Math Worksheets · Free 13-page pack
Free Draw the Clock Hands Worksheets PDF
This 13-page PDF gives grades 2-3 six practice pages for drawing hour and minute hands to match written times, plus an answer key on pages 8-13. Students work with quarter-hour, five-minute, and other times, including 10:40 and 12:50, while connecting a digital time to an analog clock.
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Practice this skill on screen30 questions in three levels (easy, medium, hard) with instant feedback. Nothing to install.Get the whole set: 6 packs in one zipTelling time worksheet packs. Grades 1–3: hour, half hour, quarter hour, 5 minutes, the minute and drawing hands. US Letter PDFs with answer keys, 565 KB.
What this printable is for
Grades 2-3 get a 13-page US Letter file with a cover, six hand-drawing practice pages, and an answer key on pages 8-13. On pages 2, 3, and 7, each of six numbered faces has a written time beside it. Children draw both hands; values include :05, :25, :40, and :50. Each sheet provides Name and Date lines; the other practice pages use this drawing task.
How to place both hands for a written time
A clock face is a map for two different measurements. The minute hand makes one full turn in 60 minutes, so each number it passes represents another five minutes. The short hour hand moves gradually from one numeral toward the next as those minutes pass. To draw a time, first use the minutes to locate the long hand, then place the short hand in the correct part of its hour interval.
For 10:40, count eight groups of five from 12, which puts the minute hand at 8. The hour is already 10, but 40 minutes have passed, so the short hand belongs between 10 and 11, closer to 11. For 12:50, the minute hand points to 10 while the hour hand sits close to 1. This two-part check helps children avoid drawing the hour hand directly on 10 or 12 after much of the hour has passed.
Worked example 1
Draw 10:40 on an analog clock.
Count eight five-minute jumps from 12 to place the long hand at 8. Forty minutes into the hour, the short hand has moved past 10 toward 11.
Answer: The long hand points to 8; the short hand is between 10 and 11, near 11.
Worked example 2
Draw 9:15.
A quarter hour is 15 minutes, or three five-minute jumps. Put the long hand at 3. The short hand has moved a little beyond 9.
Answer: The long hand points to 3; the short hand is just past 9.
Worked example 3
Draw 12:50.
Fifty minutes is ten five-minute jumps, landing the long hand on 10. The hour hand has nearly reached the next numeral, 1.
Answer: The long hand points to 10; the short hand is just before 1.
How to teach it with this pack
Build the minute route
Have the child trace the clock numbers clockwise and say 5, 10, 15, and onward at each numeral. Then give a time such as 5:40 and count eight jumps to 8. Keeping the five-minute count attached to each number makes the long-hand location meaningful instead of a guess.
Place the hour between
Use two adjacent numerals as the hour hand's boundaries. For 5:40, ask whether the hand has spent more time near 5 or 6. It is between them and closer to 6. This discussion builds the idea that the short hand travels continuously instead of hopping from number to number.
Draw in two passes
Ask the learner to mark the long hand first and explain its minute value, then add the short hand. Cover either hand and check it separately. A time such as 6:15 gives a clear anchor at 3, while 10:40 prompts a useful conversation about an hour hand nearing the next number.
Compare nearby times
Write 3:10 and 3:50 side by side. Both minute hands are found by counting around the face, but the short hand changes position as the hour advances. Ask which drawing should have its short hand closer to 4, then have the child defend that choice using elapsed minutes.
Best uses for this template
Ideas for using this page
A quick board demonstration
Draw an empty clock and model a time such as 2:10. Let learners explain the long hand's five-minute count before you add the short hand slightly beyond 2.
One-to-one hand check
Ask a learner to draw 12:50 and describe each hand separately. Their explanation can show whether the minute count and the hour's gradual movement are both understood.
Independent drawing practice
Use a practice page when children are ready to translate written times into clock hands. The six items on each practice page provide repeated drawing opportunities in one sitting.
Mistakes to watch for
For 10:40, a child puts the long hand on 10 because the time begins with 10.
Separate the two jobs: 10 names the hour, while 40 names the minutes. Count five-minute jumps to place the long hand at 8, then locate the short hand between 10 and 11.
At 9:15, a child points the long hand to 15 instead of the clock's 3.
Explain that clock numerals mark five-minute groups for the long hand. Count 5, 10, 15 while moving from 12; the third stop is 3, so the long hand belongs there.
For 12:50, a child leaves the short hand exactly on 12 even though most of the hour has passed.
Ask how far the hour hand has traveled during 50 minutes. It has moved almost all the way from 12 to 1, so draw it between those numerals and close to 1.
For 6:15, a child draws the short hand on 7 because the long hand points to 3.
The long hand's position does not name the hour. Fifteen minutes after 6, the short hand has only moved partway toward 7. Put it just past 6 and keep the long hand at 3.
Quick answers
How do you draw clock hands for a written time?
Read the hour and minutes separately. Count the minutes around the face in five-minute groups to locate the long hand, then place the short hand between the hour numerals according to how much of that hour has passed. For 4:25, the long hand points to 5 and the short hand is between 4 and 5.
How to teach children to draw clock hands?
Start with a large clock face and move one hand at a time. Let the child count the minute hand's five-minute jumps aloud, then discuss where the hour hand would be after that many minutes. Try 9:15 before 9:40 so the learner sees both a quarter hour and a later point in the hour.
What is an easy way to practice drawing clock hands?
Call out a time and ask the learner to explain the long hand before drawing it. Follow with a question about whether the short hand is at, just past, or nearing an hour number. For example, 12:50 places the minute hand at 10 and the hour hand close to 1.
What is included in this draw the clock hands worksheet pack?
Across 13 pages, six exercises ask children to add hands to numbered clocks. On practice sheet 2, sheet 3, and sheet 7, there are six written times to draw per sheet. Name and Date lines head these activities; the final six pages, 8-13, are the answer key.
Is this draw the clock hands worksheet pack free?
Yes, this pack costs nothing and asks for no registration. The download is a US Letter PDF; there is no A4 layout or PNG copy. Its answer key occupies pages 8-13 of the 13-page file and corresponds to the six hand-drawing practice sheets.
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