Interactive Teaching Clock
Drag geared clock hands to teach telling time, then practice with “What time is it?” and “Set the clock” games.
10:10
10 minutes past 10
Drag the long blue minute hand or the short red hour hand. Turning the minute hand moves the hour hand too, just like a real clock.
How to Use the Interactive Teaching Clock
An interactive teaching clock lets students see how the hour and minute hands work together. Drag the long minute hand around and the short hour hand moves with it, just like a real geared clock, while the digital time and the time in words update below. Choose how the hands snap — to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, 5 minutes or 1 minute — to match your lesson, then switch to a quick practice game. It runs free in your browser on Chromebooks, iPads, laptops and interactive whiteboards.
Get started in 3 steps
Pick a level. Under “Snap the hands to,” choose Hour, Half hour, Quarter, 5 min or 1 min. The hands, the Random Time button and the practice games all follow that level.
Explore together. Drag either hand, use the arrow keys or the +/− buttons, or press Random Time or Now. Turn the digital time, the time in words, AM/PM and the minute numbers around the edge on or off.
Practice and project it. Switch to “What time is it?” to choose the right answer out of four, or “Set the clock” to drag the hands to a target time and press Check. Classroom Presentation Mode fills the screen with the clock and hides ads.
Ways to use it in your classroom
Build skills one level at a time
Start first graders on Hour and Half hour under “Snap the hands to,” then move to Quarter, 5 min and 1 min as the year goes on. The hands, Random Time and both practice games follow the level you choose, so every round matches what the class is ready to read.
Turn the minute hand together
In Explore, drag the long minute hand slowly from 3:00 to 4:00 while students watch the short hand creep toward the 4. Pause at 3:15, 3:30 and 3:45 and read the time in words aloud — “quarter past 3,” “half past 3,” “quarter to 4.” This shows why the hour hand sits between numbers.
Whole-class “What time is it?”
Open Classroom Presentation Mode, switch to “What time is it?” and have students point to or vote for a choice before you tap it. The wrong options come from common mix-ups, so each miss is a chance to talk about which hand is which. Press Space for the next clock.
Set the clock at a center
At a math center, choose “Set the clock” with the target in words, digital or both. Students drag the hands and press Check. A miss gives a hint — whether the hour or the minute hand is already right — and Show me glides the hands to the answer. The score and streak keep partners going.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the hour hand really move with the minute hand?
Yes. Turning the minute hand moves the hour hand along, so at 3:30 the hour hand sits halfway between 3 and 4, and passing 12 moves to the next hour. Dragging the hour hand changes only the hour.
How are the wrong answers chosen in “What time is it?”
The three wrong choices come from common mix-ups: reading the hands the wrong way around, reading the hour one off, and reading the clock face backwards, with random times added when needed. The score and streak show how the class is doing.
Can students use it on a tablet or without a mouse?
Yes. The hands drag with a finger on touch screens, and each hand also works with the arrow keys. The +/− hour and minute buttons are another way to move the hands. Sounds can be turned off, and your settings are saved in this browser.
How do I teach kids to tell time on an analog clock?
Begin with the hour hand alone: set the clock to times on the hour and talk about where the short hand points. Add half hours, then quarter hours, then 5-minute steps once students can count by 5s around the face. Turn on the minute numbers (5, 10, 15…) while they learn, and turn them off later so students read the face without help.
Can I show AM and PM or the current time?
Yes. Press Now and the clock jumps to the time on your device, which makes a good start to a morning meeting. Turn on AM / PM under “Show on the clock and readout” to add it to the digital time. You can also turn off the digital time and the time in words, so students read the hands before they check.
Can I print telling-time practice?
The teaching clock itself is for the screen, not for printing. For paper practice, use FreeClassTool’s free Math Worksheet Generator and choose Telling Time. It draws analog clocks to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minutes or any minute, with a blank under each clock and an answer key on the second page of the PDF.
Teaching guides
- Math 6 min read
How to Teach Telling Time: A Step-by-Step Guide for K–3 Classrooms
Teach telling time step by step: hour, half hour, quarter hour, 5 minutes and minutes, with fixes for common mix-ups, games and a simple weekly plan for K–3. - SEL & Wellbeing 6 min read
Morning Meeting Ideas: Greetings, Sharing and Activities for K–5
Fresh morning meeting ideas for K–5: a simple four-part structure, 20+ greeting, sharing and activity ideas, plus brain breaks and a projected screen.