Use a paper plate or trace a round object on a sheet of construction paper and cut it out. (Your children might like to do this themselves.) Use a protractor or ruler to divide the clockface into five-minute segments, then write in the twelve points (hours) around the perimeter with a black felt pen (the ink will show through the crayon). Your children can write their own names in the center. Each child in your family might want a clock to call his or her own. 

Every evening, or whatever time you designate, children can choose their books and read aloud to you for five minutes. Observe a real clock to keep track of the time. When they have finished reading, let each child color in a segment on the dial, moving clockwise. The youngsters may want to use their favorite color crayon every time, or they may prefer to use different crayons to make their charts more colorful. If you'd like, reward your children when they have read an hour, perhaps with a few stickers, a new beginning reading book, or wristwatches with which they can keep track of their reading time. 

If you decide to make new clockfaces, hold on to the ones your children have completed, so they can track their progress. When they are ready, extend the reading periods to ten-minute segments. If you have a tape recorder, you can record your children's first reading segment (at twelve noon) and the last segment (twelve midnight), allowing them to listen to their own progress as well as watch it. With enough practice, they'll soon be reading like clockwork!

Materials: Plain paper plate or construction paper, round object to trace, ruler or protractor, felt pen, crayons