Clock Catch: a telling time game for kids
Read the clock and catch the matching time, or drag the hands to set it. A free telling time game for grades 1 to 3.
🧒 Kids: look at the clock, then tap the time that matches. In Set the clock, drag the hands yourself!
How to play Clock Catch
- Choose a game: Read the clock, Time in words, or Set the clock.
- Choose a level from o’clock to 1 minute, and a speed. In Speedy, the answers float away after 9 seconds.
- Tap the matching time, or set the hands and tap Check.
- After 10 clocks, see your stars and practice the times you missed.
What your child practices
Clock Catch practices reading and writing time on analog and digital clocks. It follows the Common Core order. Children tell time to the hour and half hour in grade 1 (1.MD.B.3), to 5 minutes in grade 2 (2.MD.C.7) and to the minute in grade 3 (3.MD.A.1).
The wrong answers are the classic mistakes, so they are worth reading. They include swapping the hands, reading the hour hand as the next hour, and confusing quarter past with quarter to. Set the clock is the hardest game, because the hour hand must sit between two numbers when it isn’t o’clock.
The five levels
| Level | Example | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| O’clock | 3:00, three o’clock | Kindergarten–grade 1 |
| Half past | 3:30, half past three | Grade 1 |
| Quarter hours | 3:15 and 3:45, quarter past and quarter to | Grades 1–2 |
| 5 minutes | 3:25, twenty-five past three | Grade 2 |
| 1 minute | 3:27, twenty-seven minutes past three | Grade 3 |
You can link to a game and level by adding ?mode=1 to 3 and ?level=1 to 5 to the address.
Tips for parents
- Practice counting by 5s around the clock face before the 5 minutes level.
- Ask your child to find the hour hand first. Then read the minutes.
- Use real clocks at home: “What time is it now? What time will dinner be?”
- In Set the clock, watch the hour hand creep forward as the minute hand goes round.
In the classroom
Clock Catch works on a projector for a whole-class warm-up. Set the clock is a good challenge: one child drags the hands while the class checks. For written practice, use the telling time worksheet.
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Last reviewed
Questions parents ask
How do you play Clock Catch?
Read the analog clock, then tap the digital time or the words that match it. In Set the clock, drag the hands or use the + and − buttons to show the time given.
What grade is Clock Catch for?
Grades 1 to 3. Grade 1 tells time to the hour and half hour, grade 2 to the nearest 5 minutes, and grade 3 to the nearest minute.
Why do children mix up the hour and minute hands?
Both hands point at numbers, but they mean different things. The short hand shows the hour and the long hand shows minutes, counting by 5s. Clock Catch includes swapped-hands answers so children learn to check.
What does quarter past and quarter to mean?
Quarter past 3 means 15 minutes after 3, or 3:15. Quarter to 4 means 15 minutes before 4, or 3:45. A quarter is one fourth of an hour.
Is Clock Catch free?
Yes. It is free in the browser, with no sign-up and no ads. Best scores are saved only on your device.