Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Time Zones Table: Free Printable Chart for Year 5
- ForYear 5
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Time Zones Table is a free printable chart for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. It asks one clear question: if it is noon in London, what time is it there? Children fill in a table that links each city to its distance in hours from London. Page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
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 complete a table with three columns: City, Hours from London, and Time when it is 12 noon in London. They use the hours from London to work out the time in each place, adding or subtracting on a clock face or in their heads. There are also lines for writing. Children draw on what they know about time zones, including day and night.
- City
- Hours from London
- Time when it is 12 noon in London
Worked example: adding hours
A made up town is 7 hours ahead of London. It is 10 am in London. What time is it in the town?
This is a different question from the sheet. It uses a made up town and a London time that is not noon. It shows two ways to work.
Method 1: count on a clock face- Start at 10 on the clock.
- Count forward one hour at a time, seven times: 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
- The hour hand lands on 5. The time has passed noon, so it is pm.
- From 10 am, 2 hours takes you to 12 noon.
- 7 hours is 2 hours and then 5 more hours.
- 5 hours after noon is 5 pm.
Why does the time change around the world?
The Earth spins, so the Sun lights up different parts of the planet at different times. When it is daytime in one country, it is night in another. To keep daily life sensible, the world is split into time zones. Places inside the same zone share the same clock time. Moving east, clocks show a later time. Moving west, they show an earlier time.
London is a useful starting point because the line of 0 degrees longitude, called the prime meridian, passes through Greenwich in London. The UK uses Greenwich Mean Time in winter and British Summer Time in summer. Different countries change their clocks on different dates, so the gap between two places can vary during the year. On this sheet, use the hours given in the table.
Time zone facts
- The Earth turns once about every 24 hours, which is why we have day and night.
- The Sun appears to rise in the east, so places further east see morning first.
- The prime meridian runs through Greenwich in London.
- Some large countries, such as Russia, have more than one time zone.
- Astronauts on the International Space Station see many sunrises and sunsets in one day.
Skills and curriculum link
- Time zones
- Adding and subtracting hours
- Reading a clock
- Using a table
- Reading a map or globe
- Explaining your thinking
Ideas that help with time zones
- East and westThink of the Sun moving across the sky from east to west. Places to the east meet the Sun first, so their clocks are further on.
- Ahead and behindIf a place is ahead of London, its clock shows a later time. If it is behind, its clock shows an earlier time.
- Day and nightAsk whether the answer makes sense. If it is the middle of the day in London, a place far away may be having its night.
- Noon, am and pmNoon is 12 in the day. Midnight is 12 at night. Passing either one changes between am and pm, so take care when counting across them.
Key words
- Time zoneA region of the world that shares the same clock time.
- Noon12 o'clock in the middle of the day.
- AheadA place where the clock shows a later time than in London.
- BehindA place where the clock shows an earlier time than in London.
- am and pmam is the time from midnight until noon. pm is the time from noon until midnight.
- GlobeA model of the Earth shaped like a ball. It shows where countries and cities are.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Look at a world map or globe first. Find London, then talk about which cities are to the east and which are to the west.
- Work through the first row together. Ask your child to say whether the city is ahead of London or behind it before they write.
- Let them complete the rest of the table alone, then check with page 2. Ask, "How did you work that out?"
- Come back another day and try again. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Draw or use a clock face. Set it to 12, then move forward or back one hour at a time, saying each hour out loud. Check the direction on a map first. If the city is east of London, the time is later.
To stretch confident children
Ask: what time is it in Tokyo when it is 9 pm in London? Then invent your own question for a different city and swap with a friend. Explain how you know whether it is day or night there.
Make it a game
Pretend to plan a call to a friend who lives far away. Pick a city and work out a time when both of you would be awake. Check that it is not the middle of the night for either of you.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child subtracts the hours for a city that is east of London.
Try thisLook at the globe together. Cities further east are ahead of London, so their clocks show a later time. Ask whether the answer should be later or earlier.
Watch forThe child counts the starting hour as the first hour, so the answer is one hour out.
Try thisSay the start time, then move one hour for each count. On a clock face, the first jump lands on the next hour, not on the one you began at.
Watch forThe child passes 12 on the clock and forgets that am and pm change.
Try thisWrite the time with am or pm every time. Remember that noon and midnight are the points where it switches, and picture the Sun to check.
Talk about it
- Which direction does the Sun seem to travel across the sky, and what does that tell us about time zones?
- If it is lunchtime in London, what might people be doing in a city on the other side of the world?
- How can a map or globe help you decide whether to add or subtract hours?
- Why do you think the world has time zones, instead of one time for everyone?
- Would you like to live in a place with a very different time to ours? What would be hard about it?
- Do you know anyone who lives or has travelled far away? How did they cope with the time change?
Take it off the page
Family time map
Draw a simple world map. Mark London and a city where a relative or friend lives. Write the hours between them and what each person might be doing at noon in London.
Two clock faces
Draw two clock faces side by side. Set one to 12 noon for London. On the other, show the time in a city of your choice by moving the hands forward or back.
Day and night model
In a dim room, shine a torch on a ball or globe. Turn it slowly and notice which places are lit. This shows why it is day in some places and night in others.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first row, then let them lead. Use a globe or an atlas if you have one. If they get stuck, ask them to move the hands on a clock face and explain each step out loud.
Teachers
Use it as a starter or plenary in a geography lesson on the world, or as an early finisher task. The table gives clear evidence of how well children add and subtract hours, and page 2 offers support and stretch for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair this with an atlas, a family video call to someone far away, or a talk about holidays abroad. Children can add the cities that matter to your family. Reuse the sheet for brothers and sisters or for revision later.
Where this fits in learning
Before this sheet, children learn to tell the time, read a clock face and name the points of the compass. They also meet maps and globes, and learn that the Earth turns, giving us day and night. These ideas help them see why clocks differ from place to place.
After this sheet, children can look at the position of lines of latitude and longitude, compare places around the world and plan journeys across time zones. Adding and subtracting hours also supports work on time in maths, such as solving problems with timetables and durations.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Time Zones Table for?
It is written for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Confident Year 4 children may manage it with help, and Year 6 children can use it as revision before trying the stretch idea on page 2.
- What will children practise?
Children practise using what they know about time zones, including day and night, to work out the time in different cities. They add and subtract hours, use a table and explain their thinking.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages and give page 1 to your child. Look at a world map or globe first, and remember that cities further east are ahead of London. Check the work with page 2 afterwards.
- What if it feels too hard?
Count the hours on a clock face before writing the answer. Move the hands one hour at a time and say each hour out loud. Check on a map whether the city is east or west of London.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision, and black and white printing on plain A4 paper works well.
- Is it suitable for teachers to use in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 gives help, stretch and answers.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil. It suits quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. A globe or atlas helps, but they are not essential.
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.