Telling the time: drawing the hands
Worksheet + game · PDF · free
Drawing hands is harder than reading them because children must plan backwards from a given time. Set the minute hand first — it defines the minutes — then place the hour hand between the correct numbers, not exactly on them unless it is o'clock. For 4:20, the minute hand points at 4 (20 minutes); the hour hand is one-third of the way from 4 toward 5. Quarter and half hours are stepping stones. Use a real clock face or template and check by reading back what was drawn. Precision with hand length matters: minute hand longer than hour hand.
Worked example
Draw 20 past 4. Minute hand on 4 (20 minutes past). Hour hand between 4 and 5, closer to 4 because only 20 minutes of the hour have passed. Read back: quarter past would be on 3, half past on 6.
Watch for this
Drawing both hands on the same numeral — putting the hour hand on 4 for 4:20 — is the usual mistake. Set minutes first, then slide the hour hand partway between numbers.
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Same facts, played
A short game that drills the same idea after the page is printed.