Make a learning clock

A dial and two hands to cut out and pin together, so the hands actually turn. Both rings are printed — hours inside, minutes outside — because "the 3 means fifteen" is the step children get stuck on, and a bare face hides it.

Ages 5–8 · 2 pages

Download US Letter PDFor A4

How to use it

You need a split pin (a paper fastener) for the hands to turn. If there is not one in the house, push a short strip of paper through a small slit at the centre and fold the ends flat on the back — it works, it just wears out faster. Glue the dial to card before cutting if you want it to last: a paper clock face curls within a week of being handled. Page two is the harder half and the one usually skipped: reading a clock and setting one are different skills, and children who can do the first often cannot do the second.

Every page in this pack

  1. Learning clock page 1: a large dial with hours inside and minutes outside, and two hands to cut out.

    The clock to build

  2. Learning clock page 2: six blank clock faces with a time written under each one to draw the hands for.

    Draw the hands

Printing notes

  • Print at 100%, not "fit to page" — scaling shrinks the digits and the whole point is that your child writes them at a steady size.
  • Black-and-white and draft mode are fine. Nothing on these sheets depends on colour.
  • Slide a sheet into a punched pocket and a dry-wipe pen turns one page into a hundred goes.

The thinking behind it

How to Teach a Child to Tell Time — Read the full guide