I have 3 preschoolers that are very interested in learning to tell time. Is this too young? My youngest is Tanner who just turned 4 and my oldest will be 5 this October. I bought a telling time bingo game at Walmart. Because it said for 4+ I bought it, but quickly realized that they really need to start more simple before that...it was quite confussing and harder than they made it seem. What ways can I go about introducing it to them and starting simple?
Jeannie didn't catch on to telling time very well. She can tell the straight up hour, and half hour. She can't tell you if it's 55 minutes past the hour, though. I have some stuff from Mailbox magazine to practice telling time, if you want it. PM me your email and I'll send it to you.
I got the neatest telling time video at the library in the education section. Another thing is get some play clocks or make one from a template check ato z
Thanks guys. I'll PM you in a jiffy Becky. Good idea about the library Amy. I have to go there this weekend and I'll see if they have any telling time videos.
If you make a clock and beside each number (1-12) you write how many minutes that is (1=5, etc.), it helps with the concept of minutes. I do think that counting by 5's probably needs to be mastered before anything other than the hour and half hour (maybe quater hours) are learned. Becky, I think anything beyond hour and half hour would be 1st grade and beyond. Jeannie is right on track!
Jen, get the Rock and Learn Telling Time video. It's got a really great soundtrack that Jeannie likes even now.
to order rock and learn ( or to see what to check out at library: http://www.rocknlearn.com/html/telling_time.htm
You guys rock! Ok, so from what I'm reading, perhaps I should stick to whole hours and half hours first for awhile hey? Keep it simple then see what happens?
yes and when you ask some one to tell you the time (while not teaching these skills) tell them to go to the microwave or where ever you have a digital clock and ask them to read it, it will be kind of awkward at first, 4:38---- four dot dot three eight then you can tell them that its 4:38--------just make sure if you have a few clocks in your house then make them all the same (I'm sure you already do Jen) but when we did it one kid would go to the microwave and read, one would look on the coffee pot and one would look at the stove.
I would make some pictures of a clock face with a specific time on it- like one for lunch time, one for snacks, one for when parents come to pick up the kids (be careful with this one if the parents don't come right on time! lol)- then have the kids watch for a few minutes before and tell you when it matches. Then tell them what time it is. (Yes, it is 11:30- time for lunch!) Assign one person the "clock watcher" for the day- they get to count down minutes for clean-up, hand-washing, potty breaks, etc. Make (or buy) a big clock with hands fastened with a brad. (Can laminate paper to make it sturdier) Have the minute hand be one color and the hour hand another. Let the kids move the clock to specific times you tell them. (Let the kids set the hands on their own and guess what time it is too) Give the kids flashcards (numbers written big on an index card)- set the clock hands to 12:15 and ask them how many minutes past twelve it is. The kids have to find the "15" flashcard and hold it up. Go on a walk around the living room, down the hall, etc, counting by fives with each step. (Can be done for counting by two's, three's, tens, etc- works well with math/multiplication skills). Just some of the ways I taught our kids how to tell time. momx3
Hey, there I plan on teaching my 4 and 5 yos to tell time this school year. I'll pass on a few tips I heard... Someone mentioned that counting by 5's was good to learn first. I've heard that as well. I plan on teaching pennies w/ counting by ones. Dimes w/ counting by tens. Nickels with counting by 5s. Using the abacus to aid the concepts. After they get this down a bit, we'll shift from money to time. The counting by 10s and 5s should make it much quicker for them, and I will have introduced money values, too. Hope this helps. I'm sure there are a bizillion good ways to approach it
I'd just start with the hours that mean something to them. :wink: Find out what time they get up at their house, what time do they get a snack, lunch, etc....it needs association otherwise....it's just numbers and some with sticks pointing to them.
My girls get the concept of time really well, they just don't know how to read it, yet. She has a good point, if the concept isn't there, yet, it should be made meaningful to them
Here is a another site with "Telling Time" worksheets to print. http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/clock.php There is also a wealth of other math worksheets at this site to print.
