Telling Time Activities

Telling time is a super important skill for students to master, but sometimes it can really be a struggle! Not only that, but it can frankly be quite boring to teach. If you’ve found it challenging to engage your students while they learn to master this concept, consider trying some of these easy telling time activities!

4 Activities on Telling Time

1. Have students make their own clocks.

There’s no better way for students to take ownership of their learning than with something they made themselves! Having students make their own clocks is a great telling time activity that will make them excited about showing time on an analog clock.

You can make a clock with a paper plate. Simply write the numbers around the rim, then use a brad to secure two arrows (cut out of cardstock) in the center of the plate. Now students have their own analog clock to aid in showing time!

2. Play time charades.

Time charades is one of my favorite telling time activities. Bonus: it’s super easy! To play, you will need the numbers 1-12 printed out and placed on the floor in a circle to make a large clock. You will also need a box of slips of paper with random times written on them. Students will partner up and choose one time from the box, then “act it out” on the floor clock.

Students will need to designate which one of them is the minute hand and which is the hour hand, then lay down on the clock according to where they should be pointing. Other students in the class will guess the time they are acting out.

3. Do a clock walk.

In this telling time activity, you will need pictures of times on either a digital or analog clock. Place these in a circle on a table or the floor. Students will each need a whiteboard and dry erase marker.

Play some music as students walk around the circle. When the music stops, so do the students. They will look at the picture they landed on and draw or write the correct time. For example, if they landed on a digital time, they will draw it on an analog clock. If they landed on an analog clock, they will write the time. Repeat as desired.

4. Have your students plan a trip.

If your students are a bit older and working with elapsed time, you might consider having them write out an itinerary as a telling time activity. Depending on the age of your students, they can research flight times, activities, etc. and create a realistic itinerary based on what they find out.

Or, you can have your students simply make up the times and activities and include start time, end time, and duration. This elapsed time activity helps students make real world connections to what they are learning.

Telling Time Activities for 2nd Grade

If you are a 2nd grade teacher and would like to try out one or more of the activities listed above, you can save some valuable prep time using one of the following resources.

Math in Motion telling time activities include everything you need for Time Charades and Clock Walk. Plus, three other time activities that get your students up and moving for maximum engagement!

Vacation Time includes 4 hands-on time activities and makes a great room transformation! In addition, this resource includes a bonus activity for writing an itinerary for your students working on elapsed time.

You also might enjoy some of these children’s books about telling time suggestions from Stories by Storie!

What are your favorite telling time activities? Comment below and let me know!

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