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Time Out For Time Telling

You can relax and take your time and have fun teaching time-awareness to toddlers. There are so many sparky new educational games and toys on the market that they won't know they're learning.

Your kids will let you know when they are at a good age to learn about Time. By learning the signs of math readiness' you will recognise when a child is ready to learn about clocks. They have been learning about it already, by themselves. From babyhood they have been picking up learning cues from you and from the world around them. They have heard the family talking about time commitments and clock-watching already, and all you have to do is to build upon this awareness.

Starting in babyhood, involve them in schedules and timetabling conversations. Learning is all about familiarising so use Stories, Nursery Rhymes, Role Play, DVD and Play Clocks, keeping play very relaxed. Fun is more about the baby or toddler leading the play, than it is about adults pushing facts. Teachers will teach Time most successfully later, at the appropriate level for your child, if you have facilitated time-learning readiness' already at home.

Parents' crucial role is to make sure that pre-schoolers are ready-primed and that they have "time-receptive" minds. New resources now make it easy to help kids learn about Telling Time informally in the home and it is not difficult to know when they are ready. When they display interest in timetables, TV schedules, calendars, the time they might have to wait for something, or ask questions which you can answer by pointing to the hour hand on the clock, they are showing time-awareness.' This can be built upon by nurturing a rich learning environment.

Toddlers who have had this start will be ahead and will then need something more challenging. A proper functional clock, perhaps in a humorous style, is a fun and educational addition to the kitchen. Keep it simple and look for one that just shows the hours, the long hand and the short hand, making sure there is a clear distinction between the two. By the time your toddler is aware of the need to be on time himself, he needs a real clock that he can respect! He sees you respecting the clock in the home big-time! If it is a real clock that is used by everyone he will be interested in it and respond to it because you do.

Toy clocks with movable hands however, are very useful for toddler Time Games. Make this easy at first by sticking to the hour hand only. Have them Put the short hand the

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