O'clock and half past: what children learn
Year 1 pupils learn to tell the time to the hour and half past the hour, and to draw the hands on a clock face to show these times. The two hands do different jobs: the long minute hand shows the minutes and the short hour hand shows the hour.
In this game each card describes where the hands on a clock are pointing. Children match it to the time it shows, such as 4 o'clock or half past 4. Reading the description and picturing the clock is good practice for drawing the hands themselves.
This topic covers the Year 1 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Measurement): pupils should be taught to “tell the time to the hour and half past the hour and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times”. Year 1 pupils are usually aged 5–6.
For families following US standards, the closest Common Core standard is 1.MD.B.3, which is taught in Grade 1.
How to play
Pick a card on the left, then the card on the right that matches it. Each game has 6 pairs. Wrong matches are counted as mistakes, and you get three stars for a game with no mistakes.
Step by step
- Find the minute hand first. The long hand is the minute hand. If it points straight up to 12, the time is an o'clock time. If it points straight down to 6, the time is half past.
- Then read the hour hand. At 4 o'clock the short hour hand points exactly at 4. At half past 4 it has moved halfway between 4 and 5, because half an hour has gone by.
- Say the time in words. Put the two parts together: minute hand on 12 and hour hand on 7 is 7 o'clock; minute hand on 6 and hour hand between 7 and 8 is half past 7.
- Half past uses the hour just gone. Halfway between 7 and 8 is half past 7, not half past 8. The hour hand has passed 7 but has not reached 8 yet.
Worked examples
Example 1: The minute hand points to 12. The hour hand points to 9. What time is it?
Working: Minute hand on 12 means o'clock. Hour hand on 9.
Answer: 9 o'clock
Example 2: The minute hand points to 6. The hour hand is halfway between 2 and 3. What time is it?
Working: Minute hand on 6 means half past. The hour hand has passed 2.
Answer: half past 2
Example 3: Where are the hands at half past 11?
Working: Half past means the minute hand points to 6. The hour hand is halfway between 11 and 12.
Answer: Minute hand on 6, hour hand between 11 and 12
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Mixing up the hands, so the time is read from the minute hand instead of the hour hand. Say 'long hand, minutes; short hand, hours' each time, and check which hand is longer.
- Reading half past 3 as half past 4 because the hour hand is close to 4. Half past always uses the number the hour hand has just passed.
- Drawing the hour hand exactly on the number at half past. At half past the hour hand sits halfway between two numbers, because the hour is half over.
Activities to try at home
- Point out o'clock and half past times during the day: 'It's half past 3, time to go home.'
- Make a paper plate clock with a split pin and set times for each other to read.
- Talk about what you do at different times: breakfast at 8 o'clock, bath at half past 6.
Ideas for the classroom
- Give each pupil a geared clock and call out times to show.
- Pupils stand as a human clock and use their arms as the hands.
- Sort cards showing o'clock and half past times into two groups.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Why does the game describe the clock instead of showing it?
Describing where the hands point is exactly what children need to do when they draw the hands, so it practises both reading and drawing.
Does Year 1 include quarter past?
No. Quarter past and quarter to, and times to five minutes, are taught in Year 2.
Can it be played with a keyboard?
Yes. Tab to a card, press Enter to pick it, then pick its partner.