What is Elapsed Time?
Elapsed time is the amount of time that passes from the start of an event to the end of that event.
It's like when you start watching your favorite show at 4:15 PM and it ends at 5:00 PM - the elapsed time is 45 minutes! We use elapsed time every day to plan activities, know how long things take, and manage our schedules.
How to Calculate Elapsed Time
1️⃣ Identify the start time and end time (like 2:30 PM to 4:15 PM)
2️⃣ Count the hours first (from 2:30 to 4:30 would be 2 hours)
3️⃣ Adjust for minutes (but we stopped at 4:15, so we subtract 15 minutes)
4️⃣ Final answer: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Let's Practice Together!
Example 1: Movie Time
If a movie starts at 3:20 PM and ends at 5:05 PM, how long is the movie?
Start: 3:20 PM
End: 5:05 PM
Try calculating:
Example 2: Basketball Practice
Your basketball practice starts at 4:45 PM and lasts for 1 hour and 30 minutes. What time does it end?
Start: 4:45 PM
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
What time does practice end?
Parent Tips 🌟
- Use real-life examples: Calculate elapsed time during daily activities like cooking ("The cookies need 15 minutes - let's see what time they'll be done!")
- Make a time journal: Have your child record start and end times of activities and calculate the duration.
- Play "Time Detective": Give your child start times and durations to find end times, or end times and durations to find start times.