds it took them to pour out that amount of water on each clock. When they finish, they should have learned what five minutes past four looks like on both clocks!
Step Four: Teach the Hours
Now that your child can tell the minutes, it’s time to teach them about the hours. When teaching them about the hours, you should use analog clocks. Analog clocks are easier for children to read because they represent an hour with one hand. Now, teach your child how to set their alarm clock or watch by using this strategy:
• Have your child point at number 1 on the clock and say the words “one o’clock.” Next, point to number 2 and say “two o’clock.” Continue until you have gone through all of the numbers.
• Now, have your child repeat this process but in reverse order. Start with 12 o’clock and move backward through each number, giving your child time to match up which number they are saying with which word you are saying.
Step Five: Moving On from Telling the Time
Once your child has mastered telling the time in the analog format, you can move on to teaching them how to tell the time digitally. The process is exactly the same, but there are a few different rules. For example, instead of reading “o’clock” use “A.M.” or “P.M.”
To teach your child how to read digitally, you first need to make sure they understand that A.M. and P.M. always come before the hour and what it means for these acronyms to be italicized (meaning it’s nighttime). Once they understand this concept, you’ll introduce them to digital time by starting with 12:00 am, 12:30 am, etc., scrolling up until they reach 12:00 pm, then starting over at 12:00 am, continuing until they’ve learned all 12 hours of the day on both clocks faces.
Conclusion: How to Teach a Child to Tell Time
The aim of teaching your child how to tell the time is to help them better understand the world. It’s not just about learning how to read a clock face—it’s about understanding what time is, what it signifies and how it relates to our lives.
With that in mind, the aim of teaching your child how to tell the time is to help them better understand the world. It’s not just about learning how to read a clock face—it’s about understanding what time is, what it signifies and how it relates to our lives.
Teaching your child to tell the time can seem daunting at first, but with a little knowledge, patience, and practice, you can teach your child to tell the time with ease.