Materials:
Old frisbee, or a thick paper plate
Markers
Scissors or a drill
Poster board or heavy paper
Paper fasteners (available at any stationary store)
Circle-shaped stickers
Paper
Pencil
Proceedings:
Start by making a small hole in the center (With a plate,
you can use scissors. With a frisbee, you’ll need to use a drill). Let
your child know he’s going to make his very own clock and that the frisbee or
paper plate will serve as the clock face. If you have an analog watch or clock
somewhere in the house, bring it to the table to use as a model.
Ask your child to place one sticker at the top of the “clock
face” and one directly opposite, on the bottom. With the marker, have him write
the number 12 on the top sticker and the number 6 on the bottom sticker. Now
ask him to place one sticker on each side, halfway in between the top and
bottom. He should write 3 on the right-hand sticker, and 9 on the left-hand
sticker. Then, referring your analog clock as a model, ask him to fill in the
other numbers on the clock using the stickers and his marker.
Now it’s time for the clock hands! Using the poster board,
cut two arrows—a longer one for the minute hand, and a shorter one for the hour
hand. Pierce the ends of the arrows with the paper fastener, slide it through
the hole in the center of your clock face, and secure it at the back.
Pick a day of the week and, with your child’s help,
create a list of his activities. This might include soccer practice, a violin
lesson, going to school, a playdate, a shopping trip with grandma…or just time
spent eating a snack. Next to each entry, write the time the activity begins,
rounding to the nearest half hour.
Make it concrete! Help your child identify the hour hand and
the minute hand on the clock face. Remind her that the hour hand shows the hour
and the minute hand shows the minutes. Now, make sure she knows which hand of
the clock is longer (the minute hand) and which hand of the clock is shorter
(the hour hand). Pick an activity and find its time on the clock. Start with
the activities that begin on the hour and then move to the activities that are
on the half hour.
If your child is having trouble, move the hands around the
clock, naming each hour as you go. Then give your kid a go at it. Not quite
there yet? Don’t worry. Telling time always becomes easier with practice…and
time of course!
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