Checking the time is not easy, especially for children. However, as a parent or teacher, you can turn learning time reading into a fun activity by making clocks with them. Before starting, make sure the kids know the basics. Once the watches are made, you can start teaching the individual elements we use to measure time.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Teaching the Basics
Step 1. Have the child practice counting to 60
To read the time he must know how to go up to 60 (in the correct order). Ask him to write the numbers 1 to 60 on a piece of paper and read them aloud. Post the number sheet on a wall and ask him to recite the numbers regularly.
- When you are in public, for example at the supermarket, indicate the two-digit numbers and ask him to repeat them;
- Use nursery rhymes to help him learn to count. You can search for them on the internet;
- To encourage him to learn, be sure to reward him with games or his favorite snack when he does a good job.
Step 2. Have the child practice counting by five
Understanding groups of five goes a long way in telling the time. Ask him to write the numbers in increments of five to 60 on a piece of paper and read them aloud. Make sure you point out that all numbers end in 5 or 0.
- Come up with a special "Count by 5" song with a catchy tune for your child to sing. You can even add some dance steps to the song; for example, every quarter of an hour, put your hands in the air or stamp your feet on the ground. Often sing the song with him to help him get used to counting by five.
- On YouTube you can find some examples of similar songs.
Step 3. Teach the general terms used to describe the time
These are expressions such as morning, noon, evening and night. Introduce the child to these concepts by associating them with certain activities, then ask him when certain things happen.
- For example: "In the morning we have breakfast and brush our teeth. At noon we have lunch and take a nap. At night, we read a book and go to sleep."
- You can ask the child, "What happens in the morning?" and "What happens in the evening?".
- You can post a daily schedule so that the child can see the various activities he does throughout the day. Refer to the chart when explaining when daily events occur.
Part 2 of 4: Build a Clock Together with a Child
Step 1. Get two paper plates and an analog clock
You will use the plates to make the clocks and the analog device as a reference. Put everything you need on a table and sit down with the baby. Tell him enthusiastically that you will build a watch together.
For example: "Guess what we do today? Let's make our own watches!"
Step 2. Fold the plates in half
Ask the child to hold the plate and fold it in half, then rotate it and fold it in half a second time. The plates should now have cross folds in the center, which you will use as a reference.
Step 3. Put stickers and numbers on the clock
Ask the child to put a sticker at the top of the clock, where 12 normally is. Then, referring to the analog clock, tell him to write the number 12 under the sticker with a marker. Repeat for 3, 6 and 9.
Step 4. Complete the clock
Once the child has put the stickers and numbers on the 12, 3, 6 and 9, ask him to finish the clock. Continue to use the analog device as a reference.
For example, tell him to put a sticker where the 1 should be, then to write the number 1 next to the sticker. Repeat for each remaining number
Step 5. Make "slices" on the clock
Ask the child to draw a line from the center to each number and color each section with a different crayon.
Try starting from red at one o'clock, continuing with the other colors of the rainbow for the following numbers. This will make the progression of numbers more intuitive than random colors
Step 6. Create the clock hands
Draw two hands on card stock: a long one for the minutes and a shorter one for the hour. Ask the child to cut them out with scissors.
If it's not big enough to use scissors, cut the hands yourself
Step 7. Secure the hands
Put the hour one over the minute one. Insert a pin into the end of the hands, then pierce the center of the watch. Turn the platter and fold the protruding part of the stylus so that the hands do not come off.
Step 8. Hold the paper clock next to the analog clock
Point out to the child that they are very similar. Ask him if anything needs to be added. If everything is fine, you can continue.
Part 3 of 4: Divide the Hours
Step 1. Point out the difference between the hands
Point out both, then ask the child what the most noticeable difference is. If he doesn't know how to answer, give him a clue, such as "Is one longer than the other?"
Step 2. Identify the hands
Once he sees that they are different sizes, he explains the difference between the two. Tell him that the shorter one indicates the hours and the longer one the minutes. Ask him to write "now" on the short one and "minute" on the long one.
Step 3. Explain the function of the hour hand
Point it at each number, keeping the minute hand at 12 o'clock. Tell him that whenever the short hand points to a number and the minute hand is at 12, it is _ o'clock. Point to each number saying "Now it's one o'clock, now it's two, now it's three …". Ask the child to repeat what you just did.
- Make sure you take advantage of the colored sections. Make him understand the concept that whenever the hour hand is in a certain section, it indicates a precise time.
- You can even associate activities with numbers, so you can remember hours better; for example, "It's three o'clock now, so it's time to watch your favorite cartoon", or "It's five o'clock, soccer practice time".
Step 4. Ask the child questions
With its help, choose a day of the week and write a list of five or seven activities with their respective times. Choose an activity and associated time, then ask him to put the hour hand on the right number. If necessary, correct his mistakes with affection.
- For example, say, "School is over, so it's two o'clock. Move the hands and let me see two o'clock on your watch", or "It's nine o'clock, so it's time to go to bed. Move the hands. and show me nine o'clock on the clock."
- Invent a game where you set the clock together according to the time of daily activities. Use a working analog clock as a reference.
Part 4 of 4: Divide the minutes
Step 1. Explain the double meaning of numbers
A child may feel confused when you tell him that the number 1 also means five minutes and the 2 ten minutes. To help him understand this concept, tell him to imagine that numbers are spies with a secret identity, like Clark Kent and Superman.
- For example, explain to the child that the secret identity of the number 1 is 5, then ask him to write a small number 5 next to the 1. Repeat for each number.
- Be sure to point out to the child that you are counting by five. Uncover the secret identity of each number by singing your own special count-by-five song.
Step 2. Describe the role of the minute hand
Explain that the secret identities of the numbers are revealed when the long hand, the minute hand, points to them. Keeping the hour hand steady, point the minute hand on each number and recite it. Now ask the child to do the same.
For example, point to two o'clock and say "It's ten minutes". Then point to three and say "It's fifteen minutes."
Step 3. Show how to read the hours and minutes at the same time
Once your child understands how the minute hand works, you need to teach him to read it along with the hour hand. Start with simple times, such as 1:30, 2:15, 5:45, and so on. Point the hour hand at one number, then the minute hand at another and say the time.
For example, point the hour hand to three and the minute hand to eight. Tell the child that it is 3:40, because the short hand points to three and the long hand points to eight. Repeat the concept that the minute hand is that of the secret identity, so it should be read as 40 and not as 8. Repeat the exercise until you learn well
Step 4. Add minute marks that are not multiples of 5
Once the child understands the five minute intervals, add four marks between each interval. Start by writing 1, 2, 3 and 4 next to the marks between the numbers 12 and 1. Encourage him to fill in the rest of the minutes, counting them aloud. At this point, point the minute hand to a minute not a multiple of five and the hour hand to an hour, then read the time.
For example, point the minute hand at the fourth mark and the hour hand at three. Tell the child that it is 3:04. Repeat the exercise until you understand how to read the minutes on the clock
Step 5. Ask the child questions
Write together a list of about five activities with their respective times. Ask him to move the hands to indicate the time of the various activities. You can help him at first, but be sure to repeat the exercise until he is able to read the time without prompts.
Encourage the child by rewarding him when he responds correctly. Take it to the park or ice cream parlor
Step 6. Complicate things
Once the child indicates the times of activities on his personalized watch without making any mistakes, repeat the exercise on an analog watch that does not show the "secret identities" of the hours. That way you will be able to tell if he really understood how to tell the time.
Advice
- Be sure to teach your child how to tell the time on an analog clock before moving on to digital ones.
- Search the internet for nursery rhymes or songs on how to tell the time.
