Daily Knowledge Boost with Kids Academy: Reading Time and Clocks for First Graders
Nov. 15, 2024
An essential life skill that children are learning in 1st grade are concepts around and involving time. Learning to tell time at a young age has many benefits. Mastering this skill can help children develop a sense of responsibility, enhance cognitive development, and support academic growth. It also builds foundational math and cognitive abilities and fosters independence for children in 1st grade and further.
Today’s knowledge boost includes opportunities for students to explore the hour and minute hands on a clock, reading time on a clock to the hour and half, as well as looking at a digital and analog clock.
Lesson 1: How to Tell Time
In this lesson, children will learn to identify and understand the hour and minute hand. The activities also include a fun nursery rhyme to better help students with understanding.
Activity Overview:
- What Time Is It? Hour Hands Worksheet: Children will look at a digital clock and trace the correct hour hand on the analog clock.
- What Time Is It? Minute Hands Worksheet: After exploring the hour hand students will look at a digital clock and trace the correct minute hand on the analog clock.
- Telling the Time Worksheet: Children will read the clock and trace the correct time.
- Hickory Dickory Dock Song: Listen to a fun song about telling time on a clock.
Brain Break
Telling time is a fun new skill but it can at times be overwhelming. A great way to get children still thinking about time but in an easier way is to play a fun song or dance. This fun dance practices reading on the clock with music.
Lesson 2: Tell Time by the Half Hour
After looking at the minute and hour hands students can deepen their understanding of time. Exploring when the minute hand points to the six, and recognizing that it is half hour past the hour.
Activity Overview:
- Telling Time by the Half Hour Worksheet: Children will look at the times on the clocks and circle the correct time.
- Help Sarah Be on Time! Worksheet: Practice time management and help children check the boxes of the times that match each clock.
- Grandpa and Grandma Come to Visit Worksheet: This fun worksheet will have children plan out a trip and match times on digital and analog clocks.
Brain Break
This brain break is a great way to review topics learned in the earlier lessons. Students can dance and sing along for a break.
Lesson 3: Match Digital to Analog Clocks
Students can reinforce their ability to recognize and match times displayed on digital formats with their analog pair. Children will complete fun worksheets to practice these skills.
Activity Overview:
- Tik Tok Time Worksheet: Trace on the line to the correct digital time.
- Matching Time Worksheet: Children will identify and match the correct times on a digital and analog clock.
- After School Time Printable: Read about Bill and match the different times he does his afterschool activities to the correct digital time.
- Telling Time to Half Hour and Matching Digital and Analog Clocks - Quiz: Children will show their ability to tell time to the nearest hour.
Brain Break
Students dance and sing while counting by fives. This is a great brain break to take as it will get the children moving and reinforcing the telling time skills.
Teaching 1st graders to tell time is an essential skill that supports their academic, cognitive, and personal growth. By learning to read both analog and digital clocks, students gain a better understanding of how time impacts their daily lives, helping them build responsibility and independence. Through these engaging lessons and interactive activities children are encouraged to deepen their understanding of time while reinforcing key math and cognitive skills.
These lessons are tailored to typically be done with guidance. If your learner is more independent, consider exploring our Talented and Gifted Online web app. This resource offers a variety of enriching activities tailored for advanced learners, ensuring they remain challenged and engaged!
