Our little ones surprise us every day with their newfound skills and insight, so could time telling be your child’s undiscovered superpower?
Being able to tell the time on an analogue clock remains a fundamental skill that every child is encouraged to learn, but it is fast becoming a struggle for today’s pupils. Most UK children have no experience using an analogue clock before encountering one in school as we live in an increasingly digital world that relies heavily on devices to tell us the time. This means that many children are no longer developing the skills needed to read one and are missing out on the numerous benefits of mastering telling time from an early age.
From increased independence to improved social skills, time telling is a key skill that prepares children for primary school and beyond, so let’s explore the advantages of teaching your little one to tell the time before they start school.
1. Improve organisation
It’s easy for little ones to lose track of time, particularly if they cannot yet tell the time by themselves, but being disorganised can quickly cause them lots of stress and hassle.
For example, if they’ve promised to clean their toys away before a certain time, then they may become panicked when they realise they don’t have much time left to complete the task. Then, without the relevant time telling skills, they may be unable to break this task down further into manageable tasks e.g. ‘five minutes to put away the teddies’ or ‘two minutes to put my book back on the shelf’.
Once they have a good understanding of time management and are able to apply it to their own lives, you’ll find that they are keen to keep track of the time. You might even find that the responsibility for managing their time-sensitive activities is no longer yours, at least during playtime!
2. Reduce stress and worry
These early years organisational skills will also reduce the stress and anxiety that young children feel when trying to keep track of their own schedules. Even though it is a parent’s responsibility to manage their child’s daily schedule, and the teachers’ responsibility to manage their timetable at school or nursery, children like to be kept informed of their planned activities.
Being able to read a clock will mean that they no longer have to worry about being late or constantly ask you what time it is, as they will be able to read this information for themselves. This new skill will also help them to know how much time is left of a particular activity and will help them to feel in control of their day, as it won’t come as a surprise to them when they have to stop what they’re doing and move on to the next activity.
3. Boost confidence
If your little one struggles with their confidence, then learning how to tell the time is a great way to build up their confidence in themselves and their abilities.
Our simple time-teaching method shows children how to read a clock in 2 or 3 easy steps, and they can take as long as they need to learn this new skill. Once you have shown them how to use our method on a clock they will be able to practice their new skills as many times as they like without any fear of failure. This no-consequence approach to learning will continue to develop their skills and develop their self-confidence, particularly once they are able to demonstrate their abilities to others.
Make sure you remind them often how impressive it is that they have mastered this new skill all by themselves and ask family members to do so as well. Positive reinforcement and encouragement are vital for a child’s development, and it will encourage them to share their abilities with others in the future with confidence.
4. Foster social skills
Being able to tell the time by themselves allows young children to navigate social situations that require an awareness of time, whether this is at home, at school, or in the community.
Whilst it is largely on parents to arrange meet-ups between young children and to make sure that they arrive on time, little ones can also take some responsibility by getting themselves dressed and ready to go. Understanding time also encourages them to respect others’ time and helps them to understand that it is bad manners to be late or to get the time wrong when visiting their friends.
Whether they’re meeting a friend by the school gates at a certain time or letting another child know that it is nearly time to return to the classroom after lunch, being punctual will encourage other children to see your little one as a reliable, considerate friend. Knowing the structure of their daily activities will also reduce their own anxiety in social settings and will allow them to focus entirely upon making friends and developing their social skills, rather than worrying about how much longer is left of a particular activity.
5. Introduce mathematical concepts
Finally, having even basic time telling skills will help your little one once they start school, as this provides a solid foundation for their learning that they can now build upon in class.
Time is a gateway into the world of mathematics and being able to read a clock is a great introduction to the mathematical concepts that your little one will need to grasp as part of their primary school journey. Every EasyRead clock clearly details the 60 minutes of each hour and the 12 hours of the daily cycle, so teaching them how to tell the time at a young age gives them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with large numbers before they encounter them in school. These can also easily be transferred into basic mathematical ones such as addition and subtraction, as they can use the clock to add and subtract e.g. ‘25 minus 20 is 5’.
Starting school with a basic understanding of numbers (or an advanced understanding of their times tables, depending upon how quickly they learn!), will help your child feel confident in the classroom from the get-go. They will be able to answer questions that other children may not know the answers to yet, participate in group learning activities, or simply feel less overwhelmed thanks to their educational head start.
Supporting parents and children in telling time
Ready to start your child on their time telling journey?
Our EasyRead methods were designed to make it as easy as possible for young children to learn how to tell the time and can be used on any product from our range. So, familiarise yourself with our time telling methods today and click here to find all the resources you need to support their learning.