When do children learn to tell the time?

In Year 1 they learn o'clock and half past. They learn quarter past and quarter to in Year 2.

How do I teach my child the coins?

Use real coins. Sort them. Play shop and let your child pay.

What days and months should Year 1 know?

All 7 days of the week and the 12 months of the year, in order.

Is a bigger coin always worth more?

No. A 2p coin is bigger than a 5p coin, but 5p is worth more. Look at the number on the coin.

Year 1 time and money lesson to download as PDF

This Year 1 time and money lesson is written for pupils aged 5-6 and follows the National Curriculum. In short, it shows you how to tell the time to the hour and half hour, order days and months, and recognise coins and notes. Before you start, it helps to revise fractions: halves and quarters and length, mass and capacity, because this lesson builds on them.

Table of Contents

Year 1 time and money lesson: what you will learn

Hello, I am Otto! Time and money are used by everybody, every day. We use clocks to know when school starts and coins to buy things in the shop. In Year 1 we learn to tell the time to the hour and half hour, and to know all our coins.

Starter activity

Look at a clock at home. What is the time now? Write it down. Check again in one hour. Then collect some coins from a money box. Sort them into groups: copper coins, silver coins and gold-coloured coins. Count how many you have in each group.

Days of the week and months of the year

Definition: day and week

A day is 24 hours. A week has 7 days. The days in order are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. After Sunday, Monday starts again.

Key fact: the months

There are 12 months in a year.

January, February, March, April
May, June, July, August
September, October, November, December

Example 1

Today is Wednesday. What day was yesterday? What day is tomorrow?

The day before Wednesday is Tuesday. The day after Wednesday is Thursday.

Telling the time: o’clock

Definition: o'clock

The clock has two hands. The short hand is the hour hand. The long hand is the minute hand. When the minute hand points to 12, it is an o'clock time. The hour hand tells us which hour.

The long hand points to 12. The short hand points to 3. It is 3 o'clock.

Method: reading o'clock

Check that the long hand points to 12.
Look at the short hand. Which number does it point to?
Say that number and then o'clock.

Half past

Definition: half past

When the long (minute) hand points to 6, it is half past. The minute hand has gone halfway round the clock. The short hand is between two numbers. The time is half past the number it has just passed.

The long hand points to 6. The short hand is between 7 and 8. It is half past 7.

Example 2

School starts when the short hand points to 9 and the long hand points to 12. What time is it?

The long hand points to 12, so it is an o'clock time. It is 9 o'clock.

Example 3

The long hand points to 6. The short hand is halfway between 4 and 5. What time is it?

It is half past 4.

Watch out

The short hand and the long hand are easy to mix up. The short hand is the hour hand. The long hand is the minute hand. The long hand does most of the moving!

Before, after and how long

We use words such as before, after, first, next, then, morning and afternoon to talk about when things happen. We get up in the morning. We have lunch in the middle of the day. We go to bed at night.

Example 4

Maya has lunch at 12 o'clock. She goes to school at 9 o'clock. Which happens first?

9 comes before 12. Going to school happens first.

Coins

Definition: pence and pounds

In the United Kingdom we use pence (p) and pounds (£). 100 pence make 1 pound. We have these coins:

Key fact: coin values

The 1p and 2p coins are copper-coloured.
The 5p and 10p coins are silver.
The 20p and 50p coins are silver and have 7 sides.
The £1 and £2 coins are gold and silver.
Two 5p coins make 10p. Five 2p coins make 10p.

Method: adding coins

Put the coins in order, biggest first.
Count the biggest coins first.
Add on the smaller coins, one at a time.
Write the total with p.

Example 5

How much is 10p + 5p + 2p + 1p?

Start with 10. Add 5: 15. Add 2: 17. Add 1: 18. The total is 18p.

Buying and change

Definition: change

Change is the money the shop gives back when you pay with a coin that is worth more than the price. To find change, take away the price from the money you give.

Example 6

An apple costs 7p. Ella pays with a 10p coin. How much change does she get?

10 − 7 = 3. Ella gets 3p change.

Example 7

A pencil costs 6p and a rubber costs 4p. How much do they cost together?

6 + 4 = 10p. You can pay with one 10p coin.

Did you know?

The first coins were made over 2,500 years ago. Before coins, people swapped things like cows and shells. The UK pound is one of the oldest money units in the world still in use.

Otto's tip

For money, add the big coins first. For time, check the long hand first. Say the time out loud, and check twice. A good owl is never late!

How to use this Year 1 time and money lesson

First, read the key points so that you know where the Year 1 time and money lesson is going. Then work through each definition and worked example, and cover the solution before you read it. After that, practise with the time and money worksheet and check every question with the worksheet answers. When you feel ready, test yourself with the multiple choice questions or the quick quiz. Finally, sit the time and money test and mark it with the test answers.

Also, the starters are a good warm-up, so you can keep the key facts fresh. Moreover, all the pages of this chapter work together, so you can move between them at any time. For example, many pupils read the lesson on Monday, practise on Wednesday and test themselves on Friday. In short, this Year 1 time and money lesson gives you everything you need for the chapter.

To sum up, regular practice works better than one long session. For instance, ten minutes a day is often enough. Besides, mistakes are useful, because they show what to revise next. Then, once a method feels easy, try a harder question. As a result, you build confidence step by step.