An elementary skill you were taught, and you must teach your child is how to tell time. Even though it’s a challenging task, but you must be patient when teaching your kid time. Don’t complicate this learning process. When you make it fun and simple, the kid will know how to read the time. The main thing you must note is to use an analog watch. Not any analog clock but the easy read watch.
This is the best clock you can use to enable your child to learn time. So, what methods will you use to make this process enjoyable and fun?
Here we discuss all that and more. So, be sure to read this article to the end.
What Age is Best to Teach a Child Time?
You might be asking yourself, which is the right age to start teaching your child time. The best period is between 5-8 years old. But do it procedurally.
Begin at the age of 5 to 6;take your kid through the hour hand. Teach the kid how to tell each hour. You can do this by using an analog watch (appropriate) or sketch a wall clock.
At 6 to 7,introduce the minute hand. Show your child how to read the minute hand. Here you can combine the hour and minute hand.
Lastly, between 7 to 8, repeat the above process till the kid masters how to tell time.
Fun and Easy Ways to Teach Time to Children
Your child’s mind is young and can grasp what they are taught by making them fun and straightforward. This includes how to tell time. Here are ways to enable your kid to learn time.
1. Counting 1 to 60 and Minutes at Interval of 5
This is the first step you should take to teach your kid how to learn time comprehensively. Please do this at an early age, mostly before they attain five years.
Teach your child how to count from one to sixty. Purchase number charts to help your child memorize, saying one to sixty.
When you feel they can count one to sixty without any challenges. Then you can teach the kid how to count to sixty at intervals of five. Make your child recite this multiple times.
You can search for videos online on how to count by fivemore interesting.
2. Plastic Easter Eggs for Telling Time Match Up
Telling time match-up is a familiar game for parents, and teachers use it to educate their kids on how to tell time. Purchase twelve plastic Easter eggs and a marker pen.Next, change the colors of each egg as it has two detachable halves.
NB: Make sure they are well connected to avoid them detaching abruptly.
Using your permanent marker pen (preferably black),write similar times on the upper and lower sides. Choose to write digital time on top while analog time at the bottom part. You can also write the time in the word.
Separate the eggs and hide each part separately. Inform your child to search for the pieces. When the child collects all the portions,tell them to connect them appropriately.
According to experts, this game enables children to learn how to say time in different forms.
3. The Time Concept
Another way to effectively make your child understand time is by introducing the time concept. This entails the parts of the days like morning, noon, evening, and night. For a better and fast understanding of this time concept, it informs them of activities that occur.
For example, in the morning, we eat breakfast, noon is time for lunch, and at night, we eat supper and sleep.
After that,tell the kid to tell you what activity takes place at a particular time. Let’s say, “What do we do in the morning? Or what do we do at night?
When the kids learn this, you will know that they have understood how to tell time.
4. Make Use of Play-Doh
Play-Doh is a compound used in modeling different things by children. This can make an excellentway to teach your child how to learn time. Buy Play-Doh and help your child create a wall (analog) clock.
Mark the hours and tell your child to create the clock’s hour and minute hands. After that,label the hour and minute and tell your kid to write or say the time.
By doing so,your child will learn time more entertainingly.
5. Use an Application
It is now more comfortable and fun to teach your child how to read the time. This is through mobile applications such as Time Teacher and Interactive telling time. These applications are interactive, enabling your child to practice how to tell time.
Wrap Up
Teaching your child time is challenging, but being creative will make it simple that your child can understand. So, if you were looking for the best methods, then above are the best ways. Thank you for reading.
