Sunday 15 February 2015

Hickory Dickory Dock. The clock struck one…



As we run around in frenzy completing our day to day tasks, we almost end up running against time and many mothers wish that children would do more things on time, waste less time etc. for children to understand about time, being on time and wasting time etc it is important that they understand the concept of – time.

What is time? How do we see it? Where do we see it? How do we know that time is up? For us it is easy to understand these questions but these are concepts about time that we take for granted, and can be confusing for a child .

The concept of time first begins in simple everyday rituals, because till children cannot count, it goes without saying that they will be unable to understand about the small hand, big hand, 2 o’clock etc. The understanding of time starts with simple everyday rituals and routines. ‘We will brush our teeth, then we will have milk and then we will sit for a story’. Children as young as 18 months can understand when you tell them a routine and infact kids love routine as it adds that much needed structure to their day and gives them things to look forward to. This is also good for their growing brains as brains thrive on routine, knowing what is next.

Singing songs to children about time, clocks and other time related concepts, also helps, so when its time to put toys away it helps to sing the song given below. similar songs can be sung for eating, brushing teeth and other daily chores.
‘Its time to put your toys away, toys away, toys away
Its time to put your toys away. its time to end our game’.
Songs and rhymes like hickory, dickory dock, help children understand about the existence of clocks and make them observe them in their environment.

The next step is to make a picture clock for your child which is in the shape of a clock but instead of the numbers has pictures of his/her daily activities in the same sequence, where number 12 usually is on the clock, paste the child’s photo and on the other numbers place pictures of the routine of the day. As the time to brush the teeth approaches put the big hand on the child’s photo and the small hand of the clock on the picture of child brushing teeth. And say, ‘lets look what time is it. Oh, its time to brush your teeth.’ 
The concept of time is not only about teaching how to ‘see’ time, but is also about teaching the importance of being of time, using time well and understanding that there is a special time for everything.
1.   Concept of being on time- extremely essential. At this age children learn by imitation so your child will learn looking at you and your habits, so be punctual!
2.   Using time well- here using visible items like a sand timer helps so that children can see time passing and know that little time is left to complete the activity etc
3.   Special time for everything- just like schools have a timetable it is important that mothers make a timetable for home and help the child display it in the room, this helps children understand routine, structure and time management!

Try out these time tested activities with your child and I guarantee you will have the time of your life!



25 comments:

Sonali Karmakar said...

On behalf of PJK Plus Vile Parle team I thank you Swati ma'am for sharing the blog. The concept of time is very well explained. Indeed singing songs about time and the picture clock mentioned by you will really help children to understand the concept of time better. These are the few interesting techniques which we can implement in our school.

Sonali Karmakar said...

On behalf of PJK Plus Vile Parle team I thank you Swati ma'am for sharing the blog. The concept of time is very well explained. Indeed singing songs about time and the picture clock mentioned by you will really help children to understand the concept of time better. These are the few interesting techniques which we can implement in our school.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Khushboo Rach, main teacher of level 1 PJK Plus Vile Parle branch want to thank you ma'am for sharing such a wonderful blog with us and explaining us that it's not only important to teach children how to see the time but also how to use the time well. I am sure that these techniques if inculcated in the daily routine by all the parents, they will have the best time of their life!!!

Unknown said...

Special Clock is very unique idea of time management, helpful for mothers and kids.
It will help kids to be independent also it can be considered as discipline readiness for kids for their future.
Again movement with music and rhyme is important for child's growth.
Thank you ma'am for sharing this blog. Your blogs always help us in parenting kids.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Janice Gomes main teacher at PJK Plus (Vile Parle), thank you Swati ma'am for sharing such a wonderful blog. Your blog gives a wonderful message to us. Only teaching children how to see time won't be helpful but it's very essential to teach children how to use their time well, which can be included in their day to day routine..

Unknown said...

I Ms.Tanvi Mody teacher of PJK Plus Vile Parle ,thank you ma'am for sharing this blog.Indeed time is a very valuable thing.Methods which you have shared will surely help us to teach children time management.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Kalpita Bhirud main teacher at PJK plus Vile Parle loved the idea of picture clock and singing songs. It would definitely make the child know what is next in their routine and also teach them time management.

jayshree shah said...

Time management is truly important in one's life as it has its own significance however we try to collect & cherish important moments of life but we cannot recall our time we need to utilize this time judiciously .Understanding of time starts with rituals, followed by routine as brain thrive on routine.what a creative and wonderful idea of picture clock to give routine to a child.
As it is rightly said by charles Bixton You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.

Unknown said...

Time management is really important in one's life.This blog give the depict idea to teach the kids about time so that they not only see the time but also learn the importance of being of time and using it well.
The picture clock mentioned will really help the kids to understand the concept of time better.Thank You Ma'am for sharing such an useful blog to teach the kids about concept of time.

Anonymous said...

Teaching children how to tell time has a reputation for being a challenging endeavor. While not the easiest lesson to impart, it can also be endlessly rewarding, as time-telling skills can significantly increase a child's cognitive abilities.

Incorporating general concepts like morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and night times also are a great teaching tool. Let children know when activities occur during specific times of the day. One may want to say, "We eat breakfast in the morning," or "We go to bed at night," to assist children in learning these designated time blocks.

Next Up.. Quiz children every so often by asking them when certain events happen. Use some of your child's old word flashcards to show them an activity or setting that has a specific time block associated with it, and have him or her identify it. Why not give children a colorful toy clock to get used to learning about time?

Hema Mittal said...

Concept of time put across in a succinct and simplistic manner. Time is the essence of life. Life is the summation of all the moments we have. Introducing the concept of time, by incorporating these useful techniques, will give the young children a sense of routine, discipline and time management in a playful and fun manner.
Thank you Ma'am for sharing the blog.

Unknown said...

Concept of time teaching in a creative way will surely help kids to understand the value of TIME. This will inculcate the habit to be on routine.

namrata singh said...

Thank you Ma'am for sharing the blog.Really teaching concept of time in a playful method is very useful for children.These technique indeed we can also implement in our day to day teaching.

Unknown said...

for the eager parents to know to discipline their child, this article will help them in making a routine plan made for their children and an excellent way to follow the same.Thank you so much for helping us mam ..

shilpa said...

Well said example best learning from the blog can implement in our way and tecnique can be how and when time to be utilized if children learn concept of time and love to follow routine will help them in their life songs also if given really kids will be busy and involve them doing the work told to them thank you for the wondreful artical.

shilpa said...

Well said example best learning from the blog can implement in our way and tecnique can be how and when time to be utilized if children learn concept of time and love to follow routine will help them in their life songs also if given really kids will be busy and involve them doing the work told to them thank you for the wondreful artical.

Unknown said...

Dear Ma'am thank you for sharing this wonderful blog with us. The concept of time teaching with the help of picture clock will definitely help the kids to understand the concept of time better,as I have personally seen this in my centre with my kids. In all the classes we have a routine chart with relevant pictures from free play time to reverence time & teachers are making a good use of it with kids & even kids are know aware of their daily class routine.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Poonam Borade teacher of PJK Plus Vileparle. Children always love to sing rhymes with actions. Singing songs in their daily activities will make their daily routine fun and loving. Using sand timer is really very good idea to help the kides know the value of time management. Thank you ma'am for sharing such innovative thoughts.

Unknown said...

Time management is extremely essential in our life. To inculcate the value of time in children we as adults should always be punctual as children learn by imitation. The time related activities given in the blog will surely help all the parents and teachers. Thank you ma'am.

PJK,Nigdi said...

Thank you ma'am.we have got the creative idea to teach the concept of time.we will make a beautiful teaching aid as per your guidance.

Uma Wagh PJK Jalgaon said...

Ma'am thank you this time again something new to share with teachers & the techniques shared will help students.

Unknown said...

This is an unique idea for teaching time management to kids.If importance of time is taught in this way along with songs kids are really going to enjoy and also learn the routine concepts in a better way. This should be followed in schools and also at home.Thank you ma'am this is really going to work for teachers and even mothers.

Unknown said...

The author has very beautifully explained how we can imbibe the qualities of time management and make them follow routines for children in a creative and motivating way

Unknown said...

Telling time is a very important concept in the early childhood years. Knowing about the exact time and elapsed time helps children in a variety of ways – not just when they are young but also when they get older. It is important for adults to also concentrate on this skill in preschoolers. More than reading, writing, counting and knowing how to coordinate body muscles, telling time has a lot of skills that are put into practice once the young one starts learning about clocks, hours, minutes and seconds.

PJK Vadgaonsheri 2 said...

On behalf of PJK vadgaonsheri2 I thank you for sharing such a wonderful blog this will really help to us to teach us the time management to the children.