Grades 1–3
Telling time
A clock with hands is hard because one face shows two number lines at once: the short hand counts hours, and the long hand counts minutes in fives. Schools teach it in steps, starting with the hour hand alone.
What kids learn, grade by grade
- 1Tell time to the hour and half hour.
- 2Tell time to five minutes, and know a.m. from p.m.
- 3Tell time to the minute and work out how much time has passed.
Try this at home
- Keep a clock with hands where your child can see it.
- Talk about time with the hour hand first: “it's almost 4, the short hand is nearly at the 4.”
- Ask “how long until dinner?” and count on by fives together.
Guide for this topic
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. · 4 min read
Sample worksheet to print
One sample sheet for this topic, with the answers on page 2. Want a new sheet every time, built from the facts your child misses? That comes with Eagerly Math Plus.
The app · iPhone and iPad
Practice it in Eagerly Math
- The same pictures as these guides
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