Why Kids Still Need an Analog Clock
In an unscientific exercise last year, Jimmy Kimmel’s team showed some children a traditional clock and asked if they could read the time on it. Itdidn’t go so well .
Yes, kids still learn to tell the time in school , but we can assume that many of them are losing access to analog clocks outside the classroom. Come to think of it, the only clock my six-year-old can see in our home is the digital display of our microwave oven. It didn’t even occur to me to hang up another one – my husband and I always have watches or telephones.
But time management experts say analog clocks can teach kids something that digital clocks can’t, and that time moves . Academic trainer Leslie Josel often gives parents this advice: Hang an analog clock in every room your kids spend time in, including the bathroom. (If you have a teenager, be sure to put him in the bathroom, she suggests.)
“The problem with digital technology is that it only gives you the real one time,” says Josel inhis video series . “You can’t see what came before, or how much time you have left.”
With the help of analog clocks (especially with a second hand), children can visualize the passage of time as it happens, which allows them to be more aware of this moment compared to the past and future. This can give them a sense of how long it takes to complete certain tasks – like washing dishes or writing a book report – and plan accordingly. Seeing time as an hour’s pie can also help them more intuitively break projects down into smaller tasks.
As for the type of analog clock you should be displaying, keep it simple. Choose large and easy to read. (Think about the one you looked at every day in sixth grade economics school — it did the job.) After hanging clocks all over the house, talk to your children about the time, and do it often. Ask them questions such as, “If we have to be there at two and we need 15 minutes to get there, what time do we need to go out the door?” After all, they will no longer need your hint.
The more your children “see” time, the better they will be able to move with it. And they will always need this skill, no matter what new digital devices they have in the future.