Teaching Kids to Tell Time with a Free Ebook!

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There is a tipping point in every parent’s life where teaching kids to tell time becomes essential. When they are little you can say “in ten minutes we’ll…..” and it is so wonderful that the kids don’t actually have a clue about when ten minutes is actually over. However, there is breaking point. “When is Grandma going to be here?” “What time will it be when Grandma is here?” “How much longer until Grandma comes?” “Is it ____ o’clock yet?” “Is Grandma here?” “When will she come?” You get it. It would be nice if they could tell time!

Teaching Kids to tell time with teal clock

A Curriculum for Teaching Kids to Tell Time

Sure, time will come up in their math curriculum at some point. But, you’ll have to wait for that point in the curriculum AND it will likely just be a quick breeze over of the topic. As a former teacher, I always felt that the “time” chapter in most math curricula was entirely inadequate. Teaching kids to tell time was important and nuanced.

So I made up my own. I’ve adjusted it many times over many years for many types of learners from kindergarten to fourth grade to special education. Some kids catch on to time quickly, but others struggle. Time is such an abstract concept with so many micro-skills piled together so it is no wonder it is tricky. My curriculum breaks it down step-by-step in a logical progression. All the pieces of the “telling time puzzle” are there. Included are teaching tips to go beyond the pen and paper work and make telling time a reachable skill!

Whether you are a homeschool mom working on time, a parent wishing to supplement your child’s in-school learning, or a teacher looking for a better way my Telling Time Ebook will be a great resource! And you can have it for FREE by signing up below!

Free Ebook curriculum

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    Great Clocks for Teaching Time

    A great way to reward your child for figuring out how to tell time is to reward them with a watch. Or you may want them to have a watch to aid their process. Below are a few watches that I think are great. My 7 year old has a Timex with an elastic band. I (still, amazingly) have a pink Flik Flak watch from when I was a kid. I think we’ve replaced the battery once (in about 30 years). I don’t wear my pink Flik Flak watch anymore but have passed it along to my 5 year old.

    Also, a clock on their wall is a great reward or learning tool as you are teaching your kids to tell time! Then you can tell them, “You may get up and come out of your room after 7:00 and not before.” (Or 8:00 or 9:00! A dream come true!”) We have this lovely unicorn clock. It is nice because it has the minutes marked clearly. My girls think it is so pretty!

    Here are a few other cute clocks to aid you in teaching kids to tell time:

    Free Telling Time Printable to help teach your kids to tell time

    There you have it! Please feel free to share this article with others who may want to teach their kids to tell time. Also, this post does contain Amazon Affiliate links which means that if you purchase something after clicking on a link I may earn a small commission. All the products are my own recommendations.


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    17 Comments

    1. What a handy post! I’m going to share it with my daughter, as she has three littles whom she’ll be wanting to teach time-telling soon. It’s amazing to me how many kids today don’t learn how to use anything but a digital clock! Great post!

      1. Hi Felicia! Thanks for stopping by. Yes…time flies (pun intended) with little ones and they grow up too fast!

    2. This is great! What age do you typically start teaching your kids to tell time? I am excited for that day! My oldest is 3.5 now so we are still in the stage where ten minutes is whatever I decide it to be 🙂

      1. Hi Hollyn! Thank you! Enjoy the phase where “ten minutes is whatever you decide”! I think that between age 5 and 7 is a great time to start. You can start earlier but it will take more repetition for them to “get it”.

    3. Awesome! I love this, what a helpful resource! I hate that there are almost no children’s watches even that aren’t digital. I had to search for a watch for my son that didn’t give the time to him haha. Great post!

      1. Yes, digital seems to hold kids back from actually learning to read a clock face! Hope you find the perfect watch!

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