In the UK, children learn how to tell the time in school from the age of 5, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give them a helping hand before then! In fact, many children start asking questions about the passage of time and how we understand it from a very young age, and their understanding develops throughout early childhood as they explore the world around them. So, help your little one to develop a proactive understanding of the concept of time and support their ongoing learning with these helpful tips.
Apply it to their lives
At this young age, the concept of time is very abstract for most children as it involves thinking about events that haven’t happened yet, or may not happen, as well as events that occurred before they were born. In a general sense, children may remember past events and understand important events that are yet to happen, but their memory capabilities are still developing and they will struggle to conceptualise how much time has passed or how much time is left of any particular period of time.
So, the first step in introducing this complex concept to young children is to make it tangible and apply it to their everyday experiences. One of the best ways to do this is by adhering to their natural sleep-wake cycle (or circadian rhythm) which allows the implementation of a steady sleep schedule. Whilst your little ones will know that they are tired, they might not register that this happens at a particular time every day, so make this more obvious for them by using clear signals to show that it is night time. Dim the lights, quiet household noises, and avoid any exciting activities in the hour before bedtime, and show that this isn’t just happening for them by pointing out that everyone else is also winding down for the night and getting ready to end the day.
Explore the seasons
Once your little one has an awareness of the days passing, it’s time to encourage them to see the passage of time on a larger scale by helping them to observe it in the world around them. Just as they fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning, so do the green leaves of summer become orange in the autumn and fall in the winter before returning next spring in a consistent cycle.
This reframes the passing of time from being all about minutes and hours to months and years, although this can be quite hard for children to grasp unless they observe it for themselves. So, rather than using a calendar to explain these larger units of time, take your little one out for regular walks to observe the seasonal changes together. Point out the cold air and snow in winter and the warmth of summer to tie their understanding in with sensory signals and make the learning process a fun, engaging activity that you share together.
Follow a routine
Now that they have a general understanding of the concept of time, both in their own lives and in the world around them, it’s time to start teaching them to track it for themselves.
Explain to them that rather than just being divided into night and day, each day is further broken up into morning, afternoon, and evening, as well as hours, minutes and seconds within this. Sit down with them and draw up a chart of their daily activities in the order that they occur, starting with waking up and brushing their teeth and ending with saying goodnight to everyone and reading a story together before bed. Write the time of each activity next to it and as they grow, they’ll be able to point to these times on a clock and tell you how much time is left before a parent returns from work, before you all have dinner, and before they go to bed.
After your child has familiarised themself with this passage of time laid down on paper, you can then extend the activity to include their weekly routine to show that some activities happen on a weekly, or even monthly basis, rather than just daily. Tick the days off a calendar for a month before turning it over and showing that the natural cycle of time is ongoing, and that being able to track the passing time is a key skill for any developing mind to learn.
Consistency is key
When introducing young children to the concept of time, consistency is essential. Whatever time-teaching activities you choose, make sure that you make them a regular part of your child’s routine to help them fully grasp the concept and encourage daily practice. You can ask them how long an activity should take for example, such as brushing their teeth (2 minutes) or getting dressed in the morning (10 minutes), as these activities should take the same amount of time each day. It might take a while for them to build up their confidence when giving an answer, but with enough practice and repetition they will know exactly how long 10 minutes should feel when performing a task.
Similarly, that consistency needs to come from you, so be aware of how you yourself talk about time. For example, don’t just say that you’ll be there to help them with a particular task in ‘just a moment!’ if you are likely to be much longer, as this can be confusing for little ones who are still learning about the different measurements of time.
Explore our EasyRead range
Finally, once the time comes for your child to learn how to tell the time on a clock, our range will have everything you need to give them plenty of practice at home and out and about.
- Our EasyRead wall clocks: Add one of our educational clocks to your child’s bedroom or playroom wall and ask them plenty of times a day to read the time using either the 12/24 Hour or the Past & To method.
- Our EasyRead alarm clocks: Our alarm clocks display the time with silent sweeping movements so there’s no annoying ticking keeping your little one awake – just an LED nightlight and a glowing clock face in the morning to make it easy for them to read the time whenever they need to.
- Our EasyRead watches: Give your little one the tools to tell the time for themselves and practice their new skills no matter where they are with our EasyRead watches.
If you need any more information on how to use our EasyRead products or about our time-teaching method, find out everything you need to know here.