Ticking Clocks and Turning Calendar
Class 4 · Mathematics
4 ideas in Class 4 Mathematics, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Leap Years
Part of: The calendar
Most years have 365 days and February has 28 days. Every fourth year gets one extra day on 29 February, so that year has 366 days. These are called leap years. For example, 2028 is a leap year because 2028 is in the four-year jump after 2024.
Why it matters. A calendar is used for birthdays, festivals and school plans. Knowing about leap years helps children count days correctly and understand why a birthday on 29 February comes only once in four years.
Try it in two minutes
- Show a calendar and find February. Count the days together.
- Tell your child that every fourth year February has one extra day. Ask: how many days does that year have?
- Start from a leap year such as 2020 and count in fours: 2024, 2028. Ask your child to say the next one.
Try at home. Ask your child to find the next leap year after this year by counting in fours.
Days, Weeks and Dates
Part of: Days, weeks and dates
A week has 7 days, so a day repeats after 7 days. If today is a Monday, the next Monday is 7 days later. A date such as 09/11/2023 is written as day, month, year and is read as 9 November 2023.
Why it matters. Children use dates for birthdays, homework and plans. Knowing how weeks repeat helps them work out what day an event falls on and compare dates with confidence.
Try it in two minutes
- Open a calendar and pick any Sunday. Ask: what is the date of the next Sunday? Add 7 to check.
- Ask: if today is Friday, what is tomorrow, and what was the day before yesterday?
- Write your child's birthday as DD/MM/YYYY and ask them to read it aloud in words.
Try at home. Ask your child to find the dates of all Saturdays in this month and spot the pattern.
AM, PM and the 24-Hour Clock
Part of: Reading the clock
A clock shows 8:00 twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. We write AM for the time from midnight to noon and PM for noon to midnight. A digital 24-hour clock does not repeat: after 12:00 noon it goes 13:00, 14:00 and so on up to 23:59. For PM times, add 12 to the hour, so 3:00 PM is 15:00.
Why it matters. Train, bus and school timings use AM, PM or the 24-hour form. Without them it is easy to mix up morning and night.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child: which time do you wake up, in AM or PM? And what time do you sleep?
- Show a digital clock at 4:30 PM and say it as 16:30. Show how 4 plus 12 is 16.
- Call out times from the day and ask your child to say them in both ways.
Try at home. Ask your child to write the times of three daily activities in both AM/PM and 24-hour form.
Hours and Minutes
Part of: Hours and minutes
One hour has 60 minutes. Half an hour is 30 minutes and a quarter of an hour is 15 minutes. To find a finishing time, add the minutes step by step. For example, 25 minutes after 5:50 is 6:15, because 10 minutes take you to 6:00 and 15 minutes more reach 6:15.
Why it matters. Children plan their day using time: how long homework takes, when a bus arrives, when a show ends. Reading and adding time helps them be on time and manage activities.
Try it in two minutes
- Look at a clock face and show 15, 30 and 45 minutes past an hour. Name them quarter past, half past and quarter to.
- Ask: if it is 4:10 now, what time will it be after 20 minutes?
- Time an everyday job such as brushing teeth and say how many minutes it took.
Try at home. Ask your child to work out what time the dinner will be ready if cooking starts at 7:10 PM and takes 35 minutes.
What your child will practise
- AM, PM and the 24-Hour Clock: Candy Quest (Flip and Match)
- Days, Weeks and Dates: Candy Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Days, Weeks and Dates: Space Order (Put It In Order)
- Hours and Minutes: Desert Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Leap Years: Time Sort (Sort It Out)
- Quiz: AM, PM and the 24-Hour Clock (8 questions)
- Quiz: Days, Weeks and Dates (8 questions)
- Quiz: Hours and Minutes (8 questions)
- Quiz: Leap Years (8 questions)