Last Updated on August 28, 2023 by Editorial Team
Time-keeping is one of the basic lessons kids are taught in the kindergartener stage. With the introduction of digital watches and clocks, time reading is reduced only to reading numbers. However, kids need to learn the underlying meaning of a ‘minute or an hour passed’ kind of statement they may come across.
But, what could be the right approach? Forcing kids to memorize to learn time spacing is certainly not! Actually, a more suitable solution is utilizing effective strategies available in the form of elapsed time games that allow kids to internalize the concept of keeping time.
Why elapsed time games for young children is a great idea?
Elapsed time games do not offer support only for learning the period or length of the interval. The other proficiencies that kids build by playing elapsed time games are:
- Estimation of time required to do an activity
- Guessing the probability of doing anything faster than others
- Working memory retention and recall – Remembering how long back they did any activity
- Doing activities in a time-pressed manner, say speak on a topic in a minute, or
- Complete a test paper in 30 minutes to one hour or in given time duration.
All these reasons must have moved you to search for the elapsed time games that kids can play online.
So, take a look at these online games for the elapsed time that tell about time estimation, durations, and time-work relationships, etc.
9 Engaging elapsed time online games for little learners
1. Time Teller
Analog clocks have always been a pain for kids who get easily confused by the hour and minute hands. This elapsed time game online for kids is giving the introduction of analog clocks in an engaging manner. Players need to pick the time shown in the analog clock from the options provided. Since it is not a time-pressed game, it is quite useful for small children who have just started with the concept of time.
What all this game can offer? Well, the child is reading the clock, picking the correct answer, and clicking it using a cursor. So, this simple activity improves fine motor skills(just like board games do), reading ability, and logical reasoning. Further, it can make the child a confident time-keeper too.
Game Link: Web App
2. Tell time to half an hour using interactive clocks
Dig deeper into the concept of reading analog clocks with an aim to learn about elapsed time. To know time elapse, you do need to learn about the hours, minutes, seconds. The analog clock and the movement of its hands have always been tricking children. Therefore, this game can familiarize children with hand movements and the meaning that is conveyed by it.
Comprising activities like guessing the time, picking the meaning of hand movement, and gradually, with solving numerous problems in limited time, children can acquire proficiency, agility, and fluency in the time reading concept.
Game Link: Web App
3. Time Hunter
Here is an online game in which the player runs and jumps and hunts for clocks showing the right time. The game is a fun way to learn the concept of elapsed time as it is similar to classic video games kids like to play normally. There are two versions available for the ease of players. One is the desktop version and the other is the touchscreen version perfect for when you’re playing the game on the phone or tablet.
At the beginning of the game, players can select which time-related skill they would like to practice. There’s an option for practicing the concepts of hours, half hours, quarter hours, nearest minute, and elapsed time. As the game progresses the hunter finds his way through the jungle and hunts for the clocks that show similar time as mentioned in the prompt. The game continues for ten levels, and each level helps kids boost their knowledge on elapsed time.
Game Link: Web App
4. Time Patterns
Pattern identification games can also lead to gaining knowledge about elapsed time. Children get to solve a variety of problems such as finding the next to appear in the series. The problems can be further modified by changing the time gaps in incremental or decreasing order.
This elapsed time game for early learners allows kids to enhance their number as well as time identification skills. By finding the pattern between the time slots, kids can understand the concept of three hours passed, or half an hour passed, and so on.
The mind is stimulated in a variety of ways and the difficulty level is increased by placing a gap in between the series or at the start of it. Since both digital and analog watches are used to create challenges in this game, it is sure to add to the comfort of the child with all types of time-keepers.
Game Link: Web App
5. AM/PM Quiz
A very interactive game with captivating sound and entertaining graphics! This elapsed time game for young children allows them to master the concept of AM and PM. It is the age-old way of keeping time. Barring a few places where the 00::00 to 23:59 hours determine various points in time, AM and PM are used to differentiate two parts of a day almost everywhere.
Guess the answers by assessing the clues, pick the option, and register your option. This game requires you to think fast, count mentally, and also apply logic to arrive upon the correct answer. An added advantage of fluency can be achieved when you play it with competition around or by choosing a stop-watch option.
Game Link: Web App
6. Tic Tac Toe Time Game
Elapsed time does not take only hours passing by in the account. You will be able to appreciate the time and its components better when you realize that one single hour is composed of some 3600 seconds.
The ability to convert any unit of time into another unit is essential for children to learn how they can fit in multiple activities in a given timeframe. So, help them to learn to convert the time from one given unit, say an hour, or a week, into minutes or days respectively by playing this Tic Tac Toe game.
This game is ideal for the students of primary level like second graders or third graders and involves a little more complex calculations like multiplication, addition, division, etc. So, when you want to do something more than just picking the right time and play around with numbers, this game fits the requirement suitably.
Game Link: Web App
7. Bedtime Bandits – Online Game
Bedtime Bandits is the perfect game for bringing fluency in the process of reading time from an analog clock. Clocks showing different times start coming down from the top of the screen. The challenges continue to change with each right answer. You have to solve as many challenges as possible by the time the clocks reach the bottom from the top of the screen. Thus, a time-pressed challenge tests and enhances your time reading ability, and bring better cognition in the process of keeping track of time elapsed.
Best suited for both beginners and advanced students, this elapsed time online game for kids is learning and play wrapped together. This game promotes quick thinking, smooth time-keeping, and fine motor skills required to pick the right time the fastest possible.
Game Link: Web App
8. Puzzle Pics Clocks
A very interesting game that combines a puzzle completion task with the time identification on analog locks. The player requires to move the picture to the square that displays the time matching with the given challenge.
With each correct guess, a player is actually fitting in one part of the puzzle. End result is a picture that can be an animal, a bird, or any building. Thus, the early learners of the elapsed time concept can use this game for improving their motor skills and identify the time or object as a part of the gameplay.
Game Link: Web App
9. Giraffe Pull Time
Do you want your kid to learn to read the time in words? Then, this elapsed time game is the perfect premise to provide. The giraffes pulling the tug away from each other forms the backdrop of this game that entices kids into trying this activity.
Further, times start appearing on the analog clock and the kid needs to pick the option that reads the time correctly. All the common words like quarter till, quarter past, half past, quarter after, etc. become easy to grasp and learn with this time-keeping game.
Game Link: Web App
Wrapping up,
In the old school style of teaching, the mentors used to prepare the elasped time worksheets and asked kids to do practice sheets or projects on elapsed time. But, with changing methods driven by technology, the kids get to do more. They are now encouraged to play educational games that take the stress away from the learning process. Further, the games are available on mobile phones and tablets, something kids are drawn to effortlessly. So, by making the best use of screen time, one can make a child more informed and aware, someone who can do better in terms of keeping time and maintaining orderliness in the schedule.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,