Children's Clocks

The market around children’s clocks is such that at every different age group they have a different and updated option in terms of the clockface itself and the levels of design included. In short, the intention behind any child-friendly design, particularly around practical household items, is to make the item look more appealing and more interesting – drawing the children in and helping them engage with learning and development.

Clocks for very young children

One thing we often find is that despite buyers assuming younger children will enjoy and have the most in terms of vibrant designs and characterisation, there is in fact a fine line between drawing their eye to the clock with their favourite colours and characters, and distracting them from being able to understand and learn the true purpose behind the clock.

Some of the best clocks for very young children are in fact very simple in terms of design, sometimes choosing one key character to sit in the centre, whose arms become the hands of the clock which swing around. This style of character-usage allows the parent to assist their child’s learning with key phrases such as “what number is the monkey’s left hand point at?” – kickstarting their child’s developing by using characters and phrases they understand. The number meanwhile are often large and brightly coloured on a clock designed for young children, to help them stand out and to drive home the importance of numbers when it comes to reading the time.

Clocks for children in school

Once your children get to school age, learning to tell the time is one of the first things they will master – and so this is where clocks start to get a little more interesting and vibrant in terms of their design as children as less likely to become distracted and confused. Clocks for children aged 6 and upwards can afford to be more innovative in terms of their design and their overall shape – featuring all manner of popular characters and even designed to hang in a certain shape – for example the shape of a popular jungle creature or a house.

It is important that these clocks still rely heavily on numbers for telling and reading the time, to continue to train and help your children develop their ability to tell the time further – finding it easier the more they are asked to look at a regular clock.

Clocks for older children

Once your children become older, they can start to explore the value of digital clocks as well as standard clock faces. These provide children with the time in number format which is easier to read – with most clocks offering both a 12 hour and a 24 hour clock option for your own preference. These clocks tend to have alarms factored into them for ease of use and come in a whole range of designs according to your child’s age and their own preferences. Some of our favourite digital clocks feature built in lights, with some even featuring radio connections as well.

When it comes to buying the right clock for your child, it is important to understand how their exposure to the clock will aid their development. Make sure you hang the clock at a height that they can easily read, and make it something that they are regularly asked to look at. Make telling the time interesting and exciting, and make sure you adapt the design of the clock as they grow to support their developing mind. The best early clocks can be found in baby retailers, while toy stores and department stores stock a whole range of clocks for older children.