Learn to tell time with an interactive clock
The clock shows a time and your child picks the matching answer – or sets the hands to a given time. Every time is shown digitally and in words, the way people say it: “quarter past three”, “half past three”.
How it is calculated
How to practice with the clock
- Read the time: the clock shows a time with four answers below. Tap the right one – then “New time”.
- Set the hands: a time is shown at the top. Drag the hands with your finger or mouse, or use − and +, then “Check”.
- Free practice: move the hands however you like. The time appears instantly in digits and in words.
With difficulty you start with o’clock times and work up through half and quarter hours to single minutes.
Short hand and long hand
The long minute hand goes all the way around in 60 minutes – from one number to the next is 5 minutes. The short hour hand takes 12 hours for the same and moves slowly between the numbers: at half past three it points exactly between 3 and 4. That is how you can tell it is no longer three o’clock.
How the time is said
The words follow the common English pattern: “quarter past three” (3:15), “half past three” (3:30), “quarter to four” (3:45), and “twenty-five past three” (3:25). Up to half past, minutes are counted past the hour; after that, to the next hour.
12 or 24 hours
A clock face only shows 12 hours – 3:30 and 15:30 look the same. That is why a note below the clock says whether it is morning or afternoon, and the digital display can switch between 24-hour (15:30) and 12-hour time with AM/PM.
Frequently asked questions
When do children learn to tell time?
Often in the early school years, usually starting with o’clock and half past, then quarter hours and minutes. The clock’s difficulty levels follow exactly that order.
Why is 3:45 “quarter to four”?
After half past, English counts the minutes left until the next hour. At 3:45 a quarter of an hour is missing until four o’clock.
How do I tell the hour hand from the minute hand?
The hour hand is short and thick, the minute hand long and colored. On this clock, grabbing near the center moves the hour hand, further out the minute hand.
What do AM and PM mean?
AM is the time from midnight to noon, PM from noon to midnight. In 24-hour time 3:30 PM is written 15:30.
Does the clock work without a mouse?
Yes. The −1 h, −, + and +1 h buttons set the hands step by step, and all answers can be reached with Tab and Enter.
Sources and legal basis
As of:
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