TICK TOCK · LEARN TOGETHER

AM and PM for kids: noon, midnight and everyday times

A clock with twelve numbers goes around twice in a full day. That means its hands can show 7:00 in the morning and 7:00 in the evening in exactly the same way. AM and PM tell us which half of the day we mean.

AM starts at midnight

AM begins at 12:00 midnight and continues until just before 12:00 noon. Seven in the morning is 7:00 AM. One after midnight is 1:00 AM, even though it may still be dark. Do not teach AM simply as “when the sun is out”.

PM starts at noon

PM begins at 12:00 noon and continues until just before the next midnight. One in the afternoon is 1:00 PM. Seven in the evening is 7:00 PM. Both afternoon and evening belong to PM.

The two twelves

• 12:00 noon = 12:00 PM. This starts the second half of the day.
• 12:00 midnight = 12:00 AM. This starts a new day.

Using the words “noon” and “midnight” alongside the numbers makes these boundary times easier to explain. A full day has 24 hours: 12 in the AM half and 12 in the PM half.

A same-clock game

Set the teaching clock to 7:00. Tell one story: “It is seven in the morning.” Ask your child to choose AM or PM. Keep the hands exactly where they are, then change the story to “It is seven in the evening.” What changed? The story tells us the half of the day; the clock hands alone cannot.

Try the seventh lesson

Choose AM & PM in the app’s learning trail or the Pick your adventure menu. Explore Morning, Evening, Noon and Midnight to see the matching labels, then answer five untimed questions with hints. The final question checks a useful idea: after midnight and before sunrise is still AM.

Explore AM and PM on the teaching clock → · More tips for parents