Learning to tell the time using an analogue clock can be difficult for children. Most clocks only display the hour numbers and some markings to indicate minutes. This is only about 20% of the information we need to know, all the other information we need is missing from the clock face. Also, the hands on most clocks can be ambiguous. Most of the time they’re in between numbers, so it’s very difficult to know which number to read. (This post contains affiliate links)
EasyRead Time Teacher clocks, are different however. The hour numbers on the clocks are separated by boxes. This makes it clear which number the hour hand is pointing to. Additionally, the clock faces have the minute numbers all the way around the dial, also separated by boxes. With one of these clocks your child will be telling the time in no time!
This Rainbow Past & To Wall Clock is an ideal first clock to help children age 5+ learn to tell the time at home. Its clear design and simple 3-step teaching system make it very easy for children to learn to read the time in terms of ‘minutes past’ and ‘minutes to’ the hour. Teach your children the 3-step system and they will quickly master this essential life skill and gain confidence and pride in their achievement! Once children are confident with the clocks, they can quite easily transfer their time telling skills on to standard clocks.
The 3-step teaching system for the clocks is easy to learn and remember:
- Step 1: Read the number at the end of the long hand.
- Step 2: Say “minutes to” if it’s pointing to the red side of the clock, or say “minutes past” if it’s pointing to the green side.
- Step 3: Read the number at the end of the short hand.
Put it altogether: 8…minutes to…2. It’s that easy!
These clocks are:
- Battery-operated wall clock,
- Supplied with simple 3-step teaching system that enables children to tell the time, in ‘minutes past’ and ‘minutes to’ the hour, as soon as they can read numbers,
- Silent, no ticking, with ‘sweep’ second hand, showing that time is constant and not stop start,
- Attractive, colourful, has unisex appeal and looks good in any room,
- Helps all children including those with learning difficulties,
- Takes X1 AA battery, and
- Normally retails for £24.95 at
Some great ideas for using the clock include:
- Hang your clock in a room that you as a family occupy often. This will mean that your child will engage with it much more,
- Hang your clock low down on a wall, at your child’s eye-level. This ensures that your child can see the cock and means that they can physically touch the clock when they go through our 3-steps, and
- Get your child to stand in front of the clock and watch the second hand go around, this will give them an understanding of what a minute feels like and mean that they recognise time as a concept.
So now we have intro-ed the clock – here we go with the entry mechanism for the clock. All you need to do is fill out the widget below, and you can enter! Good luck.
Win EasyRead Time Teacher This Rainbow Past & To Wall Clock to help kids learn to tell the time
This competition closes on Thursday 19th April at 11.59pm, and is open to UK residents only. All usual T&Cs for our competitions apply as well.
Good luck everyone!
Helen
susan wheeler
Thursday 5th of April 2018
Colourful and beautifully designed, wonderful for encouraging children to tell the time
Jessica Woods
Tuesday 3rd of April 2018
Love this it's so clear for the kids give them independence to organise their day awesome
debbi ruskin
Tuesday 3rd of April 2018
This is genius - I can't believe no one has thought of this before! It would be great for my son's (Special Needs) school. I'd love to share the link with my friends but it comes up as "page not found" :-( (Also you might want to edit the article to add an "l" in #2 to say "your child can see the clock" Lol )
Gaynor Vincent
Sunday 1st of April 2018
This clock is great, it can be really hard for some children to learn to tell the time, particularly SEN children. I love the clear labels and colours. This would be great for our school