Telling Time (Beginning)
Four sets of real photographs of analogue clocks, twelve faces in each, showing times on the hour and the half hour. Photographs of actual clocks rather than drawings is the choice that matters here, because the clock a child has to read is the one on the wall, and a drawn clock quietly removes the glare, the angle and the second hand that make a real one harder. Durable plastic with rounded corners. In English.
“Children display a universal love of mathematics, which is par excellence the science of precision, order, and intelligence.”
The Telling Time card set addresses the young child's natural fascination with the passage of time and their developing ability to perceive sequential order.
- Recognize and match analog clock positions to digital time displays
- Develop visual discrimination skills through clock face comparison
- Build foundational understanding of hour and minute hand relationships
- Strengthen sequential thinking and numerical order concepts
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These color-coded matching cards create a concrete bridge between the abstract concept of time and the child's sensorial experiences. Each analog clock face paired with its digital counterpart allows children to discover time relationships through their own manipulation and matching work. The systematic progression of this time-telling activity respects the child's need to move from concrete to abstract understanding. By working with these cards independently, children construct their own understanding of how clock hands correspond to numerical time representations. This beginning time material honors the sensitive period for order while introducing mathematical concepts through visual discrimination. The color-coding system provides an immediate control of error, enabling children to verify their own work without adult intervention.
How to present it
Follow the Montessori method of presentation for optimal child development.
Arrange the analog clock cards in a row on the work mat. Place the digital time cards in a mixed pile to the side. Ensure the workspace allows for clear viewing of all clock faces.
- 1
Select one digital time card from the pile and examine it carefully
Model slow, deliberate movements to encourage careful observation - 2
Compare the digital time to each analog clock face in the row
Point to the clock hands without touching to maintain visual focus - 3
Place the digital card below its matching analog clock
Use the color-coding as a self-checking mechanism - 4
Continue matching until all pairs are complete
Encourage working from left to right for indirect reading preparation
Every Child Is a Little Creator
Heritage
Since 1929
Brands used by
schools worldwide
European brands
AMI
Endorsed
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