So when is the right time to teach our children to tell the time?

I remember my older brother teaching me one day. I think I would have been around 6 years old. He spent around 2 hours going through the basics but it was pretty confusing as a 6 year old to get the hang of those big and little hands.

It did take me a while to get it right. So why do we even need to read those old fashion watches when we have Iphones, Ipads and even Siri to tell us the time! We live in a digital age, where child are exposed to digital time on everything from microwaves to cell phones.

The skill of telling the time on an analog clock is receiving increasingly less value in this modern age. Is learning to tell the time still important for young people? Heck YES! Telling the time is a crucial life skill. As are the skills of making and keeping a schedule, knowing the days of the week or the months of the year.

So when Joanne from Jumpin' Jacks Toys asked me if Samuel; my 5 and a half year old wanted to trial an EasyRead Wrist Watch I jumped at the chance. First off here is a little about the watch.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This EasyRead Time Teacher Past & To Wrist Watch is an ideal first watch to help your child learn to tell the time. Its clear design and simple 3-step teaching system make it very easy for children to learn to read the time in terms of ‘minutes past’ and ‘minutes to’ the hour.

You can teach your child the 3 steps and they will quickly master this essential life skill, and gain confidence and pride in their achievement! 

The 3-step teaching system: easy to learn and remember.

Step 1: Read the number at the end of the long hand.

Step 2: Say “minutes to” if it’s pointing to the red side of the watch, or say “minutes past” if it’s pointing to the blue side.

Step 3: Read the number at the end of the short hand. Like this: 10…minutes to…2. It’s that easy!

Features:

Seiko PC21s Japanese made movement, battery installed Non-allergenic plating Stainless steel back Washable fabric strap Water resistant - can withstand splashing but not total immersion Fits all sizes up to small adult.

Our Review:

We received the watch with a grey strap and a changeable green strap which Samuel thought would be pretty cool to wear on Saint Paddy's day! We sat down one day when it was nice and quiet and there were no distractions so he could concentrate on what he was about to learn.

He already knew the numbers on the watch, so I explained the words TO and PAST in context (they are also in different colours on the watch) and reiterated to him what these meant. I then followed the instructions above and through the course of the day got him to read out the numbers at the end of the long hand, followed by either TO or PAST and then read the numbers at the end of the short hand.

He got the concept easy enough, and could confidently tell the time at the end of a few days of testing. He was so very proud to be wearing a 'big boys' watch. He wanted to show it off to all his friends and family which was great.

All up we found the watch very easy to learn. It looked great and I liked the fact you could purchase separate colour straps. I thought the price was very reasonable at $39.99. I love any product which makes learning easy and fun, and this watch was exactly that! I would definitely recommend it to my viewers as a wonderful way to teach your child the time the easy way.

Joanne has very kindly offered our viewers a 15% off discount.

Head to Jumpin' Jacks Toys to purchase. The coupon code to use is watch15