Top tips to help your child learn to tell the time

How to help your child learn to tell the time

Learn to tell the time Lisburn tutor

Learning to tell the time is one of the most common maths worries we come across at On Target Tuition. Many children struggle with this skill, especially when it comes to learning minutes to the hour. The order of play for learning the time is o’clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to, 5 minute intervals and then 1 minute intervals.  Your child also needs to master analogue (telling the time on a clock face) and digital time.

At On Target Tuition we break down all the elements of telling the time into manageable stages It is important that your child practises each stage as much as possible to reinforce their learning and that they understand what a valuable skill telling the time is. Make sure you have a least one simple clock in your house with a minute and hour hand and clear numbers on the dial. It is also a sensible idea to buy your child a simple wrist watch so they can tell the time with you in everyday situations such as knowing what time school starts and ends.

Here are some good online, interactive resources to help your child practise the time

Nessy Clock Island – Clock Island is an interactive program that uses strategies to show you how to tell the time. Strategies make difficult concepts like ‘past and to’ easier to understand.  It is part of the Nessy numbers package which also includes ‘Tables of Doom’ a great software package for practising times tables.  All students at On Target Tuition have access to this program.

On Time – Set the hands of the clock to answer the questions. 4 levels take your child through the different stages of learning to tell the time.

Time Keeper – Burt the Bird wants to help you fix your clocks. Pick the clock that shows the correct time. There are four different difficulties including half past, quarter past, 5 minutes intervals, and 1 minute intervals.

If your child is struggling to learn to tell the time and you need some extra support, On Target Tuition can help. Our structured maths tuition lessons can take your child back to basics and fill in the gaps in their knowledge. Call 9267 5071 to discuss how we can help or visit our website to find out more.

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