Understanding Hours and Half-Hours

In kindergarten math, students are introduced to the concept of time, including understanding hours and half-hours on a clock. This is an important foundational skill that helps children develop a sense of time and learn how to tell time on both analog and digital clocks.

Hours

An hour is a unit of time that consists of 60 minutes. On a clock, the hour hand moves from one number to the next as the hours pass. Kindergarteners learn to identify the different hours on a clock, such as 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, and so on. They also learn that when the hour hand is pointing directly at a number, it represents a specific hour.

Half-Hours

A half-hour is a unit of time that consists of 30 minutes. On a clock, the hour hand moves from one number to the next, but halfway between the numbers, it points to the half-hour mark. For example, when the hour hand is halfway between the 2 and 3, it represents half-past 2, or 2:30.

Activities to Reinforce Learning

To help kindergarten students understand hours and half-hours, teachers can use various hands-on activities and learning tools. These may include interactive clock manipulatives, games that involve matching analog and digital times, and real-life examples of activities that occur at specific hours or half-hours, such as lunchtime or storytime.

◂Math Worksheets and Study Guides Kindergarten. Hour/Half-hour

The resources above cover the following skills:

MEASUREMENT

Understand concepts of time, including: morning, afternoon, evening, today, yesterday, tomorrow, day, week, month, and year. Understand that clocks and calendars are tools that measure time.