Expert Tips to Help Teach Time

Experts count down the five most crucial steps to helping your child tell time.

By Maureen Sangiorgio

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Time Basics

When your child knows how to tell time or at least grasps some of the basics, your life will be so much easier. He'll know what five more minutes with his friend at the playground really means. He'll be able to remind you that you need to leave soon for his soccer practice. You can even teach him that it's too early to get up on Saturday when the clock reads 6 a.m.

Many kids start to become curious about time at around age 4. "When yours does, seize the opportunity to familiarize him with the concept," says Florence Harper, lead teacher in the early childhood education program at Burrville Elementary School, in Washington, D.C. "But don't begin by trying to teach him to read a clock. There are a lot of skills kids need to master first." Give them a hand.

Next: Focus on Hours and Minutes

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