“Get ready, we’re leaving at 10 o’clock!”

But your child doesn't know how to tell the time, he can barely count to 10. His notion of time is different from ours, which gives rise to tantrums and irritation. Young children live in the present moment and have not acquired the temporal order with the notions of yesterday, today, tomorrow. For him, associating numbers with time is an abstract notion... And besides... This notion is abstract for everyone. From antiquity to the present day, our time-measuring equipment has evolved. From the sundial to the atomic clock, we try to measure it as precisely as possible. And then, time is a perception, a well-known dissertation topic!

In this article, I offer tips and tricks that will help you in your daily life and facilitate parent-child communication. By using a practical, easy-to-use tool like My Clock, learning the concept of time becomes simpler and the child learns to tell the time!

1. Let's start at the beginning! What is a child's day?

One way to measure our differences in time perception is to ask your child, you might discover some surprises!

"What is a day for you?"

And you can explain to your child that:

The day begins with the morning and when we wake up

It's the afternoon after lunch

It's evening with dinner

And finally the day ends with the night when we go to sleep

For a young child, the rhythm of a day is associated with activities and not yet with the hours. Morning routine, evening routine, habits are established and gradually allow them to find their way around time.

For the Earth to rotate, it's simply the day-night cycles it goes through in 24 hours. This is a new discovery for the child, the dial turns with the path of the sun.

My Clock:

Representing the 24 hours of a day for a child is important. But the standard clock is a 12-hour dial. To help children get used to reading it, My Clock shows the 24 hours in two 12-hour increments. Children gradually learn the concept of time by following the small hour hand as it circles the dial twice, once around the yellow circle and once around the blue circle.

To illustrate their day, you can use pictograms to help them identify the rhythms of their day. Your child can easily identify time with the sun magnet for wake-up time, and the lunch, dinner, and bedtime magnets. It's a discovery for them; their activities correspond to a specific time on the clock!

#2. And then, what is an exceptional day!

Routine

Waking up, brushing teeth, eating, bathing, etc. This succession of actions constitutes his daily routine, already acquired or to be established. He gradually acquires time management and, above all, a routine that reassures.

But what to do when there is an unusual event?

The child is overwhelmed with emotion, curiosity, excitement, he is waiting and pesters you with the same question:

"When is it?"

"Is it now?"

“It’s long!”

He needs a clear and visual response. You can use a magnet with your child to indicate this expected moment on the clock, along with the routine that precedes it. Being able to visualize it is reassuring!

#3. And finally, teach children the concept of hours and minutes

On My Clock, the color of the hands corresponds to the color of the numbers they point to. The red hand indicates the red hour numbers, the black hand indicates the black minute numbers. Daily observation of the dial allows the child to gradually integrate the understanding of analog display, which will then be addressed at school.

Hours: From one hour to the next

You can materialize the hours with activity magnets.
Example: 12 o'clock marked by a meal magnet, 1 o'clock in the afternoon by a walk magnet.
He can thus perceive what a duration of 1 hour represents between these two actions displayed on the dial.
His notion of time gradually adjusts to the clock.

Minutes: What can you do in 5 minutes?

"And during the hour between lunch and the activity, how far do you think the minute hand traveled?"

“And yes, a complete revolution! The little hour hand moves like a tortoise, and the big minute hand like a hare!”
This time, you can place a 5-minute magnet and ask the child to draw during that time. This works like a timer or an hourglass! The child measures what a 5-minute duration means.
“This is what we can do in 5 minutes!”
We put 5 minutes back on the clock and suggest that they do a puzzle, for example, alone or together. Let's take advantage of every moment to play! "So, where are we at the end of these 5 minutes?"

The child sets off to discover time while playing!

Conclusion

Teaching children the concept of time is like a fun treasure hunt where patience and encouragement are key! At first, the concept of time may seem a little strange, a bit like a mystery; your child has already seen this object almost everywhere. At daycare, at school, at home, or at friends' houses, here's a fun way to introduce them to the magical power of clocks! With games and exercises adapted to their way of seeing things, it's possible to materialize time. With these tools, they'll soon become time experts!