4 fun and effective ideas for teaching time in French

Are you teaching time in French? Teaching French time can be so confusing for students. It’s not something we want to take a long time on, but it is still a necessary skill for any beginning French student.

If you’re a Core French teacher looking for some fun and engaging ways to teach the French time expressions, keep reading for some of my favorite activities.

No-prep worksheets for teaching time in French

Worksheets aren’t my favorite thing to do, but students have to have practice writing. Having a nicely organized set of activities makes it so much easier to plan fun lessons, and it helps students keep everything in order.

This packet is perfect for teaching time in French using a 12 hour clock. If you want to teach the 24 hour system, there are extension activities for that, too. Even if some students aren’t ready for that, it’s great to have the activities ready to go for those who are. It’s a really easy way to differentiate for all of your ability levels so that all students learn as much as possible!

The set of French time worksheets also includes a partnered speaking activity so students can practice asking for and telling time in French. Because they’ll get to listen and write the times as well, it’s an activity that uses a lot of different learning styles. The structured activity is designed just for beginning French students, because providing meaningful oral communication activities they can do is so important!

Puzzle pieces

Some students really learn best with movement, and when you’re teaching time in French, reaching a lot of learning styles is really important! Activities like using puzzle pieces can really help your kinesthetic learners as they put the times together. Sometimes I use puzzles as a whole-class activity, but often I’ll put them at a learning center where I might send students who need a little extra practice.

And a word on learning centers : They aren’t just for elementary students! I’ve had them in my middle school and high school classes with great success! I usually put a few activities per unit around my room to allow students to work on something a little harder, to get remediation, or to provide some hands-on practice. This is great for differentiating learning and letting students work based on their level and their interest.

French time Boom Cards™️

Students need lots of practicing listening to French, and what’s better than getting to listen to a native speaker even when you’re at home?

This set of French Boom Cards is a really engaging way to improve French listening comprehension skills. Because these digital task cards are self-checking, students get instant feedback, even when they practice from home! You can use them in class as an individual activity, on your interactive whiteboard with the whole class, or as homework.

Word wall for visual learners

Make sure there are visuals for students so they can get used to reading clocks. A lot of students struggle with the fact that there are different ways to say the same thing, so a handy visual can help them grasp that quatre heures quinze is the same as quatre heures et quart.

A word about analog clocks: Although we are in a much more digital age, reading an analog clock is still a skill kids need! Not every clock in public is digital, and there are times when pulling out a cell phone is not an option. When you’re teaching time in French, you may want to take time to review clock reading.