Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Time Bingo: Free Printable Game for Year 2
- ForYear 2
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Time Bingo is a free printable maths game for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7). Children listen to the times the caller reads out and mark the matching time on their bingo card. It practises o'clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to times. A game takes about 10 minutes and needs only counters or buttons.
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. Page 1 is the bingo card for the children. Keep page 2 for the grown up, because the caller's list is there along with the notes, help ideas, a stretch idea and the answers. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Page 1 has a bingo card ready to cut and play. The card shows times in words, such as o'clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to. One player is the caller and reads out a digital time. Everyone else listens, finds the matching time on their card and covers it with a counter. Children link what they hear to what they see, and the first to complete the winning pattern calls bingo.
- 3 o'clock
- half past 6
- quarter past 2
- quarter to 9
- 5 o'clock
- half past 10
- quarter past 7
- quarter to 4
- 12 o'clock
A worked example
The caller reads out 11:15. Which time in words matches?
This is a different time from the ones on the sheet. It shows two ways to think about a digital time.
Method 1: use the clock hands- Look at the digits after the colon. These are the minutes: 15.
- Picture the minute hand on a clock face. It has moved a quarter of the way round from the top.
- The hour hand has just passed 11. So the time is quarter past 11.
- An hour has 60 minutes. A quarter of an hour is 15 minutes.
- The minutes are 15, so it is a quarter of an hour after the hour.
- The hour number is 11, so say quarter past 11.
Setting up the game
Get the card ready
Cut out the bingo card from page 1, or leave it whole if you prefer. Each player needs a card, or players can share one.
Gather counters
Use counters, buttons or small pieces of paper to cover the squares. Plain household items work well.
Choose a caller
The caller uses the list on page 2, the grown up page. They read each digital time once, in any order.
Play and check
Players cover each matching time. Check the covered squares against the notes on page 2 when someone calls bingo.
Why play with telling the time?
Telling the time is a skill children use every day, but it takes lots of practice. A clock face has two hands that move at different speeds, and children also meet digital clocks that show numbers only. Year 2 is the time when children start to link the two. A game gives them a reason to look closely and a chance to try again.
Bingo suits this skill well. The caller says one time and the players have to listen, think and decide. Nobody can rush through, and mistakes are easy to spot and fix. Short rounds keep the pace lively, and taking turns as the caller helps children explain their thinking to someone else.
Fun facts about clocks and time
- An hour has 60 minutes.
- A day has 24 hours.
- A clock face has 12 numbers around it.
- The short hand on most clocks shows the hour. The long hand shows the minutes.
- The word o'clock comes from the old phrase of the clock.
Skills and curriculum link
- Telling the time
- Listening
- Matching
- Reading digital times
- Using time words
- Taking turns
Helpful ideas about time
- Two handsOn most clock faces, the short hand points to the hour and the long hand points to the minutes.
- Parts of an hourHalf and quarter are parts of an hour. An hour has 60 minutes, so these words describe how much of the hour has passed.
- Digital clocksA digital clock shows the hour first, then a colon, then the minutes.
- Listen for the key wordWords such as past and to tell you whether the minute hand is on the first or second half of the clock.
Key words
- O'clockThe time when the minute hand points straight up and it is exactly on the hour.
- Half pastThirty minutes after the hour.
- Quarter pastFifteen minutes after the hour.
- Quarter toFifteen minutes before the next hour.
- Digital timeA time shown as numbers, such as 4:00.
- Minute handThe long hand on a clock. It shows the minutes.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is the bingo card for the children. Keep page 2 for the grown up, as it has the caller's list and the answers.
- Give each player a card and some counters or buttons. Read the rules aloud so everyone plays the same game.
- Choose a caller. The caller reads each digital time from the list on page 2, once, in any order. Players listen and cover the matching time on their card.
- Play first to a line of three, then try full house. Check the covered squares against the answers on page 2 together.
- Swap roles and play again another day. Repeating a familiar game builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Keep a real or toy clock in the middle of the table. Before marking the card, ask the child to set the clock hands to the time they heard. Then they can see the time and match it to the card.
To stretch confident children
Swap roles so the child is the caller. They read each digital time and also say the word form of it. When that feels easy, add 'ten past' and 'twenty to' times to the game.
Make it a game
For a short game, play first to a line of three. For a longer game, play full house. Players can take turns as caller so everyone gets to read the times and listen.
Talk about it
- What do you listen for first when the caller reads out a time?
- How can you tell the difference between half past and quarter past?
- Which time on the card was easiest to find? Why?
- What do the two hands on a clock do?
- When do you look at a clock at home?
- How would you explain a time to someone who has never played?
Take it off the page
Clock face from a paper plate
Write the numbers 1 to 12 around the edge of a paper plate. Cut two hands from card and fix them with a split pin. Practise setting different times.
Daily time hunt
Pick a time each day, such as a mealtime. Ask your child to say the time in words when you reach it.
Time and routine cards
Draw things you do in a day, such as breakfast or bedtime. Put them in order and match each one to a time on a clock.
Who it is for
Parents
Play the first round together and let your child lead after that. Keep rounds short. If they hesitate, bring out a toy clock and set the hands together before covering a square.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or a table game for small groups. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and the caller's list and answers are on page 2 for easy checking.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider maths plan and use it again for brothers and sisters or for revision. It pairs well with a real clock in the home and with everyday talk about the time.
Where this fits in learning
Before this, children in Year 1 learn to tell the time to the hour and half past the hour. They also use words such as before, after, morning, afternoon and evening to describe the day.
After this, Year 2 children move on to telling and writing the time to five minutes. In Year 3 they tell the time from a clock face to the nearest minute. Games like this help build the base for those steps.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Time Bingo for?
It is written for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7), in Key Stage 1. Younger children can play with a real clock for support, and older children can try the stretch idea on page 2.
- What will children practise?
Children link o'clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to times to digital times. They also practise listening, matching and taking turns as the caller.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages. Page 1 is the bingo card for children. The caller reads each digital time once from the list on page 2, and players cover the matching time. A game takes about 10 minutes.
- What if it feels too hard?
Keep a real or toy clock on the table. Let the child set the hands to each time before they mark the card. Play slowly and repeat the game another day.
- 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.
- Is it screen free?
Yes. It needs only paper, counters or buttons, and a pencil if you want one. It works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Printing both pages gives you the bingo card for children and the notes and answers for the grown up.
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.