3rd grade telling time worksheets

The kind of problems you'll get

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on each sheet

• Fluency. Write the time shown on each clock. 9 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

At the nearest minute, the move is fives then ones: skip count to the numeral before the minute hand, then count the single ticks. Have your child say it aloud (40, 41, 42) before writing 11:42. Watch the minutes column too: seven minutes past six is 6:07, and that zero is easy to drop.

Watch for: Kids read the long hand as the hour because it's the one that stands out. The short hand always tells the hour, so find it first, then count minutes with the long hand. Kids call 4:45 five o'clock because the hour hand has moved past halfway. The hour stays 4 until the short hand actually reaches the 5.

Common questions about telling time

How exact do the answers need to be?

To the minute. Third grade clocks can show 11:42 or 6:17, so the answer key expects the exact time. That's a good reason to count the single ticks instead of rounding to the nearest five.

What if my child is still slow with the five-minute marks?

Drop back to the second grade version of this skill for a few sheets. Reading to the minute is just fives plus ones, so once the fives feel automatic the rest comes quickly.

Related worksheets

• 1st grade telling time A step easier, same skill
• 2nd grade telling time A step easier, same skill
• 3rd grade elapsed time Same grade, nearby skill
• 3rd grade making change Same grade, nearby skill
• 3rd grade measuring length Same grade, nearby skill
• Telling time, all grades The full progression
• All 3rd grade math worksheets Every skill at this level
• All 3rd grade worksheets Everything at this level