8 yr old can't tell the time

[realitychick]

I've just discovered that my 8 year old has totally forgotten how to tell the time on a clockface. He's not even confident with the o'clocks. I feel a bit ashamed that I hadn't double checked this was being revisited at school. He claims they've not looked at it since year 1 and he's about to go into year 4.

Is this common?

You'll be able to sort that out before school starts again, don't worry. I've got loads of time ideas for games if you'd like them?

my dd needed a lot of practice to get the hang of telling the time

At the junior school I work at they do time in a big way in Year 4 (not sure they completely ignore it in all other years though!)

I remember DS's first teacher saying that most of the children she had taught either 'got' how to tell the time at around 4-5 or not until they were around 8, and my two have borne this out - DS could tell the time pretty accurately by the time he went to school at 5, DD didn't get the idea very well at all until Year 4. Subsequent events have proved their intelligence/academic ability to be much the same, including they type of subject they are interested in/best at.

My 8 yr old (nearly 9) dt's are quite sketchy about the time. They can do the basic times but even then have to work it out a bit. They have watches but only sometimes bother to wear them.

I don't know if everyones' dc are the same at that age. I think they could do it better if it meant more to them but tbh they don't seem very aware of timeframes and seem to want to be blissfully unaware. My nearly 12 yr old can tell the time but is similary unbothered about it.
It drives me nuts at times but then again I think that's one of the lovely things about childhood. I know that it won't be long in life before they feel as pressed for time as the rest of the adult world so I don't worry too much about it yet.

(Until it's a school morning and I'm yelling about the time)

I got DD a watch like this one, which helped a lot.

Same with my DD (and I was a maths teacher!) I got her a watch and gave her time related targets through the day (like "Is it time for your favourite programme at 4:15pm" or " We'll eat at 6pm, in how many minutes is that")

I also got her to make and decorate a clock from card and she could write 5 past, 20 to etc on it and we did a few questions on that each day.

It worked, but as others have said, it's not the most important thing in her life and she'll still make the odd mistake!

Telling the time seems to be a skill that suddenly "clicks" with children. It can be as young as 4/5/6 or later. I've taught some children who haven't been able to tell the time at 10.

I'd agree with previous posters. Encourage your child to learn by using everyday events to look at time. Buy your child an appropriate watch and try and encourage them to wear it every day. Keep talking about time. Try saying things like. "You can have some time on the computer/have a sweet/watch tv/(alternative desired activity) at half past six", help them to work out what half past six would look like, but then give them the responsibility for reminding you at half past six - concentrates the mind wonderfully!

If you're worried, have a look at:

www.powerof2.co.uk/maths-support-book-perform-with-time

Thank you. I feel incredibly reassured by this. We have in the past made clocks and played time games but he seemed not to have held in any of the info.

Not sure it's a sign of intellect, but it's definitely something people have a facility for or not, like catching a ball or photographic memory.

I struggled to tell the time before Year 4, and to be honest I struggled with it for a long time afterwards. Even now I have to think about it - I just looked at the clock and actually had to think 'big hand on 8 so it must be 25 to'

I was always top of the class for maths (and most other things) but I have NEVER really 'got' telling the time. I also struggle with left and right (have to do the making an 'L' with my finger and thumb). It just isn't logical to me...

No, I don't think it's anything to do with intellect, as I say DD & DS have proved to be very similar in intellect & academic achievement.

The only other thing that is very different is that DS, like me, has a very good sense of location and direction, whereas neither DH & DD could even tell you which way is North in the house we've lived in for 19 years - not sure whether that might be related?

Many of the 8y I know are still having to work out the time, and don't just know what time it is. DD is 8y and can do all the basic times, but still has to work out everything but counting in fives and sometimes needs reminding about to and past. But she is getting there, as are her friends.

I taught myself to tell time when I was 11(with one of those cardbord clocks) I really wouldn't worry, I still managed go to university.
The trouble is time is so arbitrary.

Hi my 8yr old only recently started to be able to tell the time despite learning how to (in theory) in school a couple of years ago. What really helped was getting her a watch - one with all the numbers on it. She still gets a bit mixed up but it has made all the difference :)