Children enjoy exploring and investigating household objects they see in their everyday lives. Extending on this idea, provide your child with an opportunity to use a tape measure to measure and compare objects from around your home.  

What You will Need 

There are two units of measuring objects; length, width, or height. You can use standard or non-standard units. Measuring with non-standard tools means measuring with blocks, pencils, hands, etc. Measuring with standard units means measuring objects with centimeters, inches, feet or meters. For this activity we will use standard units to measure objects around your home. 

 

Engaging with Your Child 

This activity will introduce your child to learn the concept of standard units of measure, recognize relationships between attributes of objects, and enhance vocabulary of measurement when comparing the attributes of different objects e.g. inches, taller, shorter, wider, and more narrow. You can begin this activity by giving your child a chance to explore the tape measure and how to use it. You can ask your child “I wonder how many inches the chair measures?”. Once your child measures an object, use that opportunity to show them how to count the numbers on the tape measure to calculate how many inches the object measures. Allow them to take the lead and explore the measurements of multiple objects. Once they have measured multiple objects, ask them to compare the objects by asking them which object they think is taller, shorter, wider or more narrow. Children’s early understanding of measurement begins when they are able to compare objects to each other.  

 

Tip: If your child is able, have paper and writing utensil available to record the measurements of objects.