Year 2 explorers read a clock face to the quarter hour — :00, :15, :30 and :45 — writing each time in digits, and work out what time it will be 15 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour later.
What your child will learn
- Read times like 4:15 and 4:45 on a clock face
- Know that each number on the clock is 5 minutes for the minute hand
- Match a clock face to the same time on a digital clock
- Work out the time 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour later
Quarters of an hour
Split the clock into four quarters. When the minute hand points at 3 it has gone a quarter of the way round: 15 minutes, like 4:15. At 6 it is 30 minutes, like 4:30. At 9 it is 45 minutes, like 4:45.
The :45 trap
At 4:45 the hour hand is nearly at 5, so children often write 5:45. But the hour doesn’t change until the minute hand reaches 12 — the hour is the number the short hand has just gone past.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. At 5:30, which number does the long minute hand point at?
- 6
- 9
- 3
- 5
Show answer
Answer: 6. Each number on the clock is 5 minutes. 30 minutes is 6 jumps of 5, so the minute hand points at 6.
2. At 11:30, which number does the long minute hand point at?
Show answer
Answer: 6. Each number on the clock is 5 minutes. 30 minutes is 6 jumps of 5, so the minute hand points at 6.
3. What time does the clock show?
- 6:03
- 5:15
- 7:15
- 6:15
Show answer
Answer: 6:15. The long minute hand points at 3: count in 5s from 12 and that’s 15 minutes. The short hour hand has just gone past 6. It is 6:15.
Tips for grown-ups
- Use clock times in daily life: “We leave at 8:15.”
- Count round a clock in 5s together: 5, 10, 15, 20 … 60.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes and look at where the minute hand has moved when it rings.