Although the concept of time does not mean anything to children at first, children begin to make sense of the time period themselves in this period. Although explaining to children is a process that requires patience, it is important for a parent to be patient and consistent. We have searched for you the ways to teach the constantly confused clock. How to teach children the clock? How to explain the clock to a preschooler?
Children who start to make sense of time on their own become aware of the clock between the ages of 2-4. While the children were deciphering the time on their own, they were able to code that they would actually go to school when the sun came up, or that it was time to go to the park after the sun had set a little. Emphasizing that we should not confuse the child in this process, and that we should proceed by teaching patiently and little by little, educator experts also explained the ways to teach the child the time in the most accurate way.
HOW TO TEACH CHILDREN WITH A CLOCK? HOW TO EXPLAIN THE TIME TO A PRESCHOOL CHILD?
While going through the process of telling the time, they know the times of vital relationships for children, such as when their parents will come from work, or when it’s time to look at the tablet computer. It will always be easier and more understandable to proceed through the process they know. Even if the child’s answer by looking at the clock when asked what time it is is correct, this does not mean that he still learns the concept of clock and time. But the child who has learned numbers means that it is time to gradually learn the clock.
1- VISUAL TELLING
Even if it’s pre-school Even if it is a primary school child, the part that takes up the most space in the mind is the part reserved for visuals. Therefore, the more visually appealing, colorful and patterned you describe something, the more solid it will be in your mind. Time is already an abstract concept. While trying to teach an abstract concept to the child, it is among the facts that it is necessary to make it concrete by making use of visual things as much as possible. To the child who knows the numbers, patiently and in order, first the concept of the hour, then the concept of the minute, then the remaining time can be explained after they are all seated. In this process, you need to be patient, do exercises for plenty of hours.
2-TOE
You can make them think like people chasing each other and constantly racing, or you can decorate them with animal symbols. It will be the best thing for them to look at the clock to emphasize that when they are caught, the time is right, and there is a quarter of a distance between them, or it is late. However, even though we support children to stay away from their health in the digitalized world, let’s talk about the existence of applications that teach the clock…
3- HOURCLOCK SOLUTION
For children who do not understand the concept of time, hourglasses will work very well for them to comprehend the passing and remaining time period. Turning the hourglass and specifying the time allotted for a meal break or the thing he loves as three hourglasses will help the concept of time to settle.
4-CODE TIME ZONES AS HE WILL UNDERSTAND!
One of the most memorable directions is coding. Phrases such as “Your favorite movie is on Saturday” or “Fries are available for lunch” teach the child in impatience when that afternoon or Saturday will arrive so the child can know the time. You can start with this type of coding in the first place, then it is easier to teach by touching on vital points such as bedtime and wake-up times over hours and then minutes.
Gradually enable the child to transition into a planned life. Have them list what they will do during the day according to whether they sleep at 10 or get up at 8 o’clock. In this way, he will make the concept of regular study comfortable in school life.
5-FLOWER CLOCK METHOD
The flower clock method is one of the most used applications to teach the analog clock. You will now be able to answer children in this study on how we understand the time on a wrist watch. This method requires a circular wall clock and colored cardboard.
- First, a flower stem and petals are made from cardboard.
- The long one of the leaves will represent the minute hand and the short one will represent the hour hand.
- Write the hour on the short leaf and the minute on the long leaf. Thus, it will make it easier for your child to understand the concepts of hour and minute hands.
- Think of the clock as the center of a flower. Cut the petals of the flower in semicircles, corresponding to each 5-minute segment, and write the minutes as 00, 05, 10 and 15 on it. In this way, the concepts of quarter past and half are more easily explained.
