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 classroom setting is a place that primary school children will spend most of their time during a specific year of their school life. It is important that the environment is welcoming, inspiring and creates a space for self expression and growth. A warm and interactive classroom environment can have very positive effects on academic achievement and can also foster a strong sense of community.
Visual Appeal
Teacher’s often take great pride in creating the best possible learning environment, and when done so effectively, it will help children to develop a sense of ownership towards their classroom and their school. Warm colours such as red and green combined with natural lighting can create a stimulating environment for children to learn. Colourful displays and schedules are great for keeping organised and alleviating anxiety through visual cues.Learning Resources Daily Schedule Pocket Chart
Interactivity
Elements of the classroom that invite participation such as learning calendar’s and attendance charts will help children to feel part of a community and feel positive about their surroundings. Resources that give children the confidence to interact such as answer buzzers will ensure that each child in your class has the ability to speak and be actively listened to, improving self-esteem.Learning Resources Magnetic Learning Calendar
Sensory Input
Children discover the world through their senses, so creating an environment with a mixture of sensory resources will keep children focused. Each pupil will have different sensory preferences so it is good to tailor tasks to suit specific needs, for example creating a quiet area with bean bags and quiet music for soothing pupils that are restless.Learning Resources Primary Science Sensory Tubes
Minimising Distractions
Keeping the classroom tidy and organised will minimise visual distractions for your class. It can be difficult to keep track of each child’s work so organisation stations that provide a pocket for each individual will allow you to keep track of finished and unfinished work. Wipe-clean pockets are also a great way to complete paper based activities as they can be re-used and mistakes can be easily corrected which removed the fear of ‘getting it wrong’, also helping to boost self-esteem.Learning Resources Organisation Station® Pocket Chart
Time flies when having fun!
Keeping track of timed activities can be a difficult task, especially if the class is divided into groups. Time trackers are a great way to let children know how much time they have left, so that you don’t have to watch the clock! With miniature options for group tasks and larger options for whole class activities; visual warnings, digital displays and sound cues help children to make better use of their time during tasks, tests and experiments. Learning Resources Time Tracker® Mini Our in-house qualified teacher, Joanne Moore, has also given a top tip to help keep the classroom tidy in the long term: “Tidy up time music is a great way to energise students and signal when it is time to pack away. I used Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with my reception classes! After a few times I didn’t even have to explain what the music was for, the children would put everything in the right place and be in their seats by the time the song was finished.â€
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?
