Teaching clock
Drag the hands — then ask “what time is it?”
3:00
Drag the hands to set the time
Nothing leaves your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you type, play or record here stays on your device: nothing is uploaded or saved on a server.
Example
Example: o’clock, quarter past, half past and quarter to on the teaching clock
A first-grade lesson on telling time to the quarter hour. Hours 12-hour, as on the clock face, so the reading shows 1 to 12 without AM or PM. The clock opens at 3:00.
- Drag the minute hand to the 3: the reading says 3:15 and the hour hand has moved a quarter of the way from 3 to 4, as on a real clock.
- At 3:30 the hour hand sits halfway between 3 and 4, and at 3:45 three quarters of the way, which is why 3:45 is read as quarter to 4.
- Drag the minute hand on past the 12 and the hour moves with it: 3:50 becomes 4:05. A dragged hour hand moves in 5-minute steps.
| Reading | Minute hand points to | Hour hand |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 12 | on the 3 |
| 3:15 | 3 | a quarter of the way from 3 to 4 |
| 3:30 | 6 | halfway between 3 and 4 |
| 3:45 | 9 | three quarters of the way to 4 |
| 7:50 | 10 | just before the 8 |
Press Hide time, set 3:45 and ask “What time is it?”, then Show time to check. Random time picks a new time in 5-minute steps, never the one already shown.
How it works
- Drag the long blue minute hand or the short red hour hand; turning the minute hand moves the hour hand too, like a real clock.
- Press Hide time and ask the class to read the clock, then Show time to check. Random time sets a new time in 5-minute steps.
- Set to now shows the current time; the arrow keys move the hands one minute or one hour at a time.
Frequently asked questions
- How do the hands move?
- As on a real clock: when the minute hand goes past 12, the hour hand moves on to the next hour, and dragging the hour hand moves the minutes with it.
- Can I show 24-hour time?
- Yes — set Hours to 24-hour and the answer reads 15:00 instead of 3:00.
- Is there a worksheet to go with it?
- Yes — the clock worksheet maker prints clock faces to fill in or read, with answers.
- Does it work on an interactive whiteboard or tablet?
- Yes — the hands follow a finger or a pen as well as the mouse.
- Can I move the hands with the keyboard?
- Yes. Select a hand: on the minute hand the arrow keys move one minute and Page Up and Page Down five; on the hour hand the arrows move a whole hour.
- What time does it start at?
- 3:00, every time the page opens. Set to now jumps to the time on your device.
- Is anything sent anywhere?
- No. It runs in your browser.