5 Videos to teach time
Updated: Aug 3, 2020
Teaching the time can be a difficult concept for students to get their heads around, however, I've found playing a catchy song, rhyme or animation will really help them remember the basics of learning to tell the time. You may also enjoy my previous blog post on teaching students how to tell the time here.
Here are my five favourite videos you should use for teaching telling the time.
1. Hip-Hop Around the Clock with Jack Hartmann
Insanely catchy 'Hip-Hop Around the Clock... ' this is a great video to play as a whole class and see if they can name the times as they are shown. Great for reinforcing that learning and slow enough that all students can have a go.
2. Telling Time Song for Kids by Numberock
What I really like about this video is it's not shouty and is a really mellow song that I would use as a wind-down song at the end of a lesson. Easy for students to sing along to and is a great story with lots of real-world examples of why it's important to know the time. Focuses on telling the time to 5 minutes.
You know it's going to be great quality when you see BBC Schools on a video. This one is great because it has, again, lots of real-world situations where time is important. However, what I really like about this video is there is a lot of silly humour in it to keep kids giggling.
4. Genevieve Goings "How Many Fives Around the Clock?
This song helps students count in 5s around the clock and is great for practising counting around the clock. The music is far more 'easy on the adult ears' which, when you're a teacher listening to these songs day after day, you'll appreciate.
5. 'What's the time?' by Johny & the Raindrops
Very cool telling the time song with animation throughout. Easy to sing to and follow along and you'll find students saying 'what's the lemon and lime?' for the rest of the day. Stops several times to get students to tell the time and see if they are correct. Covers o'clock, half past, quarter to and quarter past.
