DIY Hand Clocks

Years ago, I went to a math workshop put on by Kim Sutton. There, she taught us to use hands to help kids remember to count by fives when learning to tell time on the analog clock. At the time, most people were still using analog clocks. Now that digital clocks are the norm, analog clocks are harder for kids to relate to.
I decided to revive the hands concept and my class made analog clocks with hands for the numbers. This is the one I made at the workshop. I am using magnets to hold it on my whiteboard.

Here is what the ones my students made look like. They are easy to make. Follow the steps below to make your own.

You will need some large pieces of construction paper, a protractor, or some other object that will let you create a circle, and some scissors to cut it out. I used a marker to draw the circle so that it was easy to see when I took away the tracer.

Next, you will need some hands with the numbers on them. For my original, I used a child's hand and traced it. This time, I created some hands that were ready for cutting. I printed them on regular paper, and then I enlarged them on the photocopier so that I had a size that I was happy with. You can decide what size you would like based on the size of your circle.
Cut out the circles and then place them on the construction paper circle. If you would like to have them stand out more, you can color them in.

When they are colored, you can laminate them so that they last longer. After laminating them, cut out the hour and minute hands. On my original, I just made arrows, but for these ones, I created some pointer hands. I made multiple sets on cardstock so that I had enough for everyone. Attach them to the clock with a brad fastener.

If you would like a copy of the hand numbers and the pointer hands, click here.