10+ Best Clock Activities that You Might Know

by

As my little ones started growing up, I have always tried to prioritize teaching them how to read time ⏲️ using analog and digital clocks. 

Clocks have been an important part of the child’s educational curriculum, and I want my daughter to be acquainted with them before she starts solving numerical based on clocks 🕖 in school.

The whole concept of time and clocks is a very interesting theme for activities for little ones; therefore, I engage in such activities with my kids quite often.

Engaging Clock Activities For Your Kids 

I have prepared a list of a few engaging clock activities my little ones love to participate in. These activities not only teach them about clocks ⏰️ but also help in boosting their motor and cognitive abilities.

Paper Plate Clock

This clock ⏰️ activity brings along a whole lot of childhood memories of making clocks using paper plates. 

I love to make adorable paper plate clocks ⏰️ with my little ones that are simple yet interesting to make.

What you need– 

Paper plates, ice cream sticks, marker pens, glue, paint, and embellishments.

Steps: 

  • Firstly, I help my little ones paint 🎨 a paper plate as they like, and then I mark the positions of the numbers 1 to 12 along the circumference of the paper plate.
  • I guide my little ones through writing the correct numbers 🔢 in the right positions using a marker pen.
  • Now, I make two holes or slits in the center of the paper plate using a pair of scissors.
  • I ask my little ones to paint two ice cream sticks (one for the hour hand and another for the minute hand).
  • I help my kids stick those ice cream sticks on the paper plate using craft glue. We stick cutouts of my little one’s favorite cartoon character on the clock, along with embellishments.

I love to decorate this cute little clock ⏰️ on the wall of my living room.

Important Note: 

Please be careful and cautious while teaching your little ones how to handle a pair of scissors.

Make a Sundial

When I was a kid, I was always fascinated, wondering how the position of our shadow changes throughout the day.  

When I asked my teacher about it, she explained the logic behind it to me using a paper plate sundial 🌞 that I made together with my classmates. 

At the present time, I love to make similar sundials with my kids.

What you need- 

Paper plates, sticks, colorful marker pens, and a warm and sunny day. 

Steps:

  • I guide my little ones through the process of writing the numbers of a clock ⏰️ as precisely as possible on a paper plate using colorful marker pens (similar to making a paper plate clock).
  • I head out to the lawn with my kids, and I help my son and daughter insert about one-fourth of a slender stick into the ground. 
  • I make a slit in the center of the paper plate clock and put it on the ground by passing it carefully through the stick ( sometimes, we also use a straw).
  • Now, with a big tub of patience, I try to teach my little ones about the movement of the Sun 🌞 throughout the course of the day while referring to the position of the stick’s shadow that moves from one marking of the paper plate clock 🕑 to another.

This wonderful clock activity will make your little ones use their brains 🧠 to figure out how a clock works.

Clock Crown and Wristwatch 

I used to love wearing wristwatches ⌚️ when I was a kid, especially the ones we made using paper. 

My little ones and I just draw the outline of a wristwatch on a piece of paper and cut it out using a pair of scissors. I put it around my kids’ wrists using tape, and my little ones totally love it.

To make a clock crown, we make a comparatively bigger wristwatch ⌚️ in a similar way. I use the segments of the cutout of the wristwatch that represent the bands of the wristwatch to tie it around the head of my little one using tape.

My little ones look completely adorable while wearing these clock ⏰️ crowns.

How to Make a Clock

Let me tell you that there are endless creative ways of making 🕑 clocks. 

Here are a few innovative 💡 ways in which clocks can be made for little ones:

  • Clay Clock: I ask my kids to prepare a huge circular cutout of a clock 🕑 using scissors ✂️ and make two slender, elongated rolls out of play dough. I instruct my kids to assume that the rolls represent the hour and minute hand and place them on the cutout to signify a particular time slot.
  • Stone Clock: I collect cute little pebbles from our lawn along with my kids. We paint 🎨 those pebbles together and write ✍️ the numbers 1 -12 on them using a paintbrush 🖌 and vibrant colors. I help my kids arrange these pebbles in a circular fashion to create a 🕑 clock. I ask my little ones to take two sticks and assume that these are the minute hand and the hour hand. My kids place these sticks in the center of the circle of pebbles to present a certain time slot on this stone clock.
  • Hula Hoop Clock: I just place a hula hoop on the ground and ask my kids to draw the numbers of a clock along the circumference of the hoop using chalk. We have a clock 🕑 ready, and we can change its time by just erasing the marking of the chalk and rewriting it.

Counting the Hours

I love this clock 🕖 activity because it helps me teach my kids about the concepts of hours and minutes, as well as improves their counting skills.

What you need– 

Paper, pencil colors, bangles, marker pens, scissors, and bowls.

Steps: 

  • Firstly, I placed a bangle and asked my little ones to draw a circle on the paper using a marker pen by tracing along the circumference of the bangle. This drawing serves as the outline of the clock. 
  • I help my kids to write ✍️ the numbers 1 -12 along the inner side of the clock’s circumference as precisely as possible. I instruct them to cut out this circular outline of the clock 🕖 from the paper using a pair of scissors ✂️ by cutting cautiously along the circumference (an amazing fine motor activity).
  • Now, I prepare rectangular cutouts using colorful paper and write a random number of hours and a corresponding time slot on it. For example, 2 hours (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.). I jumble up these rectangular cutouts in a bowl. 
  • My little one’s job is to pick one rectangular cutout at a time and analyze the data written on it. 
  • I instruct them to use a colored pencil and color the time slot mentioned on the rectangular cutout on the cutout of the paper clock (similar to marking or coloring a certain segment of a pie chart). For example, if the time slot mentioned is (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.), then my little one will color the segment between the markings 1 and 3 on the paper clock.

Important Note: 

Please be careful and cautious while teaching your little ones how to handle a pair of scissors.

Read Books About Telling Time

Is there a better way of treating my kids to lots of information about clocks 🕖 than reading books 📚 about telling time?

There are several books available that beautifully introduce the concepts of clocks and time to kids. 

Here are a few books 📚 about telling time that my little ones love to read: 

Important Note:

I will advise all parents to strictly go through the contents of any book 📖 before allowing their little ones to read it just to be sure that the contents of the books are suitable ✅️ according to the age group of your little one.

Watch Movies About Telling Time

Learning from visual representation or an animated story is one of the best ways of teaching little kids about telling time ⏲️ and the concepts of 🕖 clocks.

Here are a few movies about time I love to watch with my little ones:

Important Note:

I will advise all parents to strictly go through the contents of any movie 🎬 before allowing their little ones to watch it just to be sure that the contents of the movies are suitable ✅️ according to the age group of your little one.

Conclusion 

I believe that it is quite important to start teaching kids about the concepts of clocks 🕖 and telling time. These creative and colorful activities help us to learn about clocks as well as create beautiful memories.

In summary, I believe learning is easier for kids when they can learn through innovative and interesting activities.

Tell me in the comments below 😇 which clock activity you liked the most.

Was this article helpful?

Leave a Comment