How to make a paper plate clock | Mum In The Madhouse

How to make a paper plate clock

Whether you are teaching your children to tell the time or just want a great craft activity, a paper plate clock is an excellent way to get talking about time as you make one.  Both my boys have analogue watches and use them too.

paper plate clock

These paper plate clocks have so many uses, from helping children to tell the time, to uses to let them know when an activity will start and end.

This simple paper plate clock craft for kids helps them learn numbers and tell the time! It requires very little materials and is quick to make!

Before you can even start working with a paper clock, your children must understand three essential skills:

  • They must be able to count from one to sixty.
  • They must be able to count by fives.
  • They need to know the difference between morning, noon, and night.
clocks

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What you need:

  • Paper Plates
  • Split Pins which are sometimes called Paper Fasteners
  • Pen’s or crayons
  • Card
  • Paper numbers stickers (for younger children)
  • Scissors

How to make a clock out of a paper plate

  1. Cut out the hands from contrasting card, making one longer than the other for the minute hand.
  2. Place the numbers round the clock, this is easier if you to the 12, 3, 6 and 9 first.
  3. Make a small whole in the center of the plate for the hands and use the split pin to secure
Whether you are teaching your children to tell the time or just want a great craft activity, a paper plate clock is an excellent way to get talking about time as you make one

Variations – You can use two paper plates like we did to make lift up flats and put the minutes underneath.  Alternatively you can add them to the outer rim of the paper plate and colour the minutes past one colour and the minutes too another colour.

If you don’t have any paper plates then you could use our paper plate clock template printable and stick to some cardboard. The real secret is the moveable hands and for that you need split pins.

Free clock printable

Free clock printable from Mini Eco.  If you don’t even feel like making your own clock, then you can print off one of Kate’s free printable here.

Make a paper plate clock for learning to tell time

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