Reading the time is something we adults do every day to manage our time, but for children it is not an easy task. It is something that we all learn as children, but it takes time. Some children are soon interested in knowing the hours and others that take longer. Today we talk about how to teach the hours to children in a fun and entertaining way.
What do children need to learn the hours?
To be able to read the hours it is necessary to have some basic concepts, such as the passage of time and how it is measured. That the days have 24 hours, the hours 60 minutes, the half hour 30 minutes, the quarter hours 15 minutes and the minutes 60 seconds. They should also know how to count from 5 to 5. It is from 5 years of age that children understand these concepts.
And yet understanding these concepts are not enough by themselves to learn the hours. They should also know how to count from 1 to 60, and know what the numbers represent. That is, they know the concept of quantity and not just the numerical one. As we saw in the article "How to teach numbers to children"They soon learn to say and identify them, but without being truly aware of what they mean.
So for children to learn the hours it is necessary that they understand concepts such as the passage of time, numbers and quantities. Now let's see how to teach the hours to children.
How to teach the hours to children
- Practice counting to 60. As we have already seen, children need to know how to count well up to 60 to learn to read the time. You can tell him to write the numbers from 1 to 60 while repeating it out loud. You can do the same with 5-by-5 counts.
- Explain how the day is divided. Tell him that the days are divided into 24 hours, and that the hours contain 60 minutes and each minute has 60 seconds. At first it is normal to be confused by these terms, since it is difficult for them to understand, but little by little you will become familiar with them. To help them you can assign a color to the hours, others to the minutes and others to the seconds.
- Teach him on an analog clock first. Hand clocks are more visual and you can better see how time is divided. So we can teach them that the shorter hand indicates the hour, and the minute hand is longer.
- Help him create his own hand clock. It is a fun way to learn the hours. You can use a cardboard and cut it in the round or use a disposable plate. Instead of the hands you can use some straws or also take advantage of the cardboard to make them. You can secure them with a thumbtack so they can move. Then it remains divide the clock into the hours, you can write them or put stickers with the numbers. This way they will know where each number will go and they will have a great time doing it.
- Associate your routines at different times. So that they become familiar with the concept of time, you can include the clock in their routines. Teach him to associate every hour with every routine of their daily life (food, bath, naps…). You can use the clock that you have created together to move the hands according to what time it is at that moment. This way they will become familiar with the hours.
- You can buy him his first wristwatch. In addition to feeling more important, you will be more motivated to learn the hours. You will have the watch at your fingertips at all times to watch you move. You can also give him an old man to play with.
With these simple tricks you will facilitate the learning of hours in children, and that it does not become boring and complicated.
Because remember ... children learn better by playing, it encourages their creativity and learning.