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This is how you teach your children about time and time perception!

Zo leer je je kinderen over tijd en tijdsbesef!

When you're still young, you have no concept of time. Many preschoolers live in their own world and distinguish the days based on activities and events. But how can you teach children to tell time and create a better sense of time? In this article, you'll find handy tips & tricks that can help you and your child develop a better understanding of time.

Time Awareness in Children

Although children often don't learn to read a clock until they're six years old, you can start teaching them about time awareness earlier. The different types of time—biological time, historical time, and daily time—can be difficult for children to grasp initially. They may confuse the days of the week, such as 'today' or 'tomorrow'; don't worry, that's completely normal at this age!

A Child's Perception of Time

To develop a better sense of time in children, you can start by emphasizing the parts of the day—'morning,' 'afternoon,' and 'evening.' Another helpful strategy is to indicate how many 'sleeps' something is, such as 'only 2 more sleeps until grandma and grandpa come.' By doing this, you give children the opportunity to count down in days, helping them better understand time. Another way to instill time awareness in children is by using calendars. Get creative by letting children color in the days that have passed or upcoming activities on the calendar.

Toys that Aid in Time Awareness

There are also various types of toys that can help children learn about time and develop time awareness. This includes children's alarm clocks or play watches. Children's alarm clocks teach them when it's time to get up or go to bed, helping them sleep longer in the morning. Play watches introduce children to time and hours on the clock in a playful manner. Instead of numbers, these fun clocks use animal faces or other figures. Learning becomes fun!

Here are a few more handy tips to help your children learn about time:

  • Associate activities with time.
  • Talk to your child about historical time, discussing events that happened 'yesterday' or 'last week,' or activities planned for 'tomorrow' or 'the day after tomorrow.'
  • Make time 'measurable' by letting your child color in a calendar or play with a children's watch.
  • Use a sleep clock at bedtime; these fun clocks teach children to go to bed and wake up in a playful way.
  • Create a timeline with your child for a fun event or activity.
  • Give your child the opportunity to learn and talk about time on their own.
  • Let your child play by themselves for fifteen or thirty minutes, guided by the clock: for example, until the hour or half-hour mark.

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