Time

Time helps us know when things happen. We use clocks to see hours and minutes. We use calendars to see days, weeks, and months. Time always moves forward and never stops. Learning to tell time helps us plan our day.

Reading a Clock

A clock has two main hands. The short hand points to the hour. The long hand points to the minute. There are 60 minutes in every hour. There are 24 hours in every day.

A wooden hourglass uses sand to measure one hour of time.
A wooden hourglass uses sand to measure one hour of time. (User:S Sepp / Wikimedia Commons)

Days and Years

A calendar shows the days of the week and months of the year. There are 7 days in a week and 12 months in a year. Most years have 365 days. Every four years, we add an extra day called leap day. That year is called a leap year.

Fun Facts

  • A minute has 60 seconds, and an hour has 3,600 seconds.
  • The oldest clocks used shadows from the sun to tell time.
  • One year is the time it takes Earth to travel around the Sun.

Did You Know?

A blink of an eye takes about one-third of a second, so you can blink about three times in one second.