The two hands' race
The clock's short hand crawls to point at the hour while the long hand races around to mark the minutes. Reading a clock is learning that the two hands tell different parts of the same story — this hour, this many minutes in.
Two hands, two jobs
A clock face has two hands. The short, fat hand points to the hour. The long, thin hand points to the minutes. When the long hand points straight up to the 12, it is exactly o'clock. When it points straight down to the 6, it is half past.
The minute hand counts by fives
Each number on the clock is five minutes for the long hand: the 1 means five minutes past, the 2 means ten minutes past, and so on around the face.
Simulation · Clock reader
The clock reads 3:30
Move the hands and read the time. Notice how the hour hand creeps forward as the minutes pass.