Telling the time resources for teachers
A teaching clock for the whiteboard, a game for every stage from o'clock to elapsed time, worksheets with answer keys, and printables for the classroom wall. Everything is free, works in the browser and needs no logins.
Teaching clock
A big draggable clock for the whiteboard, with full screen, past and to shading, minute numbers, Roman numerals and a “hide the answer” mode for quizzing the class.
Open the teaching clockWorksheet generator
Read the clock, draw the hands, match and time in words, for every level, with an answer key on page 2. A4 or US Letter, UK or US wording.
Make a worksheetGames on the whiteboard
Turn on classroom mode in any game for bigger clocks and buttons. The class can answer together while you press, and no progress or stickers are saved.
See all 7 levels
Levels by year and grade
The levels follow the national curriculum for England and the US Common Core. Each has its own game page and a ready-made worksheet.
| Level | Skill | UK | US | Practise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. O'clock | Telling the time to the hour | Year 1 | Grade 1 | GameWorksheets |
| 2. Half past | O'clock and half past | Year 1 | Grade 1 | GameWorksheets |
| 3. Quarter past and quarter to | Quarter past and quarter to | Year 2 | Grade 2 | GameWorksheets |
| 4. To 5 minutes | Telling the time to the nearest 5 minutes | Year 2 | Grade 2 | GameWorksheets |
| 5. To the minute | Telling the time to the nearest minute | Year 3 | Grade 3 | GameWorksheets |
| 6. 24-hour clock | The 24-hour clock, a.m. and p.m. | Year 3–4 | Grade 3 | GameWorksheets |
| 7. How long? | Working out how long, and what time it will be | Year 3–4 | Grade 3 | GameWorksheets |
A five-minute activity for every level
Quick whole-class starters that need nothing more than the teaching clock.
Level 1: O'clock
Stand up, be a clock: children stretch one arm up for the minute hand at 12 and point the other arm at the hour you call out. Swap callers after a few goes.
Then play the o'clock gameLevel 2: Half past
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.
Then play the half past gameLevel 3: Quarter past and quarter to
Quarter turns: everyone faces the front (o'clock). Call quarter past, half past or quarter to, and children make a quarter, half or three-quarter turn to the right. Ask what the next o'clock will be.
Then play the quarter past and quarter to gameLevel 4: To 5 minutes
Fives round the room: put the numbers 1 to 12 on the classroom walls like a clock face. Point to a number, and the class calls out the minutes, past or to. Speed up as they get confident.
Then play the telling the time to 5 minutes gameLevel 5: To the minute
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.
Then play the telling the time to the nearest minute gameLevel 6: 24-hour clock
Timetable relay: write a few times from the school day on the board in 12-hour time. Teams race to rewrite them in 24-hour time, then check each other's answers.
Then play the 24-hour clock gameLevel 7: How long?
Lesson length: tell the class when today's next lesson starts and ends. Children show both times on a clock, then work out how long it lasts by counting on in fives.
Then play the elapsed time game: how long and what time will it be?
Printables
- Blank Clock Template: Clock faces with no hands, 1 to 9 per page, for drawing your own times.
- Make Your Own Clock: A cut-out clock face and hands to fix together with a split pin.
- Telling the Time Poster: A wall poster with o'clock, quarter past, half past and quarter to.
- Past and To Poster: The "past" and "to" halves of the clock, with every 5 minutes labelled.
Ready-made worksheets
Safe to use in school
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