The 10 Best Learning Clocks For Kids
This wiki has been updated 21 times since it was first published in May of 2020. Learning how to tell the time can be challenging for young kids, but these colorful, interactive teaching clocks can make things easier through games, music, and pictures. They come in tabletop designs as well as some that can be hung on the wall of a bedroom or a classroom. The various options include puzzle pieces and movable hands to help boost problem solving and fine motor skills. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Melissa & Doug Turn and Tell
2. Owlconic Educational
3. Learning Resources Activity Set
Editor's Notes
June 25, 2020:
Telling time is a practice that has been around for centuries, and today there is a wide a variety of stylish and functional clocks to choose from, including grandfather clocks, alarm clocks, and even cat clocks. While kid's alarm clocks are designed to help children wake up on time, the bright, interactive models featured here are devoted to helping teach kids how to actually read the time properly. Many are hands-on toys that feature puzzle pieces and hands that kids can manually manipulate, whereas others are fully functioning clocks, like the Owlconic Educational. This colorful choice helps kids learn to read it by way of color-coded numbers and quadrants devoted to each quarter hour. Each minute is labeled, so your child can determine the exact time with ease, and the second hand silently sweeps, so there's no annoying ticking.
Our list is also full of plenty of hands-on toys, such as the Melissa & Doug Turn and Tell. It's a durable wooden selection that teaches hours, minutes, and the quarters of the clock, and it includes time cards for quizzing little ones on their abilities. The Learning Resources Time Activity Set is a kit that teaches both analog and digital, and it includes a fun dice game, as well as puzzle cards for matching the digital time to the analog image.
The Best Learning Talking Toy has won multiple awards because of its interactive features. As your child moves the hands, the toy speaks out the time. It offers a quiz mode in which your child is tasked with setting a specific time, and it even functions as a nightlight and plays soothing music at bedtime. The Learning Journey Telly is a character-shaped option that teaches time in 5-minute increments, has 2 play modes, a nightlight mode, and comes in your choice of two fun color schemes.
No matter which option you choose for your child, be sure to follow the manufacturer's stated age requirements, as many models contain small parts and are not intended for use by very young children. Always supervise small children and their toys for a safe and fun playtime.
Special Honors
Set the Clock This mobile app offers nine games that include "Set the Clock," "Tell the Time," and "Adjust the Clock," all of which utilize analog and digital time modes. Each games features five difficulty levels, and correct answers are rewarded with medals. It's available in a number of languages in addition to English, such as Dutch, Spanish, French, and Chinese. tellingtimeapp.com
4. Best Learning Talking Toy
5. Fisher Price Classic Teaching
6. Learning Journey Telly
7. Dhchapu Student Gear
8. Jamohom Educational Toy
9. Learning Resources Demonstration
10. Hape Happy Hour Puzzle
Karen Bennett lives in Chicago with her family, and when she’s not writing, she can usually be found practicing yoga or cheering on her kids at soccer games. She holds a master’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s in English, and her writing has been published in various local newspapers, as well as “The Cheat Sheet,” “Illinois Legal Times,” and “USA Today.” She has also written search engine news page headlines and worked as a product manager for a digital marketing company. Her expertise is in literature, nonfiction, textbooks, home products, kids' games and toys, hardware, teaching accessories, and art materials.