Reading timetables: what children learn
Year 5 pupils complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables. Bus and train timetables use 24-hour times and list the stops in order down the side.
In this game every question shows the same bus timetable. Children find journey times between stops and the next bus after a given time. Reading across a row and down a column carefully is the skill being practised.
This topic covers the Year 5 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Statistics): pupils should be taught to “complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables”. Year 5 pupils are usually aged 9–10.
For families following US standards, the closest Common Core standard is 4.MD.A.2, which is taught in Grade 4. Elapsed time problems are Grade 4 (4.MD.A.2); this game uses a 24-hour timetable.
How to play
Answer 10 questions before the clock runs out. Tap an answer, or press 1 to 4. Each game has 10 multiple-choice questions and a 180-second timer. A wrong answer shows the correct one before moving on. You earn up to three stars depending on your score.
Step by step
- Find the right column. Each column is one bus. Choose the bus that leaves at the time you want.
- Read down the column. Go down the column to find when that bus reaches each stop.
- Work out the journey time. Count on from the first time to the second: 07:05 to 07:42 is 37 minutes.
- Find the next bus. Look along a stop's row for the first time after you arrive.
Worked examples
Example 1: The 07:05 bus from Ashby reaches Bramley at 07:20. How long does it take?
Working: From 07:05 to 07:20 is 15 minutes.
Answer: 15 minutes
Example 2: The 08:20 bus from Ashby reaches Denby at 09:25. How long does it take?
Working: 08:20 to 09:20 is 60 minutes, plus 5 more.
Answer: 65 minutes
Example 3: You get to Bramley at 09:30. When is the next bus?
Working: Bramley's buses are 07:20, 08:35 and 10:00. The first after 09:30 is 10:00.
Answer: 10:00
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Treating times as ordinary numbers, so 08:57 to 09:25 seems to be 68 minutes. Count on to the next hour first: 08:57 to 09:00 is 3 minutes, then 25 more.
- Reading along the wrong row. Put a ruler under the stop's row before reading.
- Choosing a bus that has already left. Check that the bus time is after the time you arrive.
Activities to try at home
- Look up a real bus or train timetable together and plan a trip.
- Ask how long a journey takes from the departure and arrival times on a ticket.
- Make a timetable for a family day out.
Ideas for the classroom
- Pupils plan a route using a real local timetable and write the journey time.
- Give a timetable with missing times and a fixed journey length, and ask pupils to fill it in.
- Compare 12-hour and 24-hour timetables of the same journey.
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 use 24-hour times in timetables?
They avoid confusion between a.m. and p.m. Year 3 pupils learn the 24-hour clock, and timetables put it to use.
Is this about time or about data?
Both. Timetables are tables of data, and reading them needs time calculations.
Can it be played with a keyboard?
Yes. Press 1, 2, 3 or 4 to choose an answer.