About Tell the Time
Tell the Time is a clock game for children aged 6 to 10. A big, bright clock face shows the numbers 1 to 12, a short red hour hand and a long blue minute hand. Kids learn to say the time the way people really say it, like 3 o'clock, quarter past 3, half past 3 and quarter to 4, and every time is also shown on a digital clock, like 3:15.
There are three ways to play. In What time is it? your child reads the clock and picks the right time from four answers. In Set the clock they drag the hands with a finger or the mouse until the clock shows the time asked; the hour hand creeps along with the minute hand, just like a real clock. In Match the clocks they pair a digital time with the right clock face.
The levels build up step by step: o'clock, then half past, then quarter past and quarter to, and finally every 5 minutes. The game reads the time aloud, gently shows the right answer after a mistake, and gives up to three stars for each round of 8 questions. Free, with no sign-up and no download.
How to play
- Choose how to play: What time is it?, Set the clock or Match the clocks.
- Choose a level: o'clock, half past, quarter past and to, or every 5 minutes.
- Look at the short hand first for the hour, then the long hand for the minutes.
- Pick the right answer, or drag the hands and press Check.
- Answer 8 questions to earn your stars, then try the next level.
Controls
| Keyboard | In What time is it? and Match the clocks, press 1, 2, 3 or 4 to choose. In Set the clock, Left and Right move the long hand 5 minutes, Up and Down move the short hand an hour, and Enter checks. |
|---|---|
| Mouse | Click the right answer, or grab a hand, drag it around the clock and press Check. |
| Touch | Tap the right answer, or drag the long or short hand around the clock. The clock is big and easy to use on phones. |
Tips to win
- Long hand on 12 means o'clock, on 6 means half past, on 3 means quarter past, and on 9 means quarter to.
- At quarter to 4 the short hand is almost at 4, not at 3.
- Each number is 5 minutes for the long hand: 1 is 5, 2 is 10 and 4 is 20.
Tell the Time: questions and answers
How can I teach my child to tell the time with this game?
Start with o'clock in What time is it?, then try Set the clock so they move the hands themselves, and move on to half past and quarter past and to. Step by step they learn that the short hand shows hours and the long hand shows minutes.
What age is it for?
Children from 6 to 10, the years when schools teach the clock.
Does it use past and to?
Yes: 10 past 3, quarter past 3, half past 3, 20 to 4, quarter to 4 and so on, always next to the digital time.
Is it free?
Yes, completely free with no sign-up and no download, on phones, tablets and computers.