Telling the time

Ages 6 to 8 Read together, then try alone · about 20 minutes

Read together

A clock has an hour hand and a minute hand.

The short hand shows the hour. The long hand shows the minutes.

When the long hand points to 12, it is “o'clock”. At 6, it is half past.

Do it

1. Make a clock from a paper plate: write 1 to 12 around it. Use two paper strips for hands, joined with a paper fastener.
2. Set it to 3 o'clock. Then half past 3. Move the hands together.
3. Match times to your day: breakfast at 7, school at 8 (set the clock), bedtime at 8:30.
4. Ask a family member to set a time, and read it.

Talk about it

• What time do you eat dinner?
• Where is the minute hand at quarter past?

For the grown-up

Telling time on an analogue clock builds understanding of fractions of an hour. Start with o'clock and half past. Digital clocks are useful too, so show both.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

This is a play and practice activity with no factual claims to source.

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.