Telling time to the minute (age 8+)
Tell and write time to the nearest minute using analogue and digital clocks
What a learner can do afterwards
- Read 7:43 from an analogue clock face
- Write 11:06 on a digital display given a clock with hands
- Match analogue and digital times to the nearest minute
1 · Read
You already know that each number on a clock stands for 5 minutes. Look closer and you will see small tick marks between the numbers. Each tick is one minute.
Ben's clock shows the minute hand 1 tick past the 1. The 1 means 5 minutes, so it is 6 minutes past the hour. On a digital clock he writes 11:06, not 11:6. The zero holds the empty tens spot.
When the minutes are less than 10, always write a zero first, like 06 or 04. Digital clocks always show two digits for minutes.
Count the ticks past the last number to find the exact minute, and always write minutes under 10 with a leading zero.
More to read
Telling time review
Minute reading counts tiny marks, not just big numbers. Each number is 5 minutes and each tiny mark between numbers is 1 minute. At 7:43 the long hand sits 3 tiny marks past the 8, which means 40 + 3 = 43. Count fives to the number first, then ones past it. Write the result with a colon: 7:43. Colons beat dots and words for clarity.
How to Read a Clock for Beginners (Analog and Digital)
Analogue and digital clocks agree when you read carefully. Hands near 11 with the long hand 6 minutes past mean 11:06, matching the digital 11:06 exactly. Learn both dialects: hands teach the mechanics, digits teach the notation. To write 11:06 from hands, read the short hand for 11 and count 6 minutes for the long. Two digits after the colon always, even when minutes are small. 11:6 is sloppy, 11:06 is correct.
How to Tell Time on a Clock: Easy Steps for Beginners
Start with the hour hand, which creeps slowly between numbers. Near 8 with minutes at 43 means the hour is still 7, not 8. Beginners often round up too early. Then count minutes: fives to the 8 gives 40, plus 3 tiny marks gives 43.
How to Teach Kids to Tell Time: Simple Instructions
Matching games lock analogue and digital together. Pair each wall clock card with its digital twin: 7:43 with 7:43, never with 4:37 or 7:34. Swapped digits are the classic trap. Say the time aloud before matching: seven forty three. Ears catch swaps eyes miss. Practise unlabeled clocks too, where numbers hide and only marks remain. Marks plus counting still give exact minutes.
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2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
This opens up
Where this leads
18 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.