Christmas is the perfect opportunity to spend time together as a family, so if you’re looking for an activity the children can get involved with that will also help them learn, try time teaching games. We’ve compiled a list of games you can play with children that are fun as well as educational. So gather the rest of the family and read on.
Time teaching games using our Tell the Time Cards
If you’re lucky enough to already have a set of our Tell the Time Cards in your home, or one found its way into your child’s stocking, then you’re all set for hours of clock face fun. Each pack contains 60 cards showing 15 different times of the day, with 4 duplicates of each time. It’s your job to then create a game that will enable children to match up the times and learn to recognise them. Don’t worry if you can’t think of a game, as these cards have been design to play all the family favourites including:
- Snap – divide the pack between the players and keep the cards face down in a pile. Players take it in turns to turn over one card each and place it in a pile in the centre. If the cards match, the first to shout ‘snap’ takes all the cards in the pile. The winner is the one left with the cards.
- Pairs – turn all the cards face down and lay them out in a square or rectangular grid. Each player has a go to turn over two cards at a time. If they find a matching pair they get to keep them, if they don’t make a match, they turn the cards back over and the turn passes to the next person. The winner is the person with the most cards at the end of the game.
- Bingo – split the deck of cards into two halves, each containing two of each of the different times of day. Choose a dealer who shuffles and deals out all of the cards from one pile to the players. The other pile is the dealer’s hand. Each player looks at their hand, but keeps it hidden from the others. The dealer then turns over cards from their pile, one at a time, calling out the time on the card. If a player has that same time in their hand they place it in front of them face up. The winner is the first player to have all their cards in front of them and yell ‘bingo!’.
Clock games
If you’re hosting the family this Christmas and are wondering how to keep the kids entertained, why not get them to make a giant clock on the floor? You can get them to create numbers from 1 to 12 using craft supplies, or cutting them out from coloured sheets of paper and laying them out on the floor like a clock face. Children then take it in turns to be the hour hand and minute hand, with the others calling out a time of day for them to make.
Countdown to Christmas
If you need something to do in the days leading up to Christmas then why not make a Christmas or New Year countdown clock? Using a paper plate, write out the numbers and create hands which you can fix using a paper fastener split pin so that they turn round. You can then get the kids to countdown to midnight or the time on Christmas morning when you would prefer them to get up. It’s a great way to get them practising reading the time out loud, including what time it is now and how many hours are left.
Use our time teaching watches
If your child has one of our time teaching watches then it’s a great opportunity for them to keep track of the time over Christmas. You can ask them to time how long it takes to put up the Christmas tree, or to let you know when the gingerbread is ready to come out of the oven. You could even use it on Christmas Eve, by stipulating a time they need to be in bed and then getting them to check their watches regularly to read what time it is and to chat about how long they have left before lights out.
Teaching time games for a rainy day
If we end up with a wet and miserable Christmas or you just have one of those days when you don’t really want to go out, our free downloadable time teaching resources make for a great indoor activity. Click here to view our full range of printable resources and keep little ones occupied over the holidays.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from the team at EasyRead 🎅🎄🎁