Teaching children to tell time can be tricky! Whether you are teaching children to tell time on the clock or with a calendar, picture books can help! Here are some great children’s books about telling time.
You can click on any of the covers below to learn more about each book.
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Game Time by Stuart J. Murphy
Keep an eye on the clock as the Huskies and the Falcons gear up for their championship soccer match. Weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds–it’s all game time!
It’s About Time by Stuart J. Murphy
A 24-hour day is full of great things to do! This story follows a little boy throughout all 24 hours of his busy day, noting the time with an analog clock face and digital display that shows A.M and P.M.
Rodeo Time by Stuart J. Murphy
Yee–hah! It’s rodeo time! Bareback bronc riding, barrel racing, calf roping, the livestock show, the fiddling contest, and don’t forget lunch –– how are Katie and Cameron going to fit it all in and still have time to help their uncle, Cactus Joe, with chores? By making a schedule, of course. But making a schedule and sticking to it turn out to be two very different things!
Me Counting Time by Joan Sweeney
How long is a second? Can you count a minute? What is a decade? How many years are in a century? Me Counting Time can show you! From a second to a minute to an hour to a day — and all the way to a millennium — this playful introduction to time helps children understand the many measurements of time and how they’re used in everyday life.
A Second, a Minute, a Week with Days in It by Brian P. Cleary
The zany CATegorical cats introduce the measurement of time, from seconds, minutes, and hours up to decades. This book takes a playful, fun look at learning about time.
A Second is a Hiccup by Hazel Hitchens
This book explains units of time in imaginative terms children can understand: A second lasts as long as a hiccup; a week is seven sleeps; and a year is the time it takes to grow into new shoes!
Pigs on a Blanket by Amy Axelrod
Mr. Pig, Mrs. Pig, and the piglets are hot, hot, hot, and they really want to go to the beach. But the Shifting Sands Beach is one hour’s drive from the Pigs’ house, and it’s already 11:30 in the morning. Will the pigs make it to the beach before it closes at 5:30? Or will their time-wasting complications hog the whole afternoon?
What Time Is It, Mr. Crocodile? by Judy Sierra
Mr. Crocodile has big plans for finally catching–and eating–five pesky monkeys, but those little rascals dupe him again and again. By the time the clock strikes six, those mischievous monkeys actually teach Mr. Crocodile a thing or two about friendship . . . and about having fun!
Clocks and More Clocks by Pat Hutchins
When the hall clock reads twenty minutes past four, the attic clock reads twenty-three minutes past four, the kitchen clock reads twenty-five minutes past four, and the bedroom clock reads twenty-six minutes past four, what should Mr. Higgins do? He can’t tell which of his clocks tells the right time. He is in for a real surprise when the Clockmaker shows him that they are all correct!
Monkey Time by Michael Hall
Meet monkey. Monkey is very curious about the brightly colored—and very tasty-looking—minutes on the minute tree in his forest. But can he catch one before it disappears? This book reinforces simple counting skills while introducing children to basic concepts about time, how time passes, and how time is measured.
Bats Around the Clock by Kathi Appelt
It’s fun to tell time as you dance around the clock! Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to boogie! It’s American Batstand – a twelve-hour rock and roll extravaganza with Click Dark as your host. Decked in go-go boots and bobby sox, the buoyant bats bebop their way around the clock. And there’s a special guest appearance at the end!
Telling Time with Big Mama Cat by Dan Harper
A snack at 9:00, a nap at 10:00, sneaking onto the forbidden chair at 11:00–telling time is the only way Big Mama Cat can remember all the important things she has to do. Follow Big Mama Cat from sunrise till day’s end, and you can learn to tell time, too!
Math World: Telling Time by Bridget Heos
A young boy learns to tell time on digital and analog clocks as he impatiently waits for a friend to come over to play.
It’s About Time by Pascale Estellon
Follow along as friends Jacob and Lily unravel time, starting from its smallest increment — the second — and finishing with the century. This book covers everything from the difference between a.m. and p.m. to how we use clocks and calendars to keep track of mealtimes, bedtimes, birthdays, and seasons to exactly how long it takes to bake a cake (follow the recipe to test it out!).
Just a Second by Steve Jenkins
What can happen in just a second, a minute, or an hour? How can we measure time? The flap of a vulture’s wing. A crocodile’s heartbeat. The weight of a baby blue whale. The life of a mayfly. These increments of time may sound a bit strange, but they are all fascinating ways in which we can think about time. But what exactly is time? This book brings forth unique ways to think about time beyond the hands we see every day on a ticking clock.
I.Q. It’s Time by Mary Ann Fraser
I.Q.’s class is going to have a busy day. Not only do the students have to do all of their regular work, but they have to prepare the classroom for Parents’ Night! Luckily, Mrs. Furber is also teaching the students everything about telling time. Using all kinds of timekeepers: analog and digital; wall clocks, wristwatches, and stopwatches―they learn the difference between the minute hand and the hour hand, how to count by fives, and the number of hours in a day. I.Q. really wants to make a special surprise for the parents. But will he have time to finish his surprise before Parents’ Night begins?
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
As children follow the Grouchy Ladybug on her journey, they will learn the important concepts of time, size, and shape, as well as the benefits of friendship and good manners.
Telling Time by Jules Older
Telling time becomes clear and easy for young readers in this bright and lively introduction to measurements of time. From seconds to minutes, hours to days, exploring what time is and discovering why we need to tell time, helps young readers understand more than ‘the big hand is on the one and the little hand is on the two’.
How Do You Know What Time It Is? by Robert E. Wells
What would life be like with no clocks and no calendars? How would you know when to get up in the morning? Long, long ago, all people could do was watch the sun and moon and try to figure things out. Eventually, they made simple clocks like sundials.
About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks by Bruce Koscielniak
There was a time when time itself was undefined—no one knew the difference between a minute, an hour, or a day. Then people started creating tools to measure time. First they used the big stuff around them—the sun, the moon, water. Soon after, using the knowledge they got from their natural time-telling tools, people began to build clocks—huge clocks unlike the ones we use today. They also used their knowledge of the sun and moon to create calendars made up of months and years. Now, centuries later, we have clocks all around us. We can easily figure out how long a month is. But it took many years of tinkering and inventing to perfect the art of telling time. You could take a few moments now to read all about time. If you have a minute, that is.
You can find some games and activities for telling time here. Do you have any books you love for teaching students about telling time? I’d love to check them out!
Click below to find more book lists by math topics.
Happy Teaching!
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