As a teacher's aide this author is often asked to help children who have difficulty with mathematics. Recently she was asked to help children from three different grades with their understanding of time. Although each grade had a different activity to undertake, all of the children struggled to grasp time-concepts that adults often take for granted. In this article, the author presents an historical account of time, a development of estimation strategies that draw on everyday experience, and the use of formal and informal units to assist primary students in grasping the issues surrounding the concept of time. (Contains 1 figure.)