Judy Carson Dellosa 5" x 5" Mini Clock and My Own Little Clock Booklet with Telling Time Activities, Preschool Learning Activities for Kids Ages 4 and Up

I felt like my son's kindergarten class didn't cover telling time very effectively and when I discovered he could only tell time on the hour (and called it 'twelve sixty' instead of 'twelve o'clock') I ordered this clock for him. Within 2 days of MAYBE 5 minutes per day of me explaining how the clock worked, he could tell time to the exact MINUTE and get it perfectly right every time!My boy is CRAZY about gears and the fact that this clock has two internal gears showing through a clear window grabbed his eyes and riveted his attention the second he saw it. He immediately wrestled the clock from my hands to play with it. Since playing is learning, I let him have it. The hands are cleverly geared to where the hour hand will advance when the minute hand is turned but the hands are not "locked" so you can move the minute and hour hand to wherever you want them to be. This is VERY helpful when you are first teaching time. I could place the hour hand EXACTLY on 12 and the minute hand EXACTLY on the 6 to help him identify 12:30. With other clocks the hour & minute hands lock so when the minute hand is on the half hour, the hour hand is between the 12 and 1 and it won't let you move it forwards or back. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that this clock does not lock like that and lets me move the hands completely independently or in tandem as I choose! Sure, he can see that when he moves the minute hand, the hour progresses on its own towards the next hour number and NOW he understands how to read a clock when the hour hand is halfway between two numbers but before he was confused by the hand being between the 12 and 1 and would guess at the time (sixty o'five?)Another thing I love about this clock is that around the outside edge of the numbers is a blue painted "gear" circle shape (shown as a green outer ring in the preview) that has the five minute increments written beside every number and the "teeth" of the gear mark the individual minutes in between each 5 minute number. He latched on to the gear concept instantly so explaining to him that each gear tooth represented one minute made learning to tell time a SNAP. Literally, I explained the very basics and as he played with the clock, he got it. Easiest thing I have EVER taught him thanks to this little Judy clock!If you feel like maybe you can't put your understanding of telling time into words, don't worry! The little booklet that comes with the clock gives you step-by-step teaching sentences you can repeat to your child and even covers what 'quarter hour' means. The booklet is about 5x7 inches with some small coloring pages, a few short question worksheets and time telling challenges, etc. I started to use the booklet and got to the part about where I explain quarter hours (the clock is like a pizza and you can slice the time into 4 equal parts of 15 minutes each) and my son was hushing me up because he suddenly understood telling time and wanted to make the clock read the same time as our digital microwave clock. This was in the first five minutes of the thing being in his hands and he did it!If you have a child who is a tactile-kinesthetic learner, has had difficulty telling time or you just want to make homework a million times easier, get this clock! (And I suggest this style - 'My Own Little Judy Clock' that has non-locking hands). Confusing homework sheets with bland black-and-white clock images become soooo much easier to understand when your child can hold a clock, move the hands around, count by fives along the outer minute rim or count the individual teeth if necessary to answer math questions. If only all of teaching was this easy!Clock is yellow plastic with plastic hands and internal gears. It isn't flimsy but could crack if stepped on. Hands are not brittle and have some give to them, which is nice because they get much more handling. 5 inches tall by 5 inches wide with little plastic easel stand in the back for upright display. Black printed numbers with a blue printed outer minute ring. Red & green internal wheels behind clear plastic window.

I have been extremely pleased with my purchase of the mini Judy clock for my 5 1/2 year old son. He had already been very interested in telling time with a digital clock so I figured we would try introducing telling time concepts with a real clock face. I chose this particular clock versus all the other "toys" that teach time because I remembered learning how to tell time on a big Judy clock when I was young. I wasn't too keen on buying the big full size Judy clock for one-on-one teaching so the mini size was the perfect solution for at-home use. I also purchased the Rock'N Learn Telling Time DVD to reinforce what we are working on and my son loves having his own clock to follow along with the songs. Granted, every child will learn at a different pace, but my son picked up the concepts quickly thanks to playing with the Judy clock and is now able to tell time to the nearest minute after just a few weeks.

This is a great learning tool for teaching children how to tell time. The numbers are printed clearly and easy to read, including the seconds. The hands are easy to move. There is a piece on the back that can be used to prop up the clock, and the piece can pop off easily. It is easy to put back on though. I also ordered the "Telling Time with the Judy Clock" workbook. The little booklet that comes with the Judy clock has a lot of the same pages as the workbook, but it's a lot smaller. The "Telling Time" workbook gives children a lot more practice with learning to tell time.

Such a cute idea, but our was off on the time. The hands don’t point exactly to the hour, which was a little confusing to teach with. I think I’d try another Judy clock because they’ve been around for so long and teachers love them, but I wouldn’t recommend this particular one.

This is ok for my kids practicing how to read a clock. The only drawback is that the hands are not calibrated. That is, if I move the minute hand one full rotation, the hour hand doesn't fully reach the next number. I've heard from other parents and one teacher that none of the other teaching clocks do this properly, either. So your child will still need supervision when using the clock, because someone will need to correct the clock so the child can read it correctly.

Classic and fantastic education tool! My only complaint is that unlike the large clock the hands aren't perfectly calibrated. It is EASY to get the hands offset. I am wondering if it is just mine or if they are all like this.

Adorable little clock. My daughter asked for a Judy clock just to practice her "times" over the summer break (she's 8). She was so excited when the package came and walks around with it in her hand adjusting times and we quiz her and make games about different times. It's a well made little clock and the hands can rotate forward or back. It also has a little kick stand in the back so you can stand it up on a table.

I purchased one for each of my children instead of just a single large clock because my kids LOVE playing with them! They are small enough to sit beside their beds so at night time we can review bed time and what time they can get up in the morning (an actual working clock is in their room for reference). Makes learning time fun and easy for them and will be a great supplement to future homework as my oldest begins kindergarten this year.