Date Added: December 31, 2013 07:58:55 AM

These concepts are instilled and it will take a few practices and constant guidance before a kid can fully grasp these notions about time. Below are some things that you can use to teach kids about time and how to read it.

Begin at a Young Age

Even if your children are very young, you can start introducing the notion of time to them. One way to do this is by preparing daily charts that indicate certain activities and the times of the day when they are done. Three o'clock is nap time and six o'clock is dinner, for example. Another practical way to familiarize them with time is by giving them watches. Whether its boys' watches or girls' watches, it really doesn't matter as the objective here trumps the item itself.
By giving your kids children's watches, you are providing them a tool that reminds them constantly about the passing moments. This is a good training, as well as a practical lesson about the changes in time. It is worth noting here, however, that analog watches are the best ones to start with, although experts do not necessarily discourage parents to give their kids digital watches.

Teaching Them How to Read

The actual lessons on reading clocks must come when your children are already familiar with simple math concepts, such as counting through 60 and multiplying by 5s. Equipped with these basic knowledge, they will respond more positively on the teaching proper. They will absorb the lessons faster and more efficiently as well.
Teaching kids to read time can take totally different methods, depending on who's teaching and who is being taught. As a general rule of education, however, you should begin with the easier concepts and then continue to the more complicated ones. For instance, you can start with demonstrating 11 o'clock, then half-past 11, and ultimately to more specific times like 11:33. In teaching your kids, do not forget to explain the parts of the clock and how each of them works.

Follow-Up

The job does not stop after you teach them how to read time. After the teaching session, you should ensure that your kids do not forget what they have learned; test their skills once in a while. Likewise, if they fail to fully understand the concept at the first try, you can keep training them through popular books like Telling Time with Big Mama Cat by Dan Harper and Clocks and More Clocks by Pat Hutchins.
As a parent, you must also cover all the basics. These include teaching them about time awareness as well as effective time management.

Even at an early age, kids must be taught about the concepts of time. Although this includes teaching them how to read the time in their childrens watches, it goes beyond that. A parent must train kids to always be aware of the time and how to manage it. Giving the kids boys watches or girls watches is one easy step to achieve that.