The clocks spring forward to British Summer Time on the 27th of March, which will see the start of lighter evenings. At 1am UK time will skip an hour to 2am, meaning that clocks will need to be reset.Telling the time can be tricky with so many different concepts to make children aware of, such as the units of time, the way clocks work, and the difference between analogue and digital. Telling the time is a part of the programme of study for mathematics in Key Stages 1 and 2 and falls under measurement.We have outlined what is expected in each year of study, and have provided some helpful hints and tips to support children’s learning at home and in the classroom.
Reception/EYFS
In the Early Years Foundation Stage children are just beginning to understand the concept of time and are taught by putting familiar events in sequence and measuring time using sand timers.
They are also learning the days of the week cycle, and will begin to notice that some events only happen on certain days.
 ActivityTake pictures of your child doing different activities across one day such as eating breakfast, going to school, going to bed etc. You can print these pictures and encourage your child to put them in order from morning to night. Encourage the use of language such as morning, midday, afternoon, evening and midnight. This activity can be adapted for a group setting by asking children to draw what they do at different points in the day.
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Year 1
Compare, describe and solve practical problems for time
Measure and begin to record time
Tell the time to the hour and half past the hour, and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times
 ActivityGet crafty by making a clock with your child out of a paper plate, card and a split pin. Whilst making the clock they will learn about the positioning of numbers on the clock face, the spacing between the numbers and the size of the two different hands. Once they have made their clock they can practise setting O’clock and half past times!
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Year 2
Compare and sequence intervals of time
Tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past/to the hour, and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times
Know the number of minutes in an hour, and the number of hours in a day
 ActivityHow long is a minute? Ask your child to stand up and when you say go begin to time a minute. Ask your child to sit down once they think a minute has passed. Afterwards talk about how many seconds are in a minute and try again. You can discuss what they think they could do in one minute. Then, use a minute timer for your child to experiment with. This activity is also effective when carried out with a whole class.Learning Resources Sand Timers
Year 3
Tell and write the time from an analogue clock, including using Roman numerals from I to XII, and 12-hour and 24-hour clocks
Estimate and read time with increasing accuracy to the nearest minute; record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes and hours; use vocabulary such as o’clock, am/pm, morning, afternoon, noon and midnight
Know the number of seconds in a minute, and the number of days in each month, year and leap year
Compare durations of events [for example, to calculate the time taken by particular events or tasks]
ActivityLearn this rhyme to help your child remember days in the months and leap year!Thirty days hath September,April, June and November;February has twenty eight alone.All the rest have thirty-one,Except in Leap Year, that’s the timeWhen February’s Days are twenty-nine.Learning Resources Magnetic Learning Calendar
Year 4
Read, write and convert time between analogue and digital 12- and 24-hour clocks
Solve problems involving converting from hours to minutes, minutes to seconds, years to months, weeks to days
 ActivitySay a time and ask your child to set the time on their clock or draw the hands on a blank clock. Call out times in 12 and 24 hours. For an extra challenge, ask what time it will be 5/10/20 minutes and prompt them to record it.Learning Resources About Time - Telling the Time & Understanding Elapsed Time
Year 5
Solve problems involving converting between units of time
 ActivityCreate small cards that display different versions of the same time for example, 5pm/17:00/five O’clock/clock face showing 5 O’clock. Ask your child to match all the different ways of presenting the time. This game also works well in a classroom as a ‘follow me’ style game.Learning Resources Time Dominoes
Year 6
Use, read, write and convert between standard units, converting measurements of length, mass, volume and time from a smaller unit of measure to a larger unit, and vice versa, using decimal notation to up to 3 decimal places.
ActivityPose different time word problems to your child and ask themto work out how much time has passed in a real-life situation such as visitingthe shops or going to school. Ensure that the problem involves mixed units oftime such as seconds, minutes and hours.Here is an example:Karen went to the shops at 12:30pm. She was shopping  for one hour and 15 minutes, what time did sheleave?
The clocks spring forward to British Summer Time on the 27th of March, which will see the start of lighter evenings. At 1am UK time will skip an hour to 2am, meaning that clocks will need to be reset.Telling the time can be tricky with so many different concepts to make children aware of, such as the units of time, the way clocks work, and the difference between analogue and digital. Telling the time is a part of the programme of study for mathematics in Key Stages 1 and 2 and falls under measurement.We have outlined what is expected in each year of study, and have provided some helpful hints and tips to support children’s learning at home and in the classroom.
Reception/EYFS
In the Early Years Foundation Stage children are just beginning to understand the concept of time and are taught by putting familiar events in sequence and measuring time using sand timers.
They are also learning the days of the week cycle, and will begin to notice that some events only happen on certain days.
 ActivityTake pictures of your child doing different activities across one day such as eating breakfast, going to school, going to bed etc. You can print these pictures and encourage your child to put them in order from morning to night. Encourage the use of language such as morning, midday, afternoon, evening and midnight. This activity can be adapted for a group setting by asking children to draw what they do at different points in the day.
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Year 1
Compare, describe and solve practical problems for time
Measure and begin to record time
Tell the time to the hour and half past the hour, and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times
 ActivityGet crafty by making a clock with your child out of a paper plate, card and a split pin. Whilst making the clock they will learn about the positioning of numbers on the clock face, the spacing between the numbers and the size of the two different hands. Once they have made their clock they can practise setting O’clock and half past times!
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Year 2
Compare and sequence intervals of time
Tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past/to the hour, and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times
Know the number of minutes in an hour, and the number of hours in a day
 ActivityHow long is a minute? Ask your child to stand up and when you say go begin to time a minute. Ask your child to sit down once they think a minute has passed. Afterwards talk about how many seconds are in a minute and try again. You can discuss what they think they could do in one minute. Then, use a minute timer for your child to experiment with. This activity is also effective when carried out with a whole class.Learning Resources Sand Timers
Year 3
Tell and write the time from an analogue clock, including using Roman numerals from I to XII, and 12-hour and 24-hour clocks
Estimate and read time with increasing accuracy to the nearest minute; record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes and hours; use vocabulary such as o’clock, am/pm, morning, afternoon, noon and midnight
Know the number of seconds in a minute, and the number of days in each month, year and leap year
Compare durations of events [for example, to calculate the time taken by particular events or tasks]
ActivityLearn this rhyme to help your child remember days in the months and leap year!Thirty days hath September,April, June and November;February has twenty eight alone.All the rest have thirty-one,Except in Leap Year, that’s the timeWhen February’s Days are twenty-nine.Learning Resources Magnetic Learning Calendar
Year 4
Read, write and convert time between analogue and digital 12- and 24-hour clocks
Solve problems involving converting from hours to minutes, minutes to seconds, years to months, weeks to days
 ActivitySay a time and ask your child to set the time on their clock or draw the hands on a blank clock. Call out times in 12 and 24 hours. For an extra challenge, ask what time it will be 5/10/20 minutes and prompt them to record it.Learning Resources About Time - Telling the Time & Understanding Elapsed Time
Year 5
Solve problems involving converting between units of time
 ActivityCreate small cards that display different versions of the same time for example, 5pm/17:00/five O’clock/clock face showing 5 O’clock. Ask your child to match all the different ways of presenting the time. This game also works well in a classroom as a ‘follow me’ style game.Learning Resources Time Dominoes
Year 6
Use, read, write and convert between standard units, converting measurements of length, mass, volume and time from a smaller unit of measure to a larger unit, and vice versa, using decimal notation to up to 3 decimal places.
ActivityPose different time word problems to your child and ask themto work out how much time has passed in a real-life situation such as visitingthe shops or going to school. Ensure that the problem involves mixed units oftime such as seconds, minutes and hours.Here is an example:Karen went to the shops at 12:30pm. She was shopping  for one hour and 15 minutes, what time did sheleave?
Learning Resources was presented with an Education Resources Award in the ‘Primary Resource or Equipment – Curriculum learning resources including ICT’ category for its STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set. Held on the 18th of March, the awards honour the quality and diversity of products, schools and the most dedicated members of the education sector. In their eighteenth successful year, the awards are organised by BESA, the trade association representing educational suppliers in the UK sector, and Brilliant Marketing Solutions. New for 2016, The STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set engages primary children as they build hands-on coding skills. Children create their very own maze using base tiles, tunnel pieces and walls and then programme Colby the Robot Mouse to find the cheese. Easy-to-use, Colby lights-up, makes sounds and features two speeds with colourful buttons that match coding cards for simple programming and sequencing.The judges, an independent panel of experienced educational professionals, most of whom are classroom teachers said, “the STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set would encourage children to build hands-on coding skills in a fun and enjoyable way. It was very easy to construct and represented excellent value for money!â€Caroline Wright, director at BESA, comments: “What makes these awards different is that they focus on the resources, services and people that really make an impact on learning and the day-to-day work of the teachers in the classroom. The UK education sector is currently in the unprecedented position of offering ever improving standards of excellence. Thousands of educators from across the world visit the UK each year to review and buy products from our suppliers because of the quality offered. We would like to congratulate Learning Resources for its outstanding resource.†Elements of STEM learning are highlighted within the purpose of study across the Science, Mathematics and Technology curriculum for Key Stages 1 & 2 in UK schools. The National Stem Centre has stated that the ‘government has long identified STEM education as a major priority at both school and HE level’ and that the ‘effective provision of STEM in schools requires a foundation of strong subject teaching.’ The STEM Robot Mouse supports parents and teachers to bring coding to life and create exciting learning experiences.Mrs Chimes from South Wootton Infant School tried the Robot Mouse with her class:“This product is absolutely fantastic for the new KS1 ICT curriculum and requirements for children to create a series of instructions and plan a journey for a programmable toy. The children could use the product without adult support and really enjoyed it.’â€Learning Resources were also finalists in the SEN-non ICT category with their All About Me Family Counter Activity Cards and the Primary- non ICT category with Plot Blocks Story Building Activity Set.
Learning Resources was presented with an Education Resources Award in the ‘Primary Resource or Equipment – Curriculum learning resources including ICT’ category for its STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set. Held on the 18th of March, the awards honour the quality and diversity of products, schools and the most dedicated members of the education sector. In their eighteenth successful year, the awards are organised by BESA, the trade association representing educational suppliers in the UK sector, and Brilliant Marketing Solutions. New for 2016, The STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set engages primary children as they build hands-on coding skills. Children create their very own maze using base tiles, tunnel pieces and walls and then programme Colby the Robot Mouse to find the cheese. Easy-to-use, Colby lights-up, makes sounds and features two speeds with colourful buttons that match coding cards for simple programming and sequencing.The judges, an independent panel of experienced educational professionals, most of whom are classroom teachers said, “the STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set would encourage children to build hands-on coding skills in a fun and enjoyable way. It was very easy to construct and represented excellent value for money!â€Caroline Wright, director at BESA, comments: “What makes these awards different is that they focus on the resources, services and people that really make an impact on learning and the day-to-day work of the teachers in the classroom. The UK education sector is currently in the unprecedented position of offering ever improving standards of excellence. Thousands of educators from across the world visit the UK each year to review and buy products from our suppliers because of the quality offered. We would like to congratulate Learning Resources for its outstanding resource.†Elements of STEM learning are highlighted within the purpose of study across the Science, Mathematics and Technology curriculum for Key Stages 1 & 2 in UK schools. The National Stem Centre has stated that the ‘government has long identified STEM education as a major priority at both school and HE level’ and that the ‘effective provision of STEM in schools requires a foundation of strong subject teaching.’ The STEM Robot Mouse supports parents and teachers to bring coding to life and create exciting learning experiences.Mrs Chimes from South Wootton Infant School tried the Robot Mouse with her class:“This product is absolutely fantastic for the new KS1 ICT curriculum and requirements for children to create a series of instructions and plan a journey for a programmable toy. The children could use the product without adult support and really enjoyed it.’â€Learning Resources were also finalists in the SEN-non ICT category with their All About Me Family Counter Activity Cards and the Primary- non ICT category with Plot Blocks Story Building Activity Set.
Money maths skills help young learners to apply basic mathematical functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to real-life scenarios. Money is a measurement tool comprising of coins and notes. The differing values can often be a testing concept to understand at an early age.MyBnk, a UK charity that teaches people how to manage their money, has recognised financial education as a necessity because ‘young people engage with money from an ever earlier age but face a financially challenging future.’Familiarising children with money can be both fun and educational, helping them to become confident in solving money problems, and contributing to a future of smart financial decisions and opportunities.Here are five activities you can do using Learning Resources money products to provide an early introduction to money maths:
Sorting and Matching
Encouraging children to sort coins into piles based upon their size, colour or shape is a great way for them to begin recognising similarities and differences as well us understanding the variety of coins. Once children are confident that they can recognise different coins, try putting the coins into a bag and use sensory exploration to guess which coin it is.
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Explore the details
Each coin has a unique design which incorporates the year of issue, the value and an illustration. Place different coins under a sheet of paper and encourage your child to create rubbings with coloured pencils. Ask them to describe what they see as the drawing takes place. This task can be extended by asking them to match the coins that have the same value.
Associating Value
Once familiar with the variety and attributes of coins, the value of each can be learnt. The value of money is a tricky concept that can be made easier by visualising how much each coin is worth. Interlocking cubes are a great way to do this; one cube can be matched with one penny, two cubes with two pence and so on. This visualisation will help when they begin to add and subtract values.Learning Resources Cuisenaire Rods
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Addition and Subtraction
Once children have a solid understanding of the coins and their values, children can begin to add and subtract simple amounts such as 5p + 2p. Children can use a variety of maths resources such as cubes, cuisenaire rods and multi-link cubes as concrete support to count on or back which will develop their skills and enable them to mentally calculate once they have become fluent with the coin values. Posing simple problems in a practical context, such as a role play shop, for children to solve involving addition and subtraction of money of the same unit, including giving change, allows them to apply the skills to real life scenarios.
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Real-life scenarios
Money maths provides an insight into real-life problems. Using imaginative play to re-create real-life scenarios is a great way to help young learners understand how money is used in every-day life. Simple narratives such as posting letters at the Post Office or buying sweets at the shops encourages them to begin thinking about the value of money. Realistic play money such as Learning Resources HM Treasury approved play coins and notes encourage hands-on maths activities that develop equivalency skills.Money games that incorporate recognisable activities are also a great way to associate money maths with real-life problems.Learning Resources Buy It Right Shopping Game
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Learning Resources recommends these best sellers…
Mathlink® Cubes (Set of 100) Pretend & Play® Calculator Cash Register with UK Money Pretend & Play® Post Office Set Money Bags™ - Coin Value Game
Money maths skills help young learners to apply basic mathematical functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to real-life scenarios. Money is a measurement tool comprising of coins and notes. The differing values can often be a testing concept to understand at an early age.MyBnk, a UK charity that teaches people how to manage their money, has recognised financial education as a necessity because ‘young people engage with money from an ever earlier age but face a financially challenging future.’Familiarising children with money can be both fun and educational, helping them to become confident in solving money problems, and contributing to a future of smart financial decisions and opportunities.Here are five activities you can do using Learning Resources money products to provide an early introduction to money maths:
Sorting and Matching
Encouraging children to sort coins into piles based upon their size, colour or shape is a great way for them to begin recognising similarities and differences as well us understanding the variety of coins. Once children are confident that they can recognise different coins, try putting the coins into a bag and use sensory exploration to guess which coin it is.
Â
Explore the details
Each coin has a unique design which incorporates the year of issue, the value and an illustration. Place different coins under a sheet of paper and encourage your child to create rubbings with coloured pencils. Ask them to describe what they see as the drawing takes place. This task can be extended by asking them to match the coins that have the same value.
Associating Value
Once familiar with the variety and attributes of coins, the value of each can be learnt. The value of money is a tricky concept that can be made easier by visualising how much each coin is worth. Interlocking cubes are a great way to do this; one cube can be matched with one penny, two cubes with two pence and so on. This visualisation will help when they begin to add and subtract values.Learning Resources Cuisenaire Rods
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Addition and Subtraction
Once children have a solid understanding of the coins and their values, children can begin to add and subtract simple amounts such as 5p + 2p. Children can use a variety of maths resources such as cubes, cuisenaire rods and multi-link cubes as concrete support to count on or back which will develop their skills and enable them to mentally calculate once they have become fluent with the coin values. Posing simple problems in a practical context, such as a role play shop, for children to solve involving addition and subtraction of money of the same unit, including giving change, allows them to apply the skills to real life scenarios.
Â
Real-life scenarios
Money maths provides an insight into real-life problems. Using imaginative play to re-create real-life scenarios is a great way to help young learners understand how money is used in every-day life. Simple narratives such as posting letters at the Post Office or buying sweets at the shops encourages them to begin thinking about the value of money. Realistic play money such as Learning Resources HM Treasury approved play coins and notes encourage hands-on maths activities that develop equivalency skills.Money games that incorporate recognisable activities are also a great way to associate money maths with real-life problems.Learning Resources Buy It Right Shopping Game
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Learning Resources recommends these best sellers…
Mathlink® Cubes (Set of 100) Pretend & Play® Calculator Cash Register with UK Money Pretend & Play® Post Office Set Money Bags™ - Coin Value Game
January flies by with a blink of an eye and suddenly the whole family is back into a routine likely to be made up of packing lunches, the dreaded school run, after school clubs and evenings spent counting down the minutes to some peace and quiet.Despite the blustery weather outside February does have a few things to offer such as Pancake Day, Valentine’s Day and of course February Half Term! We understand that entertaining little ones for a whole week can be a challenge so we’re here to help with some ideas to create your very own #HalfTermHaven Meet two of our resident Mummy Bloggers, Emma and Rachel:Emma Vanstone – Science Sparks/ Mummy, Mummy, Mum!Emma is a busy mum to three and runs two blogs; Science Sparks and Mummy, Mummy, Mum! Emma has a degree in Microbiology and Virology which she uses to share exciting activities that make Science fun for kids.Rachel Neal – Blogging MummyRachel is a mummy to two boys, born May 2011 and September 2014. Blogging Mummy was originally set up to document the achievements of her little man. Now that bubs has come along the blog also documents their journey with Congenital Hypothyroidism.We asked them some questions about how they keep their little ones entertained during the Half Term break… What is your first thought when you realise February Half Term is approaching?“My first thought is always how nice it will be to rush around less, followed by apanic about how I will get my work done with the kids around and give them agreat Half Term break at the same time. I’m very lucky that I can work fromhome around the children, but it can make holidays a little stressful.†– Emma“My first thought is actually excitement at getting to spend every full day with my eldest son. I then worry about things I am going to do to keep himentertained.†RachelWe recommend Sophie’s Seashell Scramble, fun for all of the family! How far in advance do you usually plan what you will be doing during the week?“If we’re planning on doing a tennis or swimming course I plan that about a month ahead, play dates with friends usually about a week ahead or very spur of the moment on the day.†– Emma“I am very organised and make sure I plan about 2 weeks in advance, although planning can be hard sometimes with the unpredictable weather in the UK.†-RachelWe recommend: Primary Science Magnifier and Tweezer Set! What sort of things do you usually do to keep the little ones entertained?“I always have lots of craft materials around for ad hoc projects, and generallyhave a long list of science experiments to try, but we usually get sidetrackedinto going to the park or out for day trips with friends. I sometimes buy my 8year old a new book and my daughters some stationary or a magazine so they can entertain themselves for a while too.†– Emma“I always make sure we have a selection of indoor and outdoor activities planned. We love going for a walk around our local Country Park, Games days, crafts days, bowling, cinema and soft play. I usually ask my son what he would like to do as well. If there is something in particular he would like to do I make sure we fit this into the schedule.† -Rachel We recommend Hot Dots®, ideal for independent learning! What’s your favourite activity to do during Half Term?“At home, I love to do anything creative with them. It’s always good to have a big cardboard box around in the holidays as that keeps my girls occupied for hours. Outside the house we love to find an open area with lots of trees to climb. Everyone is happy after getting some fresh air and it means we can take the rest of the day a bit easier knowing we’ve been outside.†– Emma“Crafts and games days. We absolutely love making things and painting and Little Man especially loves playing games and making jigsaws.†– RachelWe recommend Playfoam®, perfect for mess free play! We hope this helps to create your very own #HalfTermHaven at home. Enjoy the week, we’d love to hear how you got on!FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeLinkedInPinterest
Half Term Haven
January flies by with a blink of an eye and suddenly the whole family is back into a routine likely to be made up of packing lunches, the dreaded school run, after school clubs and evenings spent counting down the minutes to some peace and quiet.Despite the blustery weather outside February does have a few things to offer such as Pancake Day, Valentine’s Day and of course February Half Term! We understand that entertaining little ones for a whole week can be a challenge so we’re here to help with some ideas to create your very own #HalfTermHaven Meet two of our resident Mummy Bloggers, Emma and Rachel:Emma Vanstone – Science Sparks/ Mummy, Mummy, Mum!Emma is a busy mum to three and runs two blogs; Science Sparks and Mummy, Mummy, Mum! Emma has a degree in Microbiology and Virology which she uses to share exciting activities that make Science fun for kids.Rachel Neal – Blogging MummyRachel is a mummy to two boys, born May 2011 and September 2014. Blogging Mummy was originally set up to document the achievements of her little man. Now that bubs has come along the blog also documents their journey with Congenital Hypothyroidism.We asked them some questions about how they keep their little ones entertained during the Half Term break… What is your first thought when you realise February Half Term is approaching?“My first thought is always how nice it will be to rush around less, followed by apanic about how I will get my work done with the kids around and give them agreat Half Term break at the same time. I’m very lucky that I can work fromhome around the children, but it can make holidays a little stressful.†– Emma“My first thought is actually excitement at getting to spend every full day with my eldest son. I then worry about things I am going to do to keep himentertained.†RachelWe recommend Sophie’s Seashell Scramble, fun for all of the family! How far in advance do you usually plan what you will be doing during the week?“If we’re planning on doing a tennis or swimming course I plan that about a month ahead, play dates with friends usually about a week ahead or very spur of the moment on the day.†– Emma“I am very organised and make sure I plan about 2 weeks in advance, although planning can be hard sometimes with the unpredictable weather in the UK.†-RachelWe recommend: Primary Science Magnifier and Tweezer Set! What sort of things do you usually do to keep the little ones entertained?“I always have lots of craft materials around for ad hoc projects, and generallyhave a long list of science experiments to try, but we usually get sidetrackedinto going to the park or out for day trips with friends. I sometimes buy my 8year old a new book and my daughters some stationary or a magazine so they can entertain themselves for a while too.†– Emma“I always make sure we have a selection of indoor and outdoor activities planned. We love going for a walk around our local Country Park, Games days, crafts days, bowling, cinema and soft play. I usually ask my son what he would like to do as well. If there is something in particular he would like to do I make sure we fit this into the schedule.† -Rachel We recommend Hot Dots®, ideal for independent learning! What’s your favourite activity to do during Half Term?“At home, I love to do anything creative with them. It’s always good to have a big cardboard box around in the holidays as that keeps my girls occupied for hours. Outside the house we love to find an open area with lots of trees to climb. Everyone is happy after getting some fresh air and it means we can take the rest of the day a bit easier knowing we’ve been outside.†– Emma“Crafts and games days. We absolutely love making things and painting and Little Man especially loves playing games and making jigsaws.†– RachelWe recommend Playfoam®, perfect for mess free play! We hope this helps to create your very own #HalfTermHaven at home. Enjoy the week, we’d love to hear how you got on!FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeLinkedInPinterest
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The 3rd of February is National Number Day! Organised by the NSPCC, the day is a nationwide maths fundraising event for young people of all ages and is even supported by Countdown presenter and mathematician, Rachel Riley:“Number Day is a great way to get children engaged with maths, and on top of that, they’ll be raising money for the NSPCC.
The 3rd of February is National Number Day! Organised by the NSPCC, the day is a nationwide maths fundraising event for young people of all ages and is even supported by Countdown presenter and mathematician, Rachel Riley:“Number Day is a great way to get children engaged with maths, and on top of that, they’ll be raising money for the NSPCC.
