Ways to Teach Time to Kids

I am not sure that my first-grader will ever learn how to tell time. How can I help instruct her so that one day soon she will be successful? -- Unable to Tell Time
Answer: Did you know that according to famous child psychologist Jean Piaget, learning to tell time is one of the most difficult concepts for a child to understand? It is best to use an analog clock when teaching time telling, as it will show that time moves. Children can look at a digital watch and read off the numbers shown on the face with absolutely no concept of time or its measurement.
Your first-grader probably is doing OK in learning to tell time. Children are not expected to fully master this skill until third grade. There is far more to the idea of time than just "telling time." The concept of time is better understood as a measurement topic. This includes measuring time by counting and seeing how a clock works. Here are some activities that will help your child begin to understand the idea of time:
Begin by making a pendulum. You will need a 4-foot piece of string and a weight, such as a washer, nut or small wrench. Use the string and weight to make the pendulum. Tie the pendulum to a lamp or some spot where it can swing freely. Devise a task for the members of your family to do, like buttoning a sweater. Have each person do the task, and the others count the number of pendulum swings. Then decide who was the fastest by comparing the number of pendulum swings.
You will need an old clock or a toy clock with moveable hands for this activity. Begin by letting your child play with the clock. Have him or her turn the stem and watch how the big and little hands move in conjunction with each other.
Next, set the clock to 3 o'clock. Show your child the setting, pointing out why the time is read as 3 o'clock. Turn the clock to 4 o'clock and repeat the explanation. Give the clock to her and ask her to set it to read 5 o'clock. Continue by having her set the clock at other even-hour settings.
Have your child point to the numbers on the clock dial, starting with one, and count by fives. Next, have her set the clock at the hour and say the time shown, such as 2 o'clock. Then have her turn the minute hand until it points at the one, and say, "2:05." Continue telling time by 5-minute intervals until 3 o'clock. Teach her how to write the time shown on the clock.