Telling the time with a traditional clock

[JerkintheMerkin]

How important do you think it is to learn this skill? I've spoken with quite a few of my DD's friends (she's 10) who can't actually tell the time unless it's digital. In fairness she can't either. I've tried numerous times to explain it to her and purposely ask her the time in "clock speak" as opposed to "digital speak" but she has never got it and says what's the point when she mainly sees the time in digital. Shall I plough ahead until one day the penny drops or should I just say the time as if we're in the army? "Get up for school at oh-600 hours"

I've met plenty of young adults in the workplace who can't tell the time using an analogue clock

Both my kids have analogue clocks in their bedrooms. We also have 2 downstairs. All my watches are analogue too (I'm old school). We do have 1 digital alarm clock.
It's important that they know and understand both and both are covered in the maths curriculum for primary.

If someone is worried about it, surely you'd just buy your child a clock for their bedroom? They're very cheap. Ours had those 'learn to tell the time' clocks when they were little (the ones that have 'ten to' etc written on them), and they've always had an analogue clock on their wall (as well as a digital one, later on). I'm not trying to be 'erudite', I'm just genuinely confused as to why people don't do this if they want their child to be able to tell the time?

😲

@JaninaDuszejko thats a great idea.

I wonder if the clocks in exam halls are analogue or digital, anyone know?

I was talking about this recently as my Y2 dyslexic child was one of only 2 children in the class who could tell the time. We have had an analogue clock on the wall since she was about 2. She nailed the topic of telling the time and it gave her a much needed confidence boost as she doesn't have much of those being dyslexic.

It is a parents job to teach these life skills its like learning to tie laces, learning to swim, kids need to know this stuff!

PS we are the most un mumsnetty house you cam imagine (and a chicken certainly only does 1 meal and maybe a sandwich if you are very lucky) and we have analogue clocks in all rooms. We even have a cuckoo clock!

😅I just like the way they look! I do also use them, despite all the devices

For some kids it just doesn't click until later and it takes quite a bit of work to get there.

Nothing to with being mathsy or clever.

We even have a cuckoo clock!

Oh I'm very jealous now.

I find this really interesting and I agree exposure has got something to do with it as well as temperament. DC1 more or less taught himself by the beginning of reception (ie barely 4), which I now know is early - but he was interested (and we now know he also has ASD, which may be relevant). He was in a minority in his class and even now in Year 4, it sounds as though it’s 50-50 as to how many kids can in his class.

DC2 is 4 now and has zero interest. He’s too busy playing 😂.

We have analogue clocks in more rooms than not in our house but never set out to “teach” DC1.

I teach y5 and 6 and there are always a few who can’t tell the time. There’s no space in the maths curriculum at that age to teach it OP (as it’s supposed to be mastered by about y3) so she will not be taught this at school again now. IMO it needs removing from the maths curriculum and on to the parenting curriculum. A week each year in year 1/2/3 in a class of 30 then not using the skill in between will not allow any child to master this skill, parents need to practice this regularly at home.

I’ve heard of senior schools having to switch to digital clocks in the exam hall as a large proportion can’t read analogue.

I’m a teacher who values the skill and yet we don’t have a single analogue clock in the house…it doesn’t surprise me that lots of children never see an analogue clock.

My daughter (9) has covered it twice in school but it doesn't stick. We have an analogue clock on the kitchen wall and sometimes get her to practise but she just seems to have a bit of a blind spot. I guess it's a use it or lose it skill and kids don't use it now.

I teach 7 and 8 year olds and most get it. Maybe 5 out of the class of 30 do not due to time restrictions. I think they all would if helped at home.

My work venue hosts exams etc and it's definitely caused issues in the past where we've only had an analogue clock.

All our clocks and watches are analogue. Including the one in the garden 🙂

But do they remember? Mine get it as Y3s then I teach them again in Y4 (mixed year classes) and they have to be reminded of it all again. My Y3s also always really struggle with 'to the nearest minute'. At that age, nearest 5 minutes should suffice.

Sadly it's a sign of the times (no pun intended!). As others have said, it's a lack of practise which causes long term issues as they are still taught it in school. They do basics like o'clock and half past right from from Year 1. It's not on the Reception curriculum as such any more but when it was it was about helping them to understand the difference between day and night, introducing terms such as before and after to help them gain an understanding of chronology. We still do this, it's just not something officially on the curriculum any more. We've never explicitly taught them to tell the time in Reception, but you always had a few who had started to pick it up from home. Rare these days, mind!

So most children do learn how to read the time on an analogue clock at primary school, despite it being a real slog for some, simply because it is still taught but many don't have the practise at home anymore so it becomes a lost skill which only gets revisited once a year when it's covered again at school.

Personally I'm surprised most homes don't still have at least one analogue clock at home. Even though devices all come with digital, and most watches these days, surely most wall clocks are still analogue? They're certainly more decorative. Or is it more a case of people not having clocks on display at home any more? A bit like how many do away with watches now as they just glance at their phone? I couldn't imagine not having a clock on the wall in the front room. That's pretty standard to me but I guess everyone is different. One on the mantlepiece was standard too once upon a time, but I guess most people don't have a mantlepiece any more.

Money is another nightmare topic in schools these days. Years back, most kids knew the value of all the coins and notes by the age of Year 2 at the very latest (especially the more streetwise ones who were already going to the shops themselves at that age). Now kids are simply not use to handling cash. They play shops by going beep beep with a card or phone, because that's all they see adults doing these days.

Don't even get me started on the concept of change!

How does she know what time to get up in the morning? Doesn’t she have a clock in her bedroom? My 7 year old has had a clock on her bedroom wall since she was 5 and uses it to know if it’s time to get up in the morning.

They forget it, even if they have been taught. I once asked a student the time and despite having a watch on her wrist she used her phone because she didn't understand her watch.

OP I couldn't tell the time easily at 10. It turns out I'm dyslexic, I can tell the time but if I glance at my watch I might have to think whether it is three O'clock or 9 O'clock.

Has she got a watch? I know some primary schools don't allow them but a watch (analogue obviously) might help. Tikkers have ones designed to help tell the time.

https://www.tikkers.co.uk/collections/time-teachers

I know loads of teens that struggle with it. Ds2 does too, can just about do it now but it doesn't come naturally, even though I bought a clock, borrowed some books with clocks on it, looked up what to teach, how to teach it, different techniques of teaching it. He still finds it hard. I couldn't work out why? Then I read that suddenly loads of kids struggled. Odd, generationally.

My kids are in their 30s, but I bought them analogue watches at around 5 years old each.
Even then, I thought it was important that they could tell the time with both styles of format.
DH grew up in childrens homes. He couldn't tell the time until he went in the army. It was important to him that the kids learnt too.

DD gets straight 9s at gcse, she is 16. Can’t use an analogue ! I’ve tried but I think the problem is they just don’t need to regularly. Big clock in kitchen but she will just look at her phone. I was worried about exams but they have digital clocks.

So no, it seems it’s no longer a needed skill.

I’ve taught DD a number of times how to tell the time, I think because she didn’t use an analogue clock she’d learn it and then forget.

I was waking around dunelm with DH one day, and saw this. https://www.dunelm.com/product/tell-the-time-alarm-clock-1000199812
So we got it for her. She doesn’t use it 🙄
Am going to quiz her later actually to see if she’s forgot again