Teaching some basic skills in the holidays

[Campaspe]

I'm rather ashamed to admit that DD, aged 8, cannot tie laces or tell the time. We can work on the laces, but I'm not sure what order to teach telling the time. What comes first, analogue or digital? Any tips, apps, pointers etc to help? Thanks

I would start with a clock face. You could prob fashion one out of paper with card pointers. Start with o clock. Then half past quarter to/past and so on.

Analogue. Hours, then half hours, then quarters, use this language as its the language barrier thats the issue. Say in quarter of an hour will be bed time etc. Then more to minuets, avoid in 5 mins, say 6 and a half, when shes secure find a stop watch or timer, apps are good, asker her to time a journey, time her bath, time anything,as her how long will it take me to vaccunm... get her to guess then time. Make it fun.

We had a clock, they would say whats the time mrs wolf i would say 2 oclock, if they showed me on the clock they took a step forward, once they got to me, we would swap.

If you can find a very inexpensive REAL clock at a charity shop or car-boot (even if it's not working properly) let her play with it, and set it to different times.

Half and Quarter hours can also be introduced with portions of cake or pizza, and she may have already done 1/2, 1/4, 3/4 at school. Also may have touched on Percentages, and one system easily translates into the other.

Make a clock from a paper plate with cardboard clock hands. Pin it on the wall, challenge her to set a time. Change it and ask her to read it.

Don't feel bad! My 9 year old is still not completely confident with telling the time, even though she does really well in other areas...

DS1's holiday task is to wear his watch every day and tell us the time when asked (both analogue and digital) as he needs the practice. He's nearly 8.