Measurement · Grade 2

Telling Time Worksheets: Five-Minute Intervals

Count around the clock in fives, then check which hour the short hand has passed.

6 problemsAnswer key includedFree printableA4 & US Letter

Each number marks five more minutes

Start at 12 with zero minutes. Moving clockwise, the long hand at 1 means five minutes, at 2 means ten minutes, and at 3 means fifteen minutes. Continue counting by fives to 55 at 11.

4:20: the long hand points to 4. Count 5, 10, 15, 20. The short hand is just past 4, so the time is 4:20.

The face numbers serve two jobs

The short hand uses the numbers to show hours. The long hand uses the same positions to show minutes. A long hand pointing to 4 does not mean four minutes. Ask which hand you are reading before writing a number.

Check the hour when the next hour is close

At 7:55, the long hand points to 11 and the short hand is almost at 8. It has not reached 8 yet, so write 7:55. When both hands reach the next hour position, it becomes 8:00.

If a child writes 8:55: use a teaching clock to move from 7:00 toward 8:00. Stop at 7:55 and ask which hour has already begun. The short hand keeps moving while the minutes pass.

Write a zero before a single minute digit

Five minutes past two is 2:05. Write two digits after the colon. At the hour, use :00. At half past, use :30.

Follow the hands across twelve

At 12:45, the hour hand is between 12 and 1. The hour is still 12. At 1:00, the long hand reaches 12 and the short hand reaches 1. The 12 position on the minute scale means zero minutes into the new hour, not :60.

Practice with a movable clock

Begin at an exact hour and move the long hand one numbered position at a time. Say the minutes in fives and watch the short hand move gradually. Then choose a printed clock and explain the minutes and hour separately before combining them.

About this practice

Each set contains six distinct times. Minutes range from :00 through :55 in five-minute steps, including hours and half hours when selected. The original drawings show twelve face numbers and two hands. Sets do not guarantee every minute value.

This activity covers reading an analog clock and recording a digital time. A clock face alone cannot determine AM or PM. Choosing AM or PM from a daily-life context, drawing hands, and calculating elapsed time are not assessed here.

Make a practice set

Choose what to print. Selecting both shows the answer key on screen and prints the questions followed by the answers.

Print materials

After the practice

Ask the child to justify both parts of one answer: where the long hand points and which hour the short hand has passed.

More about measurement · Grade 2 worksheets

Grade 2 selected skill connection: 2.MD.C.7. See the Common Core grade guidance. This worksheet does not cover every requirement in the standard.