Learning to tell the time supports children's development
For a well‑structured daily routine, agreements and keeping to times are essential. While for the little ones mum, dad or other adults make sure they are always in the right place at the right moment, older children increasingly take on this responsibility themselves.
Being grown up and independent makes children very proud – and the newly acquired skill also supports their emotional development. Your children learn to be in the right place at the agreed time and thereby automatically develop more a sense of responsibility and independence. By keeping to times and appointments on their own, children experience themselves as more independent and self‑determined. The new ability to read the clock just like the grown‑ups empowers the children, gives them self‑confidence and is good for their emotional well‑being.
At what age should children learn to tell the time?
There is no one‑size‑fits‑all answer to when your child should learn to tell the time. Some children already show an interest in reading clocks from the age of five or six and are then able to understand the principle of hands and the dial. Others take their time — and that is perfectly fine. At school age children’s days become automatically organised around lesson times and timetables. Children need to be up and out at the same time every day by now at the latest. For this reason, starting school is a popular occasion for a child's first own watch, wristwatch or children's alarm clock. From around Year 2 children also learn specifically at school how to work with times.
What should you look for when buying the first watch?
Analog children's watches are best, as they allow children to practice reading the time again and again. The ideal children's watch has a clearly readable dial with minute markings and hour, minute and second hands. Without minute markings it is difficult to determine the exact time – and too many elements on the dial also confuse children.
A wall clock for the children's room or a children's alarm clock for the bedside table should be as quiet as possible so that your children can sleep well at night and are not disturbed by the ticking. Above all, children's wristwatches should be robust and easy to care for and be able to withstand the odd knock or fall. Colour and design are of course just as important! Whether a little horse, space or football fan – there’s the perfect watch design for every taste.
Tips for learning to tell the time
Every little mind processes information differently and of course has different interests. But at some point they are all ready to understand the principle of the clock. What helps you and your children on the way there:
Develop an early sense of time spans: Your children will already want to know in their toddler years how long they have to wait for big events or how much playtime is left. Be creative and find child‑friendly time descriptions your little ones understand, such as “how many more sleeps” or “until the sand in the hourglass is all the way down”.
Learning clock and season clock: Children are fascinated by the seasons and are often curious about who has a birthday in which month. A learning clock or a play calendar are fun and show children in a playful way what time means.
Stories and books to learn times: With stories, books and games about reading clocks, children practise by themselves and will soon become real time‑telling pros.
Apps for learning the clock: Specially developed learning apps help children understand the clock step by step and make learning child's play with fun exercises.
A child's first understanding of time
Even very young children are fascinated by the seasons, calendars and illustrated schedules. A teaching clock and a learning calendar are popular toys both in kindergarten and at home. What day is it today, what is the weather like outside, which trees belong to autumn and what is the name of the month in which my birthday falls?
From around the age of four, children learn to tell today from yesterday and tomorrow and begin to develop a sense of what happens in the morning and the afternoon, or when day turns into evening. But what does it really mean that it will soon be eight o'clock and therefore it’s far too late to set up a marble run? Children usually only understand that later. How can we make time tangible for kindergarten children until then?
How many sleeps to go: For generations children have learned with this magical phrase how long they still have to wait for a special event or a big day. And it works just as well as ever!
As long as driving to Grandma's twice: Using familiar situations helps children estimate time spans better and imagine how long that period will feel.
Until the sand timer runs out: Making time spans visible helps children see how much time has literally gone by and how much is left. As a modern alternative to the hourglass, a timer with a visible countdown is useful.
Learning to tell the time in 5 steps
When your children begin to learn to read the clock, they will already know the numbers one to twelve. But what about the hands on the dial? Tell your child in advance that there are two hands that always turn in the same direction (clockwise) and that, as a team, they show the correct time. Then get started:
Hour hand: Explain to your child that the short (hour) hand shows the full hours. The short hand is the 'decider' — as soon as it points to a number, that hour has begun.
Minute hand: Next, your children learn how the long (minute) hand shows half and quarter hours. Practice different settings using “quarter to”, “quarter past” and “half past”.
Minutes: It's best to use a teaching clock with minute markings. The long hand is responsible for this too and helps the short hand describe the time precisely.
Time intervals: Children who can already do basic arithmetic may now practise time intervals. How much time passes between hours and half hours? And how do we express short intervals in minutes?
Practice, practice, practice: Whether on the teaching clock, the kitchen clock or their own children's alarm clock – ask your children the time from time to time – they will be proud to tell you and will thereby consolidate their new skills
Tip: For now use time indications from 1 to 12 o'clock and avoid 24‑hour times such as 15:00. That makes learning easier.
How you can easily make your own learning clock
You'll need:
Cardboard or photo paper
Pencil
Scissors
1 split pin
Pens or colours for decorating
Here's how:
Cut a circle out of the cardboard. Tip: It's easiest if you draw the circle with a compass first. Alternatively, you can place a plate on top and trace around its rim with a pencil.
Cut two clock hands of different lengths out of the cardboard. Note: The hands should be at least 1-2 cm thick so there's enough room to push the fastener through later.
Write the numbers 1–12 on the clock face. Tip: Write 12 at the top, 6 at the bottom, 3 on the right and 9 on the left. Then write the two missing numbers in between each.
Decorate the clock face as you like with colours or stickers.
Punch a hole in the centre of the clock face and in the underside of both hands.
Push the split pin through both hands and the clock face and secure the fastener on the underside so the hands can turn easily. Your learning clock is ready. Have fun exploring the wonderful world of time!
