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.
This Autumn we are pleased to launch seven new bright coloured straps as accessories to our existing range of watches. Just pick your favourite from royal blue, green, lime, orange, pink, red and yellow. All will brighten up the darkest of winter days! (more…)
“Excuse me, do you have the time?” – A common question asked. What if you couldn’t answer that question? Well according to a poll by an on-line watch retailer earlier last year, one in seven people admit they can’t tell time on a non-digital watch.
More shockingly perhaps is the fact that in a different poll by www.TwistedTime.com, 37 per cent of parents with children aged 10 or under said they had not or did not plan to teach their children to read the time on non-digital watches. But why is this? Perhaps because people rely on getting the time from their phones and iPods rather than from watches and clocks.
Is it even necessary for 21st century children to learn how to tell the time on an analogue clock in today’s digital age? Well, yes! There are countless reasons:
- Analogue clocks can provide a vivid representation of time that digital clocks cannot. With many different learner types out there – including visual learners/thinkers – most need the analogue clock to have a good understanding of time. Children with autism spectrum disorders are an example.
- Telling the time is a useful skill and analogue clocks are still in use. It also provides a useful framework for understanding of modules and alternative numerical base systems.
- Are we going to replace the beautiful clocks on our churches and railway stations even the with digital? Surely not!
- “I’ll meet you at the train station at quarter past five” – this could be a problem if you can only use a digital clock!
- iPhones and iPods have an analogue clock option which is very popular amongst Apple users. Other companies such as Audi and Lexus also use the analogue clock rather than digital in some of their cars. Analogue still exists around us – and will continue to do so.
We are a family business dedicated to helping children and adults learn to tell the time on analogue clocks. Our clocks and watches are designed to help children learn to tell the time in terms of ‘minutes past’ and ‘minutes to’ the hour. Take a look at our 2 and 3 step teaching method.
Here at EasyRead Time Teacher, we love hearing feedback from our customers. We have always believed that our customers are our best advert. Take a look at what they are saying about EasyRead:
“The watch I ordered allowed my 9 year old dyslexic daughter to read the time like her classmates for the very first time! It has made such a significant difference to her life.”
“I would highly recommend this clock if your child has difficulty understanding how to tell the time – I wish I’d had something like this when I was a child!”
“My daughter has an EasyRead watch, we bought the matching clock and they really help with her understanding.”
“My five year old daughter learned to tell the time in five minutes!”
“Fantastic watch! My Granddaughter can’t wait to go to school wearing hers!”
“Excellent, daughter is very happy! She learnt time within two days. The watch is very sturdy, highly recommended.”
“Best watch I’ve ever purchased for my daughter.”
“What a brilliant watch!! So easy to read and builds children’s confidence. I would recommend this watch to everyone!”
“Great products and excellent quality for the money!”
Would you like to see what all the fuss is about? Click here to view all our EasyRead products.
So you’ve bought your EasyRead Time Teacher clock…now what?
Practice makes perfect! Our clocks are designed to be taken off the wall and interacted with. Children will love the ‘hands on’ learning and then, seeing it every day up on the wall, they can practice and cement their learning.
We have even put the teaching methods on the back of the clock to make life as easy as possible! The simple design is brilliant for young children trying to get to grips with telling the time.
Take a look at our classroom clocks here.
Download our free resources here.
If you need any help or have any questions, please email us on [email protected] or call on 07865 470905.
EasyRead Time Teacher believe in practice makes perfect. When children master something as difficult as telling the time, they need to cement that skill with practice. We have the solution.
Having an EasyRead classroom clock on your wall encourages children to practice on their own, in their own time. Children love to take ownership of their learning and will be running to the clock to practice their new skills!
As well as our brilliant products, we also offer numerous free learning resources such as clock colouring sheets, our two step and three step systems and our video library.
Learning to tell the time is a huge step for children. It allows them to take ownership of their day, understand the concept of time and makes them feel ‘grown up’.
Our wristwatches are the perfect first watch for children, with a colourful large face and a comfortable and removable strap – they will love it! With an EasyRead Time Teacher wristwatch a young child can learn to tell the time very quickly.
In addition, we also offer clocks for the home. Our two and three step teaching system is easy to master, enabling children to learn with limited input from the adults around them.
Click here to see our range of watches.
If you would like to find out more about EasyRead Time Teacher or have any questions, please email us at [email protected].
EasyRead Time Teacher is a family business dedicated to helping children and adults overcome the problems encountered when learning to tell the time.
The business was started by Roger Shackleton, who is based in Sydney and is a winner of an Australian Design Award. Roger designed the ‘EasyRead Dial’ and the ‘Three Step Teaching System’ after finding it extremely difficult to teach his own children to tell the time using regular analogue clocks.
Roger’s business started in 2011 under the name ‘Theme Time Australia’. In 2012 his sister, Sue Shackleton, who is based in Malvern UK, joined him to develop the business in the UK & Europe. EasyRead Time Teacher Ltd was formed in 2013.
EasyRead Time Teacher have expanded on the clock design and are now offering a range of watches and teaching resources as well as variations on the original clock design. Click here to look at all the products EasyRead have to offer. With over 50,000 worldwide sales and products available all over the world, EasyRead are growing rapidly and are trusted by hundreds of schools and thousands of families.
We couldn’t have done it without our amazing customers and distributors. Take a look at what our customers say about us.
If you would like to find out more about EasyRead or have any questions, please email us at [email protected].
Children with dyslexia, dyspraxia and many on the autistic scale may struggle to learn to tell the time easily. They especially have problems telling the time on a clock with hands.
It may be that you can tell whole hours and half hours but not smaller chunks such as 8:04. People with S.E.N. might find it difficult to distinguish between the minute and hour hands. Also concepts such as ‘to’ and ‘past’ on a clock might be confusing.
As a parent, there are several ways you can help your children to learn to tell the time:
Our EasyRead watches and clocks are clear and colourful with a large dial showing every detail your child needs. Our simple yet effective three step teaching system makes it easy for children to learn to read the time in terms of ‘minutes past’ and ‘minutes to’ the hour. Our equally as effective two step system teaches children how to tell the time digitally.
Feedback from our customers indicates that our EasyRead clocks and watches really helped their S.E.N. children to learn how to tell the time.
We had a great time at the BETT Show! Did you manage to visit us? Don’t worry if not, take a look at our great new products in action now:
The new EasyRead TwinTime Classroom Sets are ‘hands on’ teaching resources for children learning to tell the time. They are double sided and feature an analogue clock face with independently moveable hour and minutes hands on both sides – perfect for teaching a classroom full of children. Teaching how to tell the time using both the digital and analogue methods is easy as one side shows ‘minutes past and to the hour’ and the other side shows ’12 and 24 hour time’.
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