Telling the Time to the Nearest Minute Game
Level 5 · Year 3 (UK) · Grade 3 (US)
Level 5 · To the minute
The great shell race
10 rounds. Take your time and have a go!
What children learn: telling the time to the nearest minute
To read the nearest minute, children count in fives to the last number the minute hand passed, then count on the small marks one at a time. 3 marks after the 4 is 23 minutes past.
For "to" times it means counting backwards from 12. At 7 to 9 the minute hand is 7 marks before 12. This needs confident counting both ways, so take it slowly.
Common mistakes
Children often count the small marks from the wrong number, or forget to start from the last five. For "to" times they may count forwards instead of backwards. Encourage them to say the five first, then the extra minutes, and to check whether the hand is past or before the half.
Tip for parents
Ask your child to talk you through how they worked it out: "Fives to the 4 is 20, then 21, 22, 23." Hearing the steps out loud shows you where they get stuck.
Tip for teachers
Drag the minute hand slowly on the teaching clock and stop it between numbers. Ask the class to count on from the last five. The game gives one-minute hints that model this counting.
A five-minute class activity
Mystery minute: set the teaching clock with quiz mode on, so the answer is hidden. Pairs write the time on mini whiteboards, then reveal. Anyone within one minute explains how they counted.