Telling Time Flashcards

These telling time flashcards use a large analog clock on every card, with the minutes printed in fives around the outside of the dial so kids can count 5, 10, 15, 20 on their way to the answer. There are 60 cards in four groups of 15, and the hour hand sits where it really would, a third of the way past the 3 at twenty past three, not parked on the number.

Four groups

1. O’clock and half past. The first step, from one o’clock to half past three.
2. Quarters and minutes. Quarter past, then five-minute times like ten past two, twenty-five to six and ten to seven.
3. My daily routine. The clock tied to a child’s day: wake up at 7:00, breakfast at 7:30, school at 8:00, lunch at noon and bedtime at 8:30, each with a small picture.
4. Time reasoning. Two clocks side by side for “one hour later” and “half an hour earlier,” then rows of three clocks that move in equal jumps, forward or back.

Within each group, five cards are Level 1, five Level 2 and five Level 3. Level 1 cards print the answer beside the clock. Level 2 cards leave a question mark for your child to fill in, and on the half-hour-earlier cards they draw the hands on an empty clock. Level 3 cards pair the time with a line of everyday context, and in the reasoning group they ask what comes next in a row of clocks.

Extras

The blank clock template is meant to be laminated so you can draw hands with a dry-erase marker and wipe them off. In Clock Race, each player starts at 12:00, rolls a die and changes the time by what the square says, such as plus one hour or minus 30 minutes, then says the new time out loud.

Printing

Print at actual size so the minute marks line up, ideally on 200 gsm cardstock, and cut along the dashed frame. The color cards have a soft cream background. The ink-saving file has the same 60 cards on white with black line art, which uses far less ink and gives kids something to color.