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Time Zone Flight Tickets: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 6

  • ForYear 6
  • StageKey Stage 2
  • CostFree
  • FormatPrintable PDF
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Time Zone Flight Tickets is a free printable geography worksheet for Year 6 (ages 10 to 11). Children use the time gaps they are given to work out the local time in each city. They fill in a table, answer flight questions and explain their thinking in words. It needs only a pencil, and 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 get a table with three columns: city, London time and local time. They use the time gap for each city to fill in the missing times. Numbered questions then turn the same skill into short flight stories, such as a phone call from London to a faraway city. One question asks children to explain why a time is different. There is space to write each answer.

  • City
  • London time
  • Local time
  • It is 16:00 in London. What time is it in New York?
  • You phone Tokyo from London at 19:00. What time is it in Tokyo?
  • Why is it later in Tokyo than in London?

A worked example

A made up city is 6 hours ahead of London. It is 11:00 in London. What time is it in that city?

The city and numbers here are invented to show the method. Children can use either way.

Method 1: add the gap
  1. The city is ahead, so add the gap to the London time.
  2. Write the London time as 11:00.
  3. Add 6 hours: 11 + 6 = 17.
  4. Write the answer in 24 hour form.
Method 2: jump along a number line
  1. Draw a line and mark 11:00 at the start.
  2. Jump 1 hour to reach 12:00.
  3. Jump 5 more hours, one at a time, and count them: 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00.
  4. Check you made 6 hours of jumps in total.
17:00

Why do places have different times?

The Earth spins, so the Sun lights up different parts of the world at different moments. When it is morning in one place, it can be evening or night in another. If every country used the same clock time, people in some places would have midday in the dark. Time zones solve this by giving each region its own local time, so that daytime on the clock roughly matches daytime in the sky.

Time zone questions are good practice because they join maths and geography. Children read and write 24 hour times, add and subtract whole hours, and think about where places are in the world. The sheet gives the time gaps, so children can concentrate on the reasoning. Real gaps can change during the year, so always use the gaps printed on the sheet.

Time zone facts for children

  • The Earth turns once about every 24 hours. That is why a day is 24 hours long.
  • The Prime Meridian is the line of longitude marked 0 degrees. It passes through Greenwich in London.
  • The UK uses Greenwich Mean Time in winter and British Summer Time in summer.
  • Time zones are based mainly on lines of longitude that run from the North Pole to the South Pole.
  • The 24 hour clock is used on many tickets and timetables, because it avoids confusion between morning and evening.

Skills and curriculum link

  • Time zones
  • 24 hour times
  • Adding and subtracting hours
  • Reasoning about journeys
  • Using a table
  • Explaining in words

Ideas to help you talk it through

  • Use a globe or mapFind London first. Then point to the other cities on the sheet. Talk about how far apart they are before you look at any numbers.
  • Read the rule box aloudSay the rule in your own words. Places that are ahead need hours added. Places that are behind need hours taken away.
  • Say the time in fullAsk your child to say each time aloud in 24 hour form, such as "fourteen thirty". Hearing it helps them spot mistakes.
  • Ask if it makes senseAfter each answer, ask whether the new time should be later or earlier than London. Then check the answer matches.

Key words

  • Time zoneA region of the world that uses the same clock time.
  • Local timeThe time shown on the clocks in the place where you are.
  • Time differenceThe number of hours between the clock times in two places.
  • 24 hour clockA way of writing time with hours from 00 to 23. 15:00 is 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
  • AheadA place that is ahead has a later clock time than another place.
  • BehindA place that is behind has an earlier clock time than another place.

How to use it

  1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
  2. Read the rule box together. Say out loud when to add hours and when to take them away.
  3. Do the first row of the table together. Talk about each choice before your child writes.
  4. Let your child try the rest alone, then check against page 2. Ask, "How did you work that out?"
  5. Come back another day and redo any tricky parts. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

If it feels too hard

Use a clock face or a number line and count the hours on, one jump at a time. Say each hour out loud. Ask first whether the place is ahead or behind, then decide whether to add or take away.

To stretch confident children

Pick a new city. Make up a time gap between it and London. Write three flight questions for a partner to solve, then check their answers. Try to include one flight that makes the clock pass midnight.

Make it a game

Pretend to be airport staff. One player calls out a London time and a city. The other player shouts the local time. Swap roles after each turn. Score a point for every correct answer.

Mistakes to watch for

Watch forA child adds the hours when the place is behind London.

Try thisAsk whether the city is ahead or behind first. Then ask if the answer should be later or earlier than London.

Watch forA child writes 26:00 after adding 5 hours to 21:00.

Try thisThe 24 hour clock restarts at 00:00. Count to 24:00, then carry on. 21:00 plus 5 hours is 02:00 on the next day.

Watch forA child counts the starting hour as one, so 9:00 plus 3 hours becomes 11:00.

Try thisSay the start time, then count only the jumps: 10, 11, 12. Use a number line and mark each jump.

Talk about it

  • What time do you think it is in another country right now? How could we find out?
  • Why do we need time zones at all?
  • If you left London at lunchtime and landed in a far away city, would you expect the clocks to match?
  • Which would you rather use, a number line or a clock face? Why?
  • How can you check that your answer is sensible?
  • If you phoned a friend in another country, what would you need to know first?

Take it off the page

Make a world clock

Cut out paper clock faces. Label each one with a city. Set them to show the same moment in different places, using the gaps from the sheet.

Plan a trip

Choose a city and write a pretend itinerary. Add departure and arrival times in 24 hour form and say what the clock would show at home.

Find the cities on a map

Use an atlas or globe to find each city on the sheet. Talk about which direction you would travel from London to reach it.

Who it is for

Parents

Sit beside your child for the first row of the table, then let them lead. Keep sessions short and relaxed. If they get stuck, offer a clock face or a number line and ask them to count the hours aloud.

Teachers

Use it as a starter after teaching time or world geography, or as a plenary, early finisher task or homework. Page 2 offers support and stretch for mixed ability groups. It needs no preparation beyond printing.

Home educators

Pair it with an atlas or globe and some talk about where family or friends live. The sheet works for one child or for a group of different ages. You can print it again for brothers and sisters or for revision.

Where this fits in

Before this sheet, children need to read and write times, including the 24 hour clock, and to add and subtract whole numbers. They should also know that the world is made up of countries and continents, and be able to find London on a map or globe.

After it, children can explore latitude and longitude, the Equator and the Prime Meridian, which sit within the locational knowledge strand of National Curriculum geography. They can also move on to reading timetables and solving longer time problems in maths, and meet time zones again in secondary school.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What age is Time Zone Flight Tickets for?

It is written for Year 6 (ages 10 to 11), in Key Stage 2. Younger children who are confident with the 24 hour clock may manage it with support. Older children can use it as quick revision.

Do children need to know the time zones already?

No. The sheet gives the time gaps, so children do not need to remember them. They use the rule box to decide whether to add or take away hours, and then work out each local time.

Are the answers included?

Yes. Page 2 is for the grown-up and includes the answers, together with notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard and a stretch idea.

What if my child finds it hard?

Give them a clock face or a number line and let them count the hours on. Ask whether the city is ahead or behind London before they start. Doing the first row together often helps.

Is it free to print?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision. Black and white printing on plain A4 paper works well.

Can teachers use it in class?

Yes. It works as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 helps you support and stretch mixed ability groups.

Is it a screen free activity?

Yes. Children need only paper and a pencil. It suits quiet time after school, rainy days and school holidays. A clock face, globe or atlas can help but none is required.

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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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