TICK TOCK · LEARN TOGETHER
How to teach your child to tell the time
Learning to read a clock brings together counting, recognising the hands, and understanding how minutes fit inside an hour. Start with one idea at a time. Tick Tock offers seven untimed lessons, a movable teaching clock, and everyday routines to explore together.
A five-minute clock lesson at home
- Look: Point to the short hour hand and the long minute hand. Ask your child to describe how they differ.
- Show: Set one time, such as 3:00, and explain it aloud.
- Try: Ask your child to make 4:00. Let them move the hands or use the hour and minute buttons.
- Explain: Ask, “How do you know?” A child’s explanation tells you more than a quick correct answer.
- Connect: Choose a familiar event, such as breakfast, and make an example clock for it.
What should we learn first?
Begin with the hour and minute hands, then o’clock times. Move on to half past and quarter hours before counting minutes in fives and ones. Then explore AM, PM, noon and midnight. Each child can revisit an earlier step whenever they need to.
Help without giving away the answer
If your child calls 3:30 “six o’clock”, ask which hand tells the hour. Then follow the short hand: it has passed 3 but has not reached 4. If they say 4:45 instead of 3:45, trace the hour hand forward from 3 and notice that 4 is still ahead.
Use the interactive clock together
On a phone, tap Move hands before dragging and Done moving to scroll normally. The + and − controls are another way to set the clock. Show the second hand and use the guided demonstrations to explore how 60 seconds make a minute and 60 minutes make an hour. Pause and slow down whenever a movement needs another look.
English reading and Hindi listening
The screen uses English clock words. The Listen button can explain them in Hindi with English time words, or in English through Parents settings. Voices depend on the device; a Hindi voice may need to be installed. Read the guidance aloud yourself if speech is unavailable.