Telling the time to five minutes: what children learn
Year 2 pupils learn to tell the time to quarter past and quarter to the hour, and to five minutes. They need to know that the numbers on a clock face are 5 minutes apart for the minute hand.
In this game each card describes where the hands are pointing, and children match it to the time it shows, such as quarter past 7, 20 to 6 or 5 past 9. Picturing the hands helps children draw them correctly too.
This topic covers the Year 2 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Measurement): pupils should be taught to “tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past/to the hour”. Year 2 pupils are usually aged 6–7.
For families following US standards, the closest Common Core standard is 2.MD.C.7, which is taught in Grade 2.
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
- Count in fives. The minute hand moves 5 minutes from one number to the next. Pointing to 1 is 5 minutes past, 2 is 10 minutes past, 4 is 20 minutes past.
- Past or to?. On the right-hand side of the clock (from 12 round to 6) we say minutes past. On the left-hand side (from 6 round to 12) we say minutes to the next hour.
- Quarter past and quarter to. Minute hand on 3 is quarter past. Minute hand on 9 is quarter to the next hour.
- Check the hour hand. For past times the hour hand is just after an hour. For to times it is nearly at the next hour, so quarter to 3 has the hour hand nearly at 3.
Worked examples
Example 1: The minute hand points to 4. The hour hand is just past 2. What time is it?
Working: 4 is 20 minutes past.
Answer: 20 past 2
Example 2: The minute hand points to 8. The hour hand is nearly at 6. What time is it?
Working: From 8 round to 12 is 20 minutes, so it is 20 to the next hour.
Answer: 20 to 6
Example 3: The minute hand points to 9. The hour hand is nearly at 11. What time is it?
Working: 9 is quarter to.
Answer: quarter to 11
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Reading the minute hand on 4 as 4 minutes past. Count in fives from 12: 5, 10, 15, 20.
- Saying quarter to 2 when the hour hand is just past 2. Quarter to means nearly the next hour. If the hour hand has just passed 2, it is a past time.
- Counting 'to' times forwards from 12. For 'to' times, count the fives from the minute hand forwards to 12.
Activities to try at home
- Ask the time on an analogue clock at home several times a day.
- Count round a clock face in fives together.
- Set a clock and ask: 'What time will it be in 5 minutes?'
Ideas for the classroom
- Pupils set geared clocks to times called out by the teacher.
- Play 'What's the time, Mr Wolf?' using times to five minutes.
- Match clock faces to digital and written times.
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
Do Year 2 pupils need digital times?
Year 2 focuses on analogue clocks. Comparing analogue and digital times, and the 24-hour clock, comes in Year 3.
Why is quarter past the same as 15 minutes past?
An hour has 60 minutes, and a quarter of 60 is 15.
Can it be played with a keyboard?
Yes. Tab to a card, press Enter to pick it, then pick its partner.