Measuring time

How can you measure time?

Time helps us know when things happen and how long they take.

You can describe measurements of time in:

• seconds
• minutes
• hours
• days

Quiz: Measuring time

Test out your knowledge of measuring time with this quiz, then read on to complete the page.

Different measurements of time

You can use different tools to measure time, such as a clock, a timer, or a stopwatch.

Short activities are measured in seconds, such as how fast you can do five star jumps.

Some activities take a bit longer, so you measure them in minutes, such as how long it might take to walk to the shops.

Longer activities might take hours, such as watching a film or spending a whole afternoon at the park.

Really long activities, such as going on holiday, might take days.

What are hours?

An hour is a way of describing a period of time.

An hour is a chunk of time that helps people break the day into smaller parts.

Activities such as playing a game of football, watching a film, or travelling on a plane often take hours.

You can also use hours to talk about when things happen. For example, you might:

• wake up at 7 o'clock in the morning
• have lunch at 12 o'clock in the afternoon
• go to bed at 8 o'clock in the evening

What are minutes?

Minutes are used when measuring shorter amounts of time, such as how long it takes to brush your teeth, solve a maths problem, or read a page in a book.

Minutes help people measure time in smaller chunks, making it easier for people to plan activities that don’t take too long.

What are seconds?

Seconds are used when measuring very short amounts of time, such as how fast you can clap your hands, wave hello or snap your fingers.

Stopwatches or timers are often used to measure seconds.

Example 1

Use a timer to see how long it takes you to hop one leg ten times.

Then, use a timer to see how long it takes you to do 20 star jumps.

• How long did it take and did you measure it in seconds or minutes?

• Which activity took more time and which took less time?