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Telling the time
Years 2 to 4
Read an analogue clock: the short hand shows the hour and the long hand shows the minutes.
For learners
A clock has two hands. The short hand shows the hour. The long hand shows the minutes.
Count round the clock in 5s. When the long hand points to the 1 it is 5 minutes past. The 2 is 10 minutes, the 3 is 15 minutes, and the 6 is 30 minutes, which is half past.
After half past, we say how many minutes to the next hour. The long hand on the 9 is quarter to.
A worked example
The long hand points to the 7 and the short hand is just past 2. What time is it?
- The long hand on the 7 means 7 × 5 = 35 minutes past.
- The short hand shows the hour is 2.
- The time is 2:35, or twenty-five to three.
For grown-ups
Use a real clock with moving hands and ask your child to set times. Link the clock face to the 5 times table, so the numbers on the clock become the minutes. Move on to 24-hour time by adding 12 to afternoon hours.
Common mistakes
- Reading the long hand as the hour and the short hand as the minutes.
- Saying '6 minutes past' when the long hand is on the 6 (it is 30).
- Forgetting that the short hand is part-way between two numbers at half past.
Why it matters
Knowing the time helps you plan your day, catch a bus and be on time for school.
Topics in quarter that use this
- Reading analogue clocks
- How much time has passed?
- Converting units of time
- Timetables and journey times