Telling time to the hour means reading an analog clock when the minute hand points to 12 and the hour hand points to a number. Times are expressed as '_____ o'clock'.
A clock has two hands that move around a circle of numbers from 1 to 12. The short hand is called the hour hand, and the long hand is called the minute hand. When you are learning to tell time to the hour, you only need to pay attention to one rule: look at where the long hand (minute hand) is pointing. If it is pointing straight up at the 12, the clock is showing exactly an hour.
Once you know the minute hand is at the 12, you look at where the short hand (hour hand) is pointing. Whatever number it points to is the hour. If it points to 3, the time is 3 o'clock. If it points to 7, the time is 7 o'clock. The number the hour hand rests on is the answer — say it followed by "o'clock."
Think of the clock like a scoreboard that updates once every hour. Every time the minute hand makes one full trip around the circle, the hour hand moves forward one number. You already know how to count to 12, which means you already know all the hours a clock can show. The hardest part is learning which hand to read — remember: the short hand tells the hour, and right now you only need to look when the long hand is straight up at 12.
To practice, say the hour number out loud and finish with "o'clock." If the short hand is on 9, say "9 o'clock." If it is on 1, say "1 o'clock." When the short hand is between two numbers, the clock is not showing an exact hour yet — that will be something you learn later when you study half hours and minutes.