Measure 30 — MATH 5

Time

Child shows understanding of the time sequence of routines and events and uses time-related vocabulary

The concept of time is abstract for young children, and the use of devices like clocks and calendars to measure time is difficult. Children begin to develop an understanding of time subjectively in relation to their own activities. Even very young infants respond to the timing of events in their immediate environments. As they grow and develop, children are increasingly able to represent and act out time sequences of familiar events, such as the steps in an everyday routine. They begin to place familiar events in time by the general time of day (morning or night) or in relation to some routine event; and they are aware of the passage of time, such as the duration of familiar events or the time in between events. They also begin to understand and use vocabulary related to time (such as “before,” “after,” “yesterday,” “today,” and “tomorrow”) and the conventions used to mark time (such as the days of the week and hours of the day).

For the very young infant, time exists only in the immediate present. Newborns follow their internal temporal rhythms of sleep-wake and hunger cycles. Young infants respond to events as they happen in the moment, and their responses show a growing sensitivity to the timing of immediate events. For example, they pre-form their hands in anticipation of grasping a toy, and they will look to a particular spot in anticipation of seeing a person or object reappear. As they develop and experience care-giving routines, infants begin to take part in the sequence of actions in familiar events, for example, by extending their arms toward their caregiver in anticipation of being picked up.

Toddlers demonstrate that they are aware of how familiar events, such as steps in a daily routine, are related in time primarily through their actions. A toddler might show that he anticipates the next step in his lunch routine by trying to climb into his highchair when he notices that food is being prepared. Older toddlers can carry out multiple steps related to a familiar routine, such as snack or lunch time. Furthermore, they begin to differentiate between the morning, midday, and evening meals by when those events occur in the course of the day, and they know the routines associated with different mealtimes. Older toddlers also begin to understand and use time-related vocabulary, such as “again,” “now,” “later,” “night,” and “day.” For example, a child who wants to play outside now can understand that she will be able to play outside later.

Young preschoolers’ knowledge of how steps in familiar routines are ordered in time is usually very accurate. They demonstrate, through their language and actions, that they understand the before-and-after relation between steps in familiar situations. They are able to carry out ordered steps in complex, extended daily routines; and they can act out familiar sequences of events in their play, such as pretending to prepare and serve a meal. Additionally, they are increasingly able to relate the parts of a familiar or routine event in order, such as describing a typical trip to the grocery store. In relating events, they begin to use temporal connectives like “first,” “then,” “before,” and “after” to clarify sequences. Preschool children also begin to be able to place events in time in relation to more extended timeframes. They tell about things that happened in the past and about things they might do in the future, using words like “yesterday” and “tomorrow.” However, they may not always be precisely accurate. A child might say “yesterday” to refer to any time in the recent past.

Across the preschool years, children’s knowledge and abilities related to time expand in scope and become more precise. Older preschoolers are capable of thinking about and describing larger scale time sequences. For example, a child might give a detailed, sequenced account of a recent special experience, such as a family fishing trip or a plane trip to Mexico. Additionally, older preschoolers can put pictures in order to represent familiar sequences, such as the order of events in his typical day. Preschoolers also begin to understand and use time-related conventions, including months, days of the week, and hours of the day. They talk about when routine events happen—“I go to bed at eight o’clock, after I brush my teeth”—and when upcoming special events will take place– “My birthday is on Saturday!”