From the Toysit archive
Magnet Learning Clock
Picture a blue magnetic clock board with a yellow dial, movable hands and daily activity pictures, then plan a three-stop puppet day.
The play at a glance
A day of small events around a bright clock
A yellow clock face fills the top of this blue Magnetic Time Teacher board. Red numbers circle the dial, a short red hand and a long blue hand point across it, and little activity pictures and writing spaces continue below.
The earlier Toysit account describes a laminated magnetic board with movable hands, write-on/wipe-off fields and activity icons that can be placed around the dial and along a time line. That combination gives a pretend day two forms: a clock showing a moment and a row of pictures telling what happens next.
Connect a clock to a little story
The different hand colors provide something concrete to point to while discussing a chosen time. Begin with a whole hour: place the long minute hand at 12 and the short hour hand at the hour you want to show. Let an adult help with the hands and reading the time.
Alongside that clock, a picture can stand for an event: a meal, a game or a visit. Three pictures in a row create a simple sequence to tell aloud. Use the supplied icons according to the set’s directions, or draw separate paper pictures for your own events.
Try a three-stop puppet day
This original Toysit activity needs a puppet or an imagined character, paper and something to draw with.
- Choose three pretend events for one day: perhaps a puppet breakfast, a song rehearsal and a story visit.
- Draw an invitation for each event. Add a whole-hour time with an adult’s help and say whether it belongs to the morning, afternoon or evening.
- Arrange the invitations in the order the puppet will visit. Set the board’s hands, or sketch a clock on paper, for the first invitation.
- Act out the first event, then change the clock for the next stop. Tell the whole day in order.
For a second round, move one event to a different time and rearrange the invitations. Talk about what now comes before it and what comes after it.
Leave room for the storyteller
A player can choose the events and speak for the puppet while someone else helps with the times. A paper clock and three drawings are enough for the same story. For writing on an original board, use only materials specified by its own instructions.
The historical record
Original Toysit coverage
The original product account and commentary are preserved below as historical coverage.
Magnetic time learning resource
Help young children understand time using familiar activities from a typical day. Colorful laminated magnetic board is 12 inches wide and 16 1/2 inches high and features a full-size clock face with moveable clock hands, write-on/wipe-off fields, and activity icons. Activity icons can be placed along the clock dial and time line to show the seuqence of events in a child's day. Great for home or school acitivity center use.
Learning clocks serve as an invaluable educational tool, helping children grasp the essential life skill of telling time in an engaging and interactive manner. Far more than just a toy, a learning clock offers a hands-on experience that allows kids to manipulate the clock hands, understand the divisions of an hour, and become familiar with terms like 'o'clock,' 'quarter past,' and 'half past.' This tactile interaction is much more effective than merely observing a regular clock, as it appeals to a child’s kinesthetic learning style. Many modern learning clocks also come with colorful visuals, interactive quizzes, or accompanying apps that make the learning process even more dynamic and personalized. Understanding how to tell time has wider cognitive benefits too; it's an introduction to basic math concepts like fractions and counting by fives, and it helps children develop their spatial reasoning skills. Additionally, it's a gateway to learning about broader time concepts like days, months, and seasons. Mastering time-telling early on can boost a child's confidence and independence, empowering them to take charge of their own schedules and activities. Therefore, learning clocks not only make telling time fun but also lay the foundation for a variety of critical thinking and practical skills.
Sources and editorial notes
The original Toysit image and description are retained. Research located the Learning Resources LER0574 Magnetic Time Teacher name in its indexed Clocks & Time workbook and a matching retailer description, but the original activity guide was not recovered. The 12-by-16.5-inch dimensions and surface description remain attributed to the original account. Hand gearing, marker compatibility and an exact edition match were not established. The archive’s discussion of apps and learning benefits is broader commentary. This original puppet activity makes no testing or learning-outcome claim.
- Original Toysit image — Existing same-site photograph reviewed and retained unchanged.
- Original Toysit coverage — Complete original product account and historical commentary preserved.
Images and descriptions are retained as historical material. How Toysit covers toys.
Created for Toysit by Tabbloza — the artwork in our header.