Eagerly Reading a clock face, one hand at a time
A step-by-step way to teach a child to read a clock with hands: hour hand first, then half past, then minutes in fives.
What it is
A clock with hands shows two things at once. The short hand points to the hour. The long hand points to the minutes, and each number on the face means 5 more minutes.
Why it's tricky
The numbers on the face mean hours for one hand and fives of minutes for the other. And between hours the short hand sits between numbers, which confuses many kids at half past.
A picture walk-through
- Hour first. Long hand on 12 means “o'clock”. This is 3 o'clock.
- Half past 3. The long hand is on 6, halfway round. The short hand is halfway between 3 and 4.
- Minutes in fives: the long hand on 4 means 4 fives, 20 minutes. It's 3:20.
Things to say at home
- “Where's the short hand? It's just past the 7, so it's after 7 o'clock.”
- “Count the fives with me: 5, 10, 15, 20.”
- “What time will it be in half an hour?”
Common mix-ups
- Mixing up the hands. “Short hand, hour” is a handy rhyme.
- Reading the next hour too early. At 3:50 the short hand is nearly on 4, but it's still 3-something.
