Effectively And Creatively Teach Your Preschooler About Time With Engaging Activities

In today's busy world, time is an invaluable commodity that is always in short supply. Everything in the world, including us, is bound by time and affected by time. Probably, this is the reason we value time so much.

But, this is not the case with children. So, when your 4-year-old is persistent about going to the park, telling them, "We will go to the park at 5 p.m.," is like speaking in Latin with them. While your child would understand that 'both of you would go to the park but not right now', they wouldn't know what 5 p.m. means.

Preschoolers do not understand the notion of time because it is an abstract entity that they can't see, but they do have an idea about their daily routine. They know that there is a time to get up, get ready, leave the house to catch the bus to school, and so on.

Helping your child understand the concept of time is important for them to learn how to manage time efficiently as they grow up. Here are a few simple things you can do to introduce the concept of time and initiate them into the world of time.

How to teach time to kids

Learning to tell time can be made simple for your child if you follow these simple tips:

1. Introduce the concept: Begin by explaining to your child the broad concept of day and night. You can do this by associating each part of the day with routine events. For example, you can say, "You wake up in the morning when the sun is shining brightly," or "We go to bed at night when it is dark." Once your child understands this, you can gradually introduce them to the concept of the other parts of the day, such as afternoon and evening.

2. Associate routine tasks with time: Once your child is familiar with the broader concept of time, you can begin pointing out to your child the specific time associated with every task they do daily (using a toy analog clock). For example, if your child has breakfast at 8 a.m., then ask your child to place the long hand of the clock on 12 and the short arm at 8. Explain to them that when the arms are in this position, it is 8 o'clock in the morning, and it's their breakfast time. You can do this exercise to help your child associate their daily routine (lunch, playtime, dinner, and bedtime) with time. This will help your child get used to the fact that every activity starts at a specific time.

3. Read books about time: There are quite a few books with stories that can help your child understand the concept of time. A few of these are 'Telling Time With Big Mama Cat,' 'The Clock Struck One: A Time-Telling Tale,' and 'What Time Is It, Mr. Crocodile?' Reading books with your child that explain the concept of time can be an engaging and fun experience for your little one. Even rhymes such as 'Hickory, Dickory, Dock' can prove helpful.

Clock activities for preschoolers

Once you have shown your child how time works, you can engage them in some fun clock activities. They will help your child learn how to tell time from a clock.

3. Draw a clock: Show your child your old wall clock (or a toy analog clock). In the beginning, explain to them what the hour and minute hand of the clock are for and the marks present on the dial between two numbers. Tell them that between the two numbers, there are four marks, each representing 1 minute. After you have done that, ask your child to draw the clock on a sheet of paper or a round paper plate.

4. Make a clock: Get your child a DIY kit to make a toy clock. There are LEGO kits available for this purpose as well. If you don't find one, you can draw a dial with two hands on a chart paper. Cut these and give them to your child to assemble together and make a clock.

5. Familiarise with the wall clock: Once your preschooler is familiar with the hand positions of the clock, ask them to look at the wall clock after they get up in the morning and tell the time. Make it a point to remind them to look at the clock and tell the time before each task they do. For example, ask them to tell the time before they go for their bath, sit at the dining table to have breakfast, leave the house to catch the bus for school, when they go to bed at night, and so on. Not only will this help them understand how to tell time, but it will also indicate to them as to when they have to do a specific task.

6. Clock worksheets for kids: Various types of worksheets are available on the Internet to teach time to preschoolers. Browse and download the one that suits your child's intelligence level the best. Ask them to mark the time on these sheets whenever they do any activity. For example, you can ask them to mark the time when they came back home from school or went out to play in the park.

Although we have listed only six ways to teach time, you can come up with your own innovations. Remember, understanding time takes time. But, once your child understands the concept, with practice, they may even be able to tell the time without looking at the clock. So, go ahead and practice the concept with your child.