Teaching a child to tell the time takes time. For a successful learning, it is better to do it gradually while respecting certain key stages. Our advice and tips.

At school, learning the hour begins in CE1 (at age 7), and continues in CE2 and CM1. At home, you can introduce your child gently around 5/6 years old. If he can count to 24, can distinguish the different parts of the day (morning, afternoon, evening) and can read numbers, you can get started. Be patient and forgiving, learning to tell the time is a complex exercise for some children and will take longer to master the task than others.

It also requires concentration. So at home, try to make the exercise fun (the learning will be more formal at school) and spend time on it only if the child is asking or if he has trouble at school with this. learning. 

The first step is to observe and identify the elements that make up the face of an analog clock or watch. Let your child look at the object and ask him to tell you what he sees. Help him name what is there: the hands, the dial in the shape of a circle, the numbers, the dots or small dashes. Then explain to him what the three hands are for: the small one indicates the hour, the large one indicates the minutes and the second hand indicates the seconds.

After analyzing all the elements of the clock, the child is taught how to read the hours. It’s simple, the small hand indicates the hours, it always turns to the right. If the small hand points to 1, it means that it is 1 o’clock, if it points to 2, it is 2 o’clock. Remember to tell the child that the hours go from 1 to 12, with the number 12 at the very top of the dial. Also specify that in a day there are 24 hours, the small hand therefore circles the dial twice in a day because it goes from 1 to 12.

Once the principle of hours has been learned, ask your child to tell you 3 o’clock by moving the large hand on a stopped clock or an educational clock. Repeat the exercise several times, asking him to tell you 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and so on. At certain times of the day, test it and ask it to tell you the time by looking at your watch or the kitchen clock for example. This allows him to practice.

When the child feels comfortable with the hours, you can explain to him that past noon or 12 noon, the hours can be read in two ways: the 1 can be read 13, the 2 can be read 14… etc. So that he understands easily, tell him that it is the hours of the afternoon and of the evening that can be read in two ways, those which go from 12 to 24.

After you’ve learned the hours, focus on the minutes. These are indicated by the large hand. On the dial, they go from 5 to 5. Only those which end not a 0 or a 5 are written (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30…), the others (6, 7, 8, 12, 24 …) Are indicated by dots. Point out to your child that the hours are written in larger letters than the minutes, so they don’t get confused. In total, there are 60 minutes in an hour. As with the hours, show the child how to place the hands when it is 15:15 p.m. or 17:30 p.m. for example. At certain times of the day, do not hesitate to ask him the time to check that he has understood the hours and minutes.

Learning minutes is also an opportunity to tell him that 15 minutes = 1 quarter of an hour, 30 minutes = half an hour. Finally, finish with the seconds. This step is shorter than the other two because when we read the time we usually do not mention the seconds. They are indicated by the second hand, the hand which advances the fastest in the dial and 60 seconds = 1 minute.

Make an educational clock

In children, learning the hour goes through manipulation. Make a fake paper clock with fake hands (each of a different color) that the child can turn as they wish to indicate the time you ask them. 

Choosing the right first watch

To know how to read the time correctly, your child must train alone. Buy him a watch. Prefer an analog model (dial with hands) to a digital model with digital display where the child will just have to read the numbers. Several brands now offer models specially adapted for children: light watches, unbreakable, colored, with a large round dial, readable numbers and hands of a different color. 

Download apps to learn how to tell the time

There are many apps to learn how to tell the time while having fun. Some use the division of the time of a day, others use the highlights of a child’s day (meals, leisure, play time, etc.).

Use key moments in your day to practice

They say effective toothbrushing should last 3 minutes! So test your child on reading the time when brushing his teeth. Once brushing begins, tell her to rinse her mouth in 3 minutes. 

Another tip, in the evening, before going to bed, set a time for reading a story, 20 p.m. for example. And tell him to let you know when it’s time for the little story ritual.