Mini Minds Hub · Free printable

Telling the Time Practice: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 2

  • ForYear 2
  • StageKey Stage 1
  • CostFree
  • FormatPrintable PDF
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Telling the Time Practice is a free printable worksheet for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7). Children read each clock and write the time. They work to five minutes, including quarter past and quarter to. Page 2 gives the grown up notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea.

It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

Children read the clocks on the sheet and write the time each one shows. They practise telling the time to five minutes, including quarter past and quarter to. To do this they look at both hands, decide which hand shows the hours and which shows the minutes, and use counting in fives round the clock face. A real clock beside them makes the idea easier to see.

Make a practice clock

Paper plate clock

Write the numbers 1 to 12 round the edge of a paper plate. Space them evenly, like a real clock. Check each number is in the right place by comparing with a real clock.

Card hands

Cut two hands from card, one short and one long. An adult can push a split pin through the centre so both hands turn. Colour the short hand and the long hand differently.

Add the fives

Write counting in fives on the outside edge in a different colour, next to each number. Children can then see how the numbers link to minutes.

Use it with the sheet

Set the clock to match each clock on page 1, then check the written time. Moving the hands makes the link between the picture and the time easier to see.

Why learn to tell the time on an analogue clock?

Many children see digital numbers all day, on tablets, ovens and phones. An analogue clock shows time in a different way. The hands move round a circle, so children can see how much of the hour has passed and how much is left. That picture of time passing is hard to get from digital numbers alone.

Reading a clock uses several skills at once. Children must tell the two hands apart, know that the minute hand moves round faster, and count in fives from number to number. They also use the ideas of half and quarter. Short, regular practice helps these skills settle, and a real clock in the home gives plenty of chances.

Clock facts to share

  • There are 60 minutes in one hour.
  • The long hand is the minute hand. It goes all the way round the clock in one hour.
  • The short hand is the hour hand. It moves much more slowly than the long hand.
  • A clock face has numbers from 1 to 12.
  • Digital clocks show the time as numbers. Analogue clocks show it with hands.

Skills and curriculum link

  • Telling the time
  • Quarter past and quarter to
  • Counting in fives
  • Reading a clock face
  • Writing the time
  • Careful looking

Ideas to help you support your child

  • Two hands, two jobsThe short hand tells you the hour. The long hand tells you the minutes. Children often mix them up, so point to each one and say its job aloud.
  • Counting in fivesEach number on the clock face stands for a group of five minutes. Counting round in fives, touching each number, links the clock face to minutes.
  • QuartersA quarter is one of four equal parts. A clock face can be split into four equal parts, which helps children see why the quarter times have their names.
  • Past and toPast means the minutes since the hour. To means the minutes still to go before the next hour. Say each word clearly when you talk about a time.

Key words

  • Hour handThe short hand on a clock. It shows the hour.
  • Minute handThe long hand on a clock. It shows the minutes.
  • O'clockThe time when the minute hand points to the top and a new hour has just begun.
  • Quarter pastA time that is fifteen minutes after an hour.
  • Quarter toA time that is fifteen minutes before the next hour.
  • Half pastA time that is thirty minutes after an hour.

How to use it

  1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2 for yourself.
  2. Put a real clock beside your child. Point out the short hand and the long hand and say what each one shows.
  3. Do the first clock together. Ask your child which hand to look at first, then talk through each choice.
  4. Let your child try the rest, then check together with the notes on page 2. Ask how they worked out each time.
  5. Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

If it feels too hard

Start with half past and quarter past only. Count round the clock in fives, touching each number as you say it. Keep a real clock or a toy clock next to the sheet, so your child can move the hands to match.

To stretch confident children

Ask what the time will be in one hour. Then ask what it was one hour ago. Children can set a toy clock to check. Confident children can make up their own clock times for a friend to read.

Make it a game

Play Pirate Says. Call out a time, such as a quarter past or a half past, and your child shows it on a toy clock. Swap roles so your child becomes the pirate and you set the clock.

Mistakes to watch for

Watch forA child reads the long hand as the hour and the short hand as the minutes.

Try thisColour the short hand and the long hand on a toy clock. Say the job of each one aloud before reading any time.

Watch forA child counts minutes one by one instead of in fives.

Try thisTouch each number on the clock face and count in fives together. Practise the count away from the sheet first.

Watch forFor a quarter to time, a child writes the hour that has just passed instead of the next one.

Try thisMove the short hand on a toy clock. Show that it is nearly at the next number, and say that the next hour is coming.

Watch forA child writes the time but mixes up the order of the numbers.

Try thisSay the time aloud first, then write the hour, then the minutes. Compare with a digital clock if you have one.

Talk about it

  • Which hand is moving faster, the short one or the long one? How can you tell?
  • What do you usually do at a quarter past three in the afternoon?
  • How can counting in fives help you read a clock?
  • What does a quarter mean? Where else do we use quarters?
  • Why do you think clocks have the numbers 1 to 12?
  • What is the clever trick you use to remember past and to?

Take it off the page

Clock hunt

Walk round the house and find every clock. Say which are analogue and which are digital. Read the time on each one.

Daily timetable

Draw a clock for each part of the school day, such as lunch or home time. Match each clock to what happens at that time.

Body clock

Stand up and use your arms as clock hands. One arm is the short hand and one is the long hand. A grown up calls a time and you show it.

Who it is for

Parents

Sit beside your child for the first clock, then let them lead. A real clock in view helps. Keep sessions short and stop while it is still fun. Praise careful looking as well as correct times.

Teachers

Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups, and a real clock on the table helps.

Home educators

Print it as part of a wider maths plan. It pairs well with a real clock on the wall, daily routines and everyday talk about time. You can print it again for brothers and sisters or for revision a few weeks later.

Where telling the time fits

Before this, children in Year 1 learn to tell the time to the hour and half past the hour, and use words such as before, after, morning, afternoon and evening. They also begin to order and sequence events and name the days of the week.

After this, children in Year 3 move on to telling and writing the time from an analogue clock, including Roman numerals and 12 hour and 24 hour clocks. They also begin to record and compare time in seconds, minutes and hours. Secure fives counting and confident quarter times make that step easier.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What age is Telling the Time Practice for?

It is written for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7), in Key Stage 1. Younger children can try it with help. Older children can use it as a quick recap of reading clocks to five minutes.

What will children practise?

Children tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past and quarter to. They also practise counting in fives and reading a clock face, all from the Year 2 measurement objectives.

How do I use it?

Print both pages and give page 1 to your child. Use a real clock to show the short hand and the long hand, then do the first clock together. Check with the notes on page 2.

What if it feels too hard?

Start with half past and quarter past only. Count round the clock in fives with your child. A toy clock helps them move the hands and see how the time changes.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision whenever you like.

How long does it take?

It depends on your child. Some work through it quickly, others like to take their time. You can stop at any point and come back another day. Page 2 has ideas to make it easier or harder.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Colour is not needed, though children may enjoy colouring the hands of a toy clock beside it.

Preview the full PDF

Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.

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