Students learn to tell time on analog and digital clocks to the hour and half hour, then to five-minute intervals. They explore calendar concepts including days of the week, months, and reading a date. For money, they identify coins and bills, learn their values, and count collections of mixed coins using skip counting. Real-world scenarios connect both skills to daily routines.
K-2 Foundations • K-2
Telling time and counting money are skills you use every single day. Let us learn how clocks work and how coins and bills add up!
An analog clock has a round face with numbers 1 through 12. It has two hands:
| Hand | What It Looks Like | What It Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Hour hand | Short and thick | The hour (1-12) |
| Minute hand | Long and thin | The minutes (0-59) |
The numbers on the clock also stand for groups of 5 minutes. When the minute hand points to 1, it means 5 minutes. When it points to 2, it means 10 minutes. Skip count by 5 around the clock: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60.
The short hand is between 3 and 4. The long hand points to 6.
A digital clock shows the time with numbers, like 3:30 or 10:15. The number before the colon is the hour. The number after is the minutes.
| Unit | How Long |
|---|---|
| 1 minute | 60 seconds |
| 1 hour | 60 minutes |
| 1 day | 24 hours |
| 1 week | 7 days |
| 1 year | 12 months or about 365 days |
| Coin or Bill | Value | Skip Count By |
|---|---|---|
| Penny | 1 cent | 1s |
| Nickel | 5 cents | 5s |
| Dime | 10 cents | 10s |
| Quarter | 25 cents | 25s |
| Dollar bill | 100 cents (= $1.00) | -- |
You have: 2 quarters, 1 dime, 3 pennies. How much money?
A pencil costs 35 cents. You pay with 2 quarters (50 cents). What change do you get?
A dime is smaller than a nickel and a penny, but it is worth more! Do not judge a coin's value by its size. A dime = 10 cents, but a nickel = only 5 cents.
When counting mixed coins, always start with the coins worth the most and work down: quarters first, then dimes, then nickels, then pennies. This makes skip counting easier.
1. The short hand is on 7 and the long hand is on 12. What time is it?
7:00 (seven o'clock). When the minute hand is on 12, it means zero minutes -- exactly on the hour.
2. The short hand is between 10 and 11. The long hand is on 3. What time is it?
10:15. The hour is 10, and the minute hand on 3 means 15 minutes (skip count: 5, 10, 15).
3. Count the money: 1 quarter, 2 dimes, 4 pennies.
25 + 10 + 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 49 cents.
4. How many days are in 3 weeks?
3 x 7 = 21 days.
5. You have 3 quarters. Can you buy something that costs 80 cents?
No. 3 quarters = 75 cents, which is less than 80 cents. You need 5 more cents.