How to use it
- Choose the Times: whole hours, half hours, quarter hours or every five minutes.
- Choose the Task, Read the time or Draw the hands, and the Number of clocks (from 1 to 36).
- Press Make the sheet. Write the Sheet number down, so that you can make the same sheet again later.
- Press Print sheet and answer key: the clocks print twelve to a page, and the answer key prints on a page of its own.
How a clock face shows the time
The minute hand is the long one. It moves round the face once in an hour, so each minute is 6 degrees of the circle: at the 6 it shows 30 minutes, and at the 12 it shows 0 or 60 minutes.
The hour hand is the short one. It moves 30 degrees in an hour, and it also moves on between the numbers as the minutes pass: at 3:30 it is halfway between the 3 and the 4, while at 3:00 it points straight at the 3.
hour hand = 30 × hour + 0.5 × minute (degrees)
minute hand = 6 × minute (degrees)Reading and drawing
- Read the time: each clock shows its hands, and the child writes the time in the blanks under it. Use the answer key to check.
- Draw the hands: each clock is blank, and the child draws the short hour hand and the long minute hand for the time printed under it.
- Start with whole hours and half hours, then move on to quarter hours and to every five minutes, which need the children to count in fives.
What this sheet does not cover
- Digital clocks, twenty-four hour times, and time words such as quarter past or half past.
- Seconds, or time differences and durations between two clocks.
- Saved sheets or scores: the sheet is made in your browser and printed, and nothing is stored.
Worked example: 3:30
At 3:30 the minute hand is at 30 minutes, which is 30 × 6 = 180 degrees: it points straight down, to the 6. The hour hand has moved 3 hours and half an hour since twelve, which is 3 × 30 + 30 × 0.5 = 105 degrees: it sits halfway between the 3 and the 4.
| Hand | Working | Where it points |
|---|---|---|
| Minute hand | 30 × 6 = 180° | the 6 |
| Hour hand | 3 × 30 + 30 × 0.5 = 105° | halfway between the 3 and the 4 |
Frequently asked questions
Which hand is the hour hand?
The hour hand is the short, thick one, and the minute hand is the long, thin one. Look at where the long hand points first: the minutes are read from it, and the short hand gives the hour.
Why is the hour hand not on the number at half past?
The hour hand moves on between the numbers as the minutes pass. At half past it is halfway between the hour that has passed and the next one, so at 3:30 it sits between the 3 and the 4.
Can I make the same sheet again?
Yes. Write down the sheet number, and enter the same number with the same times, task and count. The same clocks are made in the same order.
Why do the clocks on a sheet show different times?
The times are drawn from every time of the chosen precision and each is used once, so no two clocks on a sheet are the same. A sheet of 12 whole hours shows each hour once.
Are the sheets stored or sent to a server?
No. The sheet is made in your browser and printed. Nothing is saved on our side, and each new page starts with a new sheet number.
Why can the sheet not have more clocks than times?
Each clock on a sheet shows a different time. Whole hours give only twelve times, half hours twenty-four, quarter hours forty-eight and every five minutes one hundred and forty-four, so the number of clocks is limited by the precision.
Sources
Figures and text last checked on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.