The Concept of Time in Children

As it is known, there are 3 dimensions in the world. These are categorized as length, height, and width. After Albert Einstein discovered the theory of relativity, physicists accepted time as the 4th dimension. While movement can occur in all directions in the first three dimensions, movement in time can only occur forward. Time, unlike other dimensions, is conceptually abstract. It cannot be seen or touched. There is no before or after. Time can only be experienced.

The concept of time in children is shaped by mental development and experience during the first 6 years of life. In this period, rapid progress is observed in children physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. As a child grows, they record everything they see around them in their mind, starting to make sense of and classify it. They begin to develop their comprehension ability with concrete (visible) concepts. Learning abstract concepts is more challenging for them. They try to learn abstract information by concretizing it.

Learning the past is easier. They struggle to learn the concept of time regarding today and tomorrow. The meaning of the words 'after a certain time' does not make sense to the child because their mind is not mature enough. The concepts related to time that should be taught in the Ministry of National Education's preschool education program are as follows: Before, now, after - Night, day - Morning, noon, evening - Yesterday, today, tomorrow.


The concept of time in children should be taught with age-appropriate plans. From the early years of life, regular sleep and eating habits should be established. These are things that need to be done consistently every day. Based on the fixed activities, definitions will be taught to the child before and after meals, and before and after sleep. Night and day are distinguishable concepts. They are used as references when teaching time. The concepts of yesterday, today, and tomorrow can be taught through the child's own experiences. Concepts indicating time, such as the game we played yesterday, the trip we will go on today, and the guests who will come home tomorrow, are addressed through practical examples. To express how time passes, the short and long hands of classic clocks are taught with the definitions of short and long (big, small).

How the short and long hands move over the numbers on the clock is taught to the child through various game activities while timing is kept. When planning with young children, limiting time expressions like 'in 10 minutes' or 'wait a second' can be confusing for them. Showing the clock, which they can see abstractly, and making definitions will help them understand the passage of time. Children typically acquire the habits of using time like adults by the ages of 10-12. At these ages, they reach a level where they can plan regarding time.