Clock Shop

Clock Shop is a telling-the-time game for children from four to ten. An owl in round spectacles runs the shop, and one by one the customers come in — a fox, a bear, a rabbit, a panda and twelve more, all drawn in a bright, friendly style. Each one brings a clock and shows the time they need on a little card: a digital display, or for the youngest players a picture from the day, like sunrise, lunch or bedtime. Drag the big hands round until the clock matches and ring the bell on the counter. The hour hand follows the minute hand just like on a real clock, so children feel how the two hands move together. When the time is right the customer's clock chimes, the cuckoo pops out and every clock on the wall has a little dance.

Three tiers grow with your child. 4+ sticks to o'clock and half past, with the hour hand highlighted and nothing to read. 6+ brings quarter past, quarter to and five-minute steps, with a ring of minute numbers round the dial. 8+ goes to the exact minute, asks how long it is from one clock to another, and matches 24-hour times to the clock face with a little sun or moon window. Sometimes the customer's clock is already set and you pick the right card instead. The owl never writes anything down: he points at the hand that needs a nudge and taps his wristwatch while you think, and the very first time a new kind of customer appears, an animated hand shows how it is done.

There is nothing to lose. A wrong answer just wobbles the clock while the owl points the way, and after a second try he shows the right time and the next customer comes in. Ten customers make a round, every round ends with confetti and a sticker for the sticker book, and the first round of the day earns a daily sun sticker as well. A learned meter for each tier fills up as you go. Rounds are quick, the music box is gentle and nothing is ever timed, so it is a relaxed little brain workout rather than a race. Progress is saved on your own device.