Telling time to the hour and half hour is the first step on the way to reading any clock. On the hour the long minute hand points straight up at the 12, and the short hour hand shows which hour it is, so 3:00 is easy to spot. At half past the long hand points straight down at the 6, and the short hand sits halfway between two numbers, so 3:30 is halfway between 3 and 4.
This worksheet shows nine clocks, and your child writes each time with the hour, a colon and the minutes. Ask your child to find the short hand first, then the long hand, and to say the time out loud before writing. Check that half past times use the hour the short hand has already passed, not the one it is approaching.
What your child will learn
Read the hour from the short hand
Know that the long hand on 12 means o'clock and on 6 means half past
Write a time as hours, a colon and minutes
Common Core standard: 2.MD.C.7
Worked example
The long hand points to 6 and the short hand is halfway between 3 and 4. The time is 3:30.
Common mistake
Reading half past 3 as 4:30 because the short hand is close to the 4.
Helpful hint
Read the short hand for the hour, then the long hand for the minutes.