Elementary school teachers invest a lot of effort into teaching students about the concept of time. Think of all there is to learn about time - seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Let's not forget about the concept of past, present and future, as well as before and after.

Teaching children about the concept of time enables them to be more responsible and independent. For example, with knowledge of time, children grasp what is meant when mom is yelling "be ready in 10 minutes!" It also helps them understand how much time must be set aside daily to tackle homework.

Although mastering the concept of time doesn't generally develop until the later elementary years, there are ways you can encourage your child to understand time better as follows:

Time a task. Have your child select a task to complete and time it. This could involve drawing a picture, reading a page from a book, completing a math problem, jumping up and down 25 times, or eating a bowl of cereal.

Provide an estimate. Have your child estimate how many minutes they think it took to complete the task.

Share the results. Help your child to see how close their estimate was to the actual time it took. Repeat this activity while performing a variety of tasks. Estimating and verifying time will help your child to better gauge time. Consider providing your child with a non-digital watch for tracking time.

Use a calendar. Children enjoy hearing about times past, such as stores about their parents' misadventures. They also like to envision upcoming events, such as birthdays and holidays. Help your child map out events on a calendar. Doing so will teach them about sequential events - about the past and the future.

These activities will help your child to be competent with understanding time on a clock and a calendar.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com at http://www.myguidesusa.com, you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life's major events. Whether you're planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you'll find answers to your questions at www.MyGuidesUSA.com.

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