Helping children master telling the time is a brilliant thing parents can do during the long days at home.
If you’re not a teacher, knowing what to teach your children during home schooling can be baffling. There’s no better time to focus on an important life skill: telling the time.
With schools closed worldwide, parents find themselves thrust into the role of teacher—a role most feel poorly-equipped to inhabit. Most primary schools are advising parents to have fun with their children, try some of the ideas they suggest, but without expecting them to stick to a rigid schedule, make learning fun for everyone. At a time when we’re all struggling to get used to our new normal, parents need learning activities they can understand and feel confident sharing with their children.
Knowing how to tell the time is an important skill that not all children master by the time they leave primary school. In fact, one fifth of young adults struggle to tell the time on an analogue clock, relying on digital devices instead. But it’s no wonder. Teaching time to a class of thirty children with varying needs, strengths and attention spans is complex, and inevitably, curriculum pressures mean it’s time to move on before all children are secure. Most teachers would agree that if they could sit one to one with each child and teach at a pace that suits them, the journey to understanding analogue time would be easier, quicker and far more enjoyable for both student and teacher. Now seems like the perfect opportunity for parents to smooth their children’s time-telling journey.
Here at EasyRead time teacher (ERTT) we have developed a range of clock faces that make telling the time easier for children than using traditional clock faces. Alongside easy-to-read hour numbers, our clocks feature numbers for minutes past and to, as well as clearly-marked halves and quarters. This extra information means children have fewer hurdles to overcome to be successful time-readers. For parents, who may not have taught time before, having a clock that makes explaining analogue time easier is welcome.
ERTT’s three-step method makes things even easier: read the number at the end of the long hand, check whether it falls on the minutes past or to side, read the number at the end of the short hand. Job done. It’s not how time is traditionally taught but removing some of the obstacles means children get to the good bit faster and can build up their concepts from a position of accomplishment.
We are sharing some free resources for parents and children to use while schools are closed. Our clock face pdf can be printed out, stuck on card and sticky-tacked to a wall. Referring to the clock little and often will give children a regular learning experience that will help build competence and confidence. We are also sharing ideas on our social media channels for how parents can use their clock to boost their children’s time-telling skills. Every little helps and we hope this will be just what parents need with all this ‘time on their hands’!
At the time of writing this blog, 24 March 2020, the UK is nearing the end of its first day of lockdown due to coronavirus. In Australia, government guidance is becoming stricter but at this stage, schools are still open and people are still going to work. Here’s our description of what EasyRead Time Teacher is doing in response to the coronavirus crisis.
UK
EasyRead Time Teacher UK operates from a small warehouse in Malvern, Worcestershire. Normally there are three of us working from an office above the warehouse. Malvern is a small rural town and we all live within walking distance of the warehouse.
We’ve been working from home since 16 March for all our office & computer-based activities. Each day, one of us goes to the warehouse to pack up your orders and receive deliveries. Large cartons are collected from the warehouse by UPS. We dispatch small parcels by taking them to the local Post Office. We’ve decided to continue accepting your orders and dispatching them, because:
- We can easily adhere to the UK government’s social distancing guidance.
- We’re regularly cleaning hard surfaces and washing our hands.
- We’re supplying products that are useful to all the families who are now home educating their children.
Australia
EasyRead Time Teacher Australia operates from a small warehouse in Freshwater, NSW, which is attached to the owner’s house. We’re following the same social distancing and hygiene practices as in the UK and only need to leave the premises to visit the post office. We’ve decided to continue accepting your orders and dispatching them for the same reasons as our UK office.
Europe, USA & Canada
Orders placed on our website from Europe and North America are dispatched from our UK warehouse.
How we can help
While the children are at home, it’s a great opportunity to really get to grips with them learning to tell the time. EasyRead Time Teacher offers the simplest and most effective way to do this.
Although we’re running short of a few specific items, generally we have plenty of stock in the UK and Australia of our fantastic time teacher clocks, watches, learning aids and games. We’ve also created some free downloadable teaching resources, including a Home Education Day Planner.
We’ll be drawing attention to all the ways we can help on our social media channels in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, stay safe everyone and we’ll do our best to support you.
The beginning of a new year is the ideal time to take on new ventures and set targets for the year ahead. Aside from the traditional new year’s resolutions, like eating healthier foods and losing weight, you could look to teach your child how to tell the time in 2020, which is made very easy with our fabulous EasyRead time teaching products.
We’ve all been there. As a young child, learning how to tell the time is difficult to get your head around at first, but it doesn’t need to be. With the right guidance, learning this important life skill can be very straightforward and mastered within no time.
Additionally, employing the most effective time teaching system will make the learning process a lot easier for you and your child. With that in mind, if your new year’s resolution is to help your child to learn how to tell the time in 2020, you should use our award-winning time teaching products and here are the main reasons why.
Make Learning Fun
Amongst many other things, our EasyRead time teaching products, such as our EasyRead Wrist Watches and EasyRead Wall Clocks, do a great job of making a tedious task fun and enjoyable for children, which is crucial in keeping them engaged with learning.
With their bright colours and eye-catching designs, our time teaching watches help to bring time to life for children, making them more likely to absorb information than when learning from a clock or watch that has a dull design.
Simple, Yet Effective
At EasyRead Time Teacher, we are proud to say that we offer the simplest time teaching system for children. Our unique system, which has been endorsed by educational professionals around the world, allows children to learn how to tell the time quickly and efficiently.
Compliment Your Child’s School Life
Another thing which makes our products so effective is that they tie in with and complement what your child is learning at school. At EasyRead Time Teacher, we sell a range of products that are designed to help teachers, so we have a good understanding of what type of system children require when learning the time.
It takes the average child 2 to 3 years of school lessons to master the time. Our EasyRead products, which can be easily used at home and on the move, help to drastically speed up this process, without causing any unwanted confusion with your child’s school studies.
Assisting your child with the learning of valuable life skills is something that will give you both a great sense of achievement, and a memory that you will cherish forever. So, why not help your child to learn how to tell the time with our EasyRead time teaching system in 2020?
For more information on our range of products, browse our collection or get in touch with our team.
Christmas is just around the corner, which means you need to snap up a special gift for your loved ones before it’s too late. Unsure of what to buy for them? Why not give the most precious gift of all; time.
Unlike the majority of presents given at Christmas, our EasyRead Time Teacher Watches will provide your child or grandchild with both a fun and educational gift, which they will undoubtedly cherish for a long time.
Thanks to our award-winning watches, which offer the simplest time teaching system for children, your little one will be able to reminisce in many years to come about the Christmas they learnt how to tell the time.
So, we’ve told you why our time learning watches make an ideal Christmas gift for children, but what are the finer details that make them so special?
Unique Time Teaching System
Endorsed by education professionals all over the world, our quick and effective formula aligns with what your child is learning at school.
Therefore, you can treat your child to one of our watches without the worry of teaching them conflicting methods of how to tell the time.
In addition to this, when your child comes home from school, you can assist them with their learning by using the watch to ask questions about the time. After all, practice makes perfect!
For grandparents, time teaching watches also present a great opportunity for you and your grandchild to bond over something that is going to benefit them immensely in the future.
Add Colour to Your Child’s Christmas!
Another wonderful thing about our watches is that they come in a wide range of colours and designs to suit children with different tastes.
Our teach the time watches come standard with a Rainbow or Red & Blue Face, and with one of seven different coloured straps, ranging from Lime to Pink.
If your child’s favourite colour changes over time, you can easily customise their watch by purchasing a different coloured strap.
For those children who are obsessed with military and adventure, we also have a Camo version of the EasyRead Watch, which comes with a white or black face.
Waterproof Watches
Lastly, if your child is extremely active and you’re worried that they could potentially use their watch around water, you should treat them to one of our highly-durable Waterproof Watches.
With a stainless-steel case and an improved scratch-resistant glass, our Waterproof time teaching watches can be used at any time, anywhere.
Give your child a memorable Christmas this year by gifting them the opportunity to master an essential life skill in a fun and easy way.
To find out more about our watches, browse our collection or contact our friendly team.
We’re very excited to be exhibiting at the Spirit of Christmas Fair at Olympia, London from 4 – 10 November 2019.
We’ll be exhibiting our range of time teaching clocks, watches and games to give you the chance to start your Christmas shopping early. At the Fair you can also discover 900 independent boutiques and designer-maker’s exquisite and unique gifts and treats, complimentary workshops and 100 artisan producers in the Food Hall.
To help you get in the Christmas spirit and tick some gifts off your list, we’re giving you the chance to save 25% off tickets using this code below:
EH618
To book your tickets today and receive 25% off* please visit www.spiritofchristmasfair.co.uk and quote EH618.
*25% off is based on the on-the-door prices. Advance box office closes 3 November 2019. A £2.50 transaction applies.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Terms and Conditions
If you have entered any of our Facebook giveaways for Spirit of Christmas Fair tickets please refer to our Terms and Conditions below:
- Competition opens 28 October 2019
- Competition closes 1pm 1 November 2019
- Winners will be chosen by EasyRead Time Teacher and contacted through Facebook in due course
- Ticket codes will be sent via Facebook or email to winners once they have been notified
- No purchase is necessary
- Each code is valid for entry for one person and therefore, can only be registered once
- Late Night codes are valid for the Late Night opening only (Thursday 7 November, 4 – 9pm). Each code permits entry for two and can only be registered once.
- Only one competition entry per person
- There is no cash alternative available
- Please contact EasyRead Time Teacher on [email protected] if you have any questions about these terms and conditions
At EasyRead Time Teacher our clocks are designed to offer an easy to use product, with clear navigation and easy understanding. This is also what we are now hoping to achieve with our new website design. With an entirely new layout, you can shop for time teaching clocks and watches without being overwhelmed by an alarming amount of product choices.
With a responsive and informative design, online shoppers can now enjoy a much better user experience!
How Will Users Benefit from our New Website?
Transforming our website with a clear, modern design allows easier navigation across the website. This will help you to find the products and information you are looking for with ease. It will also provide a more responsive, user friendly experience when visiting our website via your mobile phone or tablet.
While shopping for time teaching clocks and watches, you will fell less overwhelmed by the experience because we have reorganised our online product range, for straight forward shopping. Now you simply choose between watches, alarm clocks and wall clocks. The website will then guide you through the different styles and colours that are available to order.
Overseas Visitors
Website visitors from overseas can also benefit from our new website redesign. The website caters for audiences from across the globe, providing a localised shopping experience for all, so that everyone can benefit from effortless navigation and a clear product range.
Our new adaptable design will update your location and local currency as you enter the website. Therefore, there is no need to convert the price in your head or manually change your location settings.
Additional Information
If you are searching for additional information about the brand behind the product, this is also easy to find. Find all of our information on customer services, media and resources by scrolling to the bottom of our homepage.
You can also find our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram links at the very top of our homepage. By following us on social media, you can stay updated on the latest news, product launches and events.
We are also available to answer any customer questions through direct messenger.
Start Browsing
With a much-improved website design we hope you will enjoy straight forward shopping and easy browsing. All of our products are available to purchase from our website, to help your children get started on learning to tell the time.
For any enquires please do not hesitate to get in touch with the EasyRead Time Teacher team at [email protected].
There has never been a better time to help your child learn to tell the time as we’ve just expanded our range of products. Due to demand, we have increased the range of time teaching watches we offer, to appeal to your fashion-conscious little learners.
New for 2019 are the following products:
Time Teaching Watch with Bright Blue Strap
Featuring our popular ‘past and to’ method of learning to tell the time, this easy to read watch face comes complete with a bright blue strap, which is certain to appeal to both boys and girls.
With a washable strap and splash resistant design, this truly is the perfect companion to any adventure.
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Time Teaching Watch with Bright Red Strap
One of the greatest things about having a new watch is when other people notice it. This new time teaching watch with bright red strap, is sure to make your child the envy of the playground!
Featuring our 3-step ‘past and to’ time teaching system, which encourages children to read the time in terms of minutes to and minutes past the hour, this watch features a large clear dial to give your child all the detail they need when learning to tell the time.
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Rainbow Time Teaching Watch with Pink Strap
This is the perfect watch for little girls who love brightly coloured things! Featuring all the colours of her favourite unicorn theme, this time teaching watch uses our 2-step teaching system which encourages children to express the time in the 12 and 24 hour format.
As an added bonus, the face is splash proof and the nylon strap washable, which is perfect for girls who love outdoor adventures.
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Rainbow Time Teaching Watch with Lime Strap
Bringing a distinctly zingy addition to our range, this rainbow time teaching watch with lime green strap is the perfect accessory to help your child learn to tell the time. This watch features our 12 and 24 hour time teaching method and has an attractive, rainbow coloured face.
The green nylon strap fits wrists from 12 cm to 18 cm circumference and can be removed for washing.
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What our customers say
We’ve had some great feedback on our time teaching watch range so don’t just take our word for it, have a look at what parents and children are saying about our ‘cool’ and ‘pretty’ time teaching watches:
“My son loves this watch – it has really helped him to get into the habit of telling the time and he thinks it looks ‘cool’ like a stop watch – he refuses to go to school without it.”
“Very nice dial on this teaching watch and after going through it with my 7-year-old, she is much more confident in telling the time. She can’t wait to wear it to school tomorrow!”
“This watch is perfect for my 7-year-old son who has trouble reading analogue time. Pretty colour. Fabric bracelet of good quality.”
“This one is perfect because gives a lot of information on the frame without it being too much loaded. The colours are very pretty and go perfectly with the different bracelets available, delighted with this purchase!”
Find out more
If you’d like to browse our full range of time teaching products please click here or contact us for more information on our time teaching methods.
Learning to read an analog clock is an important part of child development, but for many youngsters this can be a difficult and frustrating process.
This is particularly true of children with Dyslexia, who can struggle to learn to tell the time easily when using a clock that has hands and numbers.
Here we look at some of the issues dyslexic children encounter when learning to tell the time, and how our range of teaching products can help.
Challenges facing dyslexic children
There are a few primary challenges that make it difficult for children with Dyslexia when learning to tell the time using a standard analog clock face, these include:
- Issues when distinguishing between the minute and hour hands
- Confusion with concepts such as before (to) and after (past)
- Difficulty identifying smaller units of time such as 1.01, 1.02, 1.03 etc
- Struggles with linguistic codes such as ‘clockwise’ and ‘quarter-past’
These issues can cause dyslexic children to feel frustrated and embarrassed when learning to tell the time and often discourages them, so teaching aids can be a highly effective method of developing understanding and familiarity in a fun way.
How our products can help
Our team have spoken to many parents, teachers and SEN specialists to find out how they feel EasyRead products and our adapted teaching system helps dyslexic children to learn to tell the time.
The overall feedback suggested that our products could offer significant assistance with dyslexic children or pupils for the following reasons:
- Our products and teaching system are highly appealing to children, encouraging participation
- The numbers used on our clock and watch faces are large and visible
- It is beneficial to have 1-5 in each segment for the ‘past’ and ‘to’ and 1-59 on the 24 hour
- Use of distinguished red and blue colouring for the ‘minutes to’ and ‘minutes past’
- Use of fractions to help familiarise with the concept of ‘quarter-past’, ‘half-past’ etc
- There is no ticking sound, which dyslexic children can find distracting
Perhaps the most important thing that we have learned from parents and teachers is that Dyslexia is not a straightforward condition, as it can vary dramatically from person to person. However, the majority of feedback has suggested that with practice and perseverance our products can contribute considerably to helping dyslexic children to tell the time.
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about our range of ‘learn to tell the time clocks’ and how they can help dyslexic children to develop their time telling skills, please contact our friendly team on 01684 566832.
Telling the time can be a tricky concept and one that is not uniquely reserved for primary school children. In May this year, telling the time made the national and international headlines when it was revealed that some teenagers can’t tell the time on an analogue clock. Whilst we were a little surprised the problem was this widespread, it highlighted how many children struggle to tell the time, leaving parents wondering where to turn.
So, how do you know if your child is having difficulties telling the time?
If the issue hasn’t been raised in a parent’s evening or you’re not aware that your child is struggling with their time related work in school, here are a few tell-tale signs to look out for:
- They can’t count easily from 1 to 60 – if your child is having trouble with numbers in sequences, recognising them from a random set or perhaps counting them backwards, they will find it difficult to read the numbers on a clock.
- They struggle to count in blocks of 5 or 10 – this is another skill that really helps with reading the time as it enables children to recognise and count the minutes on a clock face.
- They don’t understand the principle of time – it is true to say that we all experience time differently and that children in particular, have a very different notion of time to adults, however if your child struggles with the concept of time in day to day activities, this may be a sign they need a little extra help when trying to apply the concept to an actual clock.
- They’re not used to seeing clocks – we live in an increasingly digital age, so if yours is a house without any analogue clocks, your child may find it more difficult to tell the time as they are not familiar with the traditional clock face.
What can you do to help?
There are many ways in which you can help your child if they are struggling to tell the time, but probably the most important is to talk to your children about the time and involve them in time related tasks. Maybe you could get them to tell you when it is their bedtime by reading the time on the clock, or speak about everyday tasks in terms of how long they might take? By making time a big part of everything you do, it can help your child to become familiar with the concept.
If you do not currently own an analogue clock, now might be the perfect time to invest in one. If you don’t want a traditional timepiece to ruin your modern interiors, why not buy a clock for your child’s bedroom or playroom wall? Our EasyRead Time Teacher clocks are colourful yet practical and feature our unique 3-step time teaching system, that will have your child mastering the skill in no time!
No room on the wall? No worries, we’ve also got a range of alarm clocks and watches also featuring our 3-step time teaching system, so your child can practice telling the time until it becomes second nature.
If you’re worried that your child is falling behind in this essential skill, and you don’t want them to struggle next year at school when time teaching pops up on the agenda, consider buying one of our products today and you’ll be amazed at how quickly their ability develops.
Please speak to our team for advice or click here to order our products.
Last year, you may remember we launched a limited-edition Welsh language time teaching clock. Well, our initial supplies dwindled incredibly quickly and due to popular demand, we can now confirm that we have more clocks back in stock!
Before we look at the clocks themselves, let’s remind ourselves why embracing the Welsh language is so important.
There have been a number of items in the news recently about the Welsh language, including:
- The Welsh government is hoping there will be 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050
- The number of children going to Welsh language schools (Welsh Medium schools) has more than doubled in the last 30 years
- Welsh is a compulsory language for pupils across Wales in Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4
- The BBC recently launched a second welsh language radio channel
- Welsh was officially allowed to be used as the language of a debate at the Houses of Parliament, during a meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee recently
So, it seems Welsh is a language on the up, and with government initiatives to encourage more speakers and many pupils in Wales being taught in Welsh, there is a need for resources that will fit in with Welsh time teaching lessons.
Our Welsh classroom clocks feature our simple, 3-step time teaching system and are ideal for the classroom wall as they are silent – so no ticking to distract your students!
We developed our time teaching method back in 1992, and we still believe it the best way to teach children to tell the time, no matter what language they are learning in. Our clocks are designed to be bright and engaging to make children want to interact and learn.
Orders can be placed online, so please click here to view our Welsh language time teaching clocks or call us on 01684 566832 for more information.
