Teaching Clock
Drag the clock hands to any time and see the digital time and the time in words change as you go. Then test yourself with the quiz: read the clock or set it to a target time.
Drag the hands. Arrow keys: ← → move the minutes, ↑ ↓ move by an hour.
Telling time quiz
How to use the Teaching Clock
- Drag the long minute hand around the clock. With geared hands the short hour hand moves too, just like a real clock.
- Watch the readout: the digital time and the time in words update as you move the hands.
- Use the buttons to jump to now, a random time, or step forward and back.
- Start the quiz: choose Read the clock or Set the clock and a difficulty.
- Answer or press Check to score points and build a streak.
How to read an analog clock
- Find the short hand (hour hand). It shows the hour. If it is between two numbers, the hour is the smaller number (the one it has just passed).
- Find the long hand (minute hand). Each number on the clock stands for 5 minutes: 1 = 5 minutes, 2 = 10, 3 = 15 and so on. Count by fives, then add the small marks.
- Put them together. Hour first, then minutes: the hour hand just past 3 and the minute hand on 4 is 3:20.
The hour hand moves slowly between the numbers as the minutes pass. At 3:30 it is halfway between 3 and 4, and at 3:45 it is three quarters of the way to 4. That is why the geared mode is the best way to learn.
Minutes and words cheat sheet
| Minute hand on | Minutes | Say it like this (at 3 o'clock) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | :00 | three o'clock |
| 1 | :05 | five past three |
| 2 | :10 | ten past three |
| 3 | :15 | quarter past three |
| 4 | :20 | twenty past three |
| 5 | :25 | twenty-five past three |
| 6 | :30 | half past three |
| 7 | :35 | twenty-five to four |
| 8 | :40 | twenty to four |
| 9 | :45 | quarter to four |
| 10 | :50 | ten to four |
| 11 | :55 | five to four |
A teaching sequence that works
- Step 1, o'clock: keep the minute hand on 12 and move only the hour hand.
- Step 2, half past: show that the minute hand on 6 means half an hour, and the hour hand is halfway to the next number.
- Step 3, quarter past and quarter to: split the clock into four quarters like a pizza.
- Step 4, five-minute steps: turn on the minute numbers and count by fives.
- Step 5, any minute and 24-hour time: use the 24-hour labels to connect afternoon times like 3 PM with 15:00.
Short daily practice works better than long sessions. Try five quiz questions a day and raise the difficulty when the streak gets to five in a row.
Frequently asked questions
How do I teach a child to tell time?
Start with o'clock times so the child learns the hour hand, then half past, then quarter past and quarter to, and finally five-minute steps. Count the minutes around the clock by fives and let the child move the hands themselves.
What is the difference between geared and independent hands?
With geared hands, moving the minute hand all the way around moves the hour hand forward one hour, like a real clock. With independent hands each hand moves on its own, which is useful for practicing where each hand points.
Which hand is the hour hand?
The short, thick hand is the hour hand and the long, thin hand is the minute hand. On this clock the hour hand is orange and the minute hand is green.
What does quarter past and quarter to mean?
A quarter is 15 minutes, a quarter of an hour. Quarter past three is 3:15, half past three is 3:30, and quarter to four is 3:45, which is 15 minutes before four o'clock.
Does it work on tablets and interactive whiteboards?
Yes. The hands can be dragged with a finger or a pen, and the clock scales to fit any screen, so it works on tablets, phones and classroom whiteboards.