"What time is lunch?" "How much longer until we can go outside?" "Is it time for art yet?"
These questions are challenging to answer when you are working with children who have not mastered the skill of telling time. Responses like, “We will go in five minutes” or “We will go when the little hand is on the 10 and the big hand is on the 3” do not help children understand the concept of time, yet this is how adults usually respond with the expectation for children to understand. Time is an abstract idea and young children cannot read time-telling tools such as an analog clock until they are older. However, even preschoolers are aware that clocks measure how time passes. Enter the Bee a Time Keeper clock!
I recently won a Bee a Time Keeper clock during a 30Seconds Twitter chat. The Bee a Time Keeper clock was developed by Mindy Hudon. Mindy is a speech-language pathologist specializing in executive function skills and created the Bee a Time Keeper clock to help children “see the passage of time” and become better "self-managers." The clock incorporates colors, numbers and animals to provide a fun and developmentally appropriate way to learn time management. The clock is beneficial for children ages 3 to 9 and for both home and school use.
As a teacher, I was very excited for the opportunity to use the Bee a Time Keeper clock. The clock arrived quickly and came with a set of directions that explicitly explained how to best use the clock. Most of my fourth grade students are able to tell time with ease, but I do have a few students with special needs who have not mastered the skill yet. I was able to successfully use the clock to help my students better understand time while making connections to grade-level skills. The students loved the colors and critters on the clock and enjoyed it being close by for them to refer to independently.
I loved using the clock in my classroom and think that this learning tool is a great addition to any home or primary classroom!
Purchase the Bee a Time Keeper clock on Etsy!
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