Tell Time: Learning Units of Time with Concentric Circles {Printable}

Make learning how to tell time easy for your kids with this great visual. Understanding units of time can be difficult but these concentric circles help kids understand how they all fit together. Kids Activities Blog hopes this great activity for teaching time is helpful to our little ones!

Tell Time

Did you know that there are 31,536,000 seconds in a year? When going over units of time with Bear (4.5 yrs) we stumbled upon this little fact. Right now, he’s having a hard time understanding how seconds and minutes connect. Often when I give him a 5 minute transition warning that something is going to happen or change, he ™ll ask for 84 seconds instead. So I had to come up with a hands-on activity that explained how the units of time relate to each other. Related: DIY Paper Plate Clock Craft for Kids Learning How to Tell Time

Units of Time

Using 7 circles cut out of multi-colored paper (pattern below), we made a unit of time concentric circle diagram. On the edge of each circle, I wrote the names of the units of time, from smallest to largest: seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. For a basic diagram, we fastened them together with a metal brad, however you could also glue them down to each other. If you want to make the diagram sturdier so that it can be used in future years, I would suggest laminating the circles before you attach them together. That way they will be able to withstand little hands turning them repeatedly. The circles can also be labeled with how many of the smaller units make up each larger unit: 60 seconds in 1 minute 60 minutes in 1 hour 24 hours in 1 day 365 days in 1 year

Concentric Circles

Create your own Time Units diagram using this free pattern printable.

Printable

Click to download Learning to Tell Time with Concentric Circles circle pattern Thus far, this diagram is a hit and has been traveling around the house and the town with us. When Bear and I talk about how long something is going to last or how long until it will happen, we can refer to the diagram so that he can tangibly see how long the period of time is.

More Kids Activities

Can your kids tell time yet? What activities have you used to help them understand the different units of time? For more great kids activities for telling time, take a look at these ideas: