Half Past Game

What children learn: o'clock and half past

At half past, the minute hand has gone halfway round the clock and points down at 6. The hour hand has moved halfway between two numbers, so at half past 3 it sits between 3 and 4.

That halfway hour hand is the tricky part. Many children say "half past 4" because the hour hand is close to 4. In the US you will also hear "three thirty" for the same time.

Common mistakes

The two classic slips are naming the hour the hour hand is heading towards (half past 4 instead of half past 3) and putting the minute hand on the hour number. When a child makes either one, the game explains it and asks a similar question again a little later.

Tip for parents

Use a real clock with moving hands if you have one. Turn the minute hand slowly from 12 to 6 and let your child watch the hour hand creep along. Ask: "Has it reached the next number yet?"

Tip for teachers

This level mixes o'clock and half past on purpose, so children have to look at the minute hand every time. Try the matching rounds as a whole class: the class votes on each clock before you tap.

A five-minute class activity

Half and whole: call out o'clock or half past times. Children show thumbs up for o'clock and thumbs down (the minute hand pointing down) for half past, then say where the hour hand should be.