
20 Clever Ideas for Teaching Measurement of All Kinds
- 1. Start with an anchor chart Measurement involves a lot of different terms and concepts. Make colorful anchor charts to help kids remember them all. ...
- 2. Begin by comparing sizes ...
- 3. Use LEGO bricks for non-standard measurement ...
- 4. Measure by the foot ...
- 5. Compare height with yarn ...
- 6. Snip lengths of pipe cleaners ...
- 7. Build a cityscape ...
- 8. Go on a measurement hunt ...
How do I measure successful teaching?
- Gamification
- Questions/Critical thinking (using Blooms Taxonomy)
- Socratic method
- Self-reflection/journaling
- Experiential learning model/Scenario based learning
- Having kids teach themsevles in small groups
- Panel presentation (group projects)
- Peer review and feedback
- Innovative feedback methods (speak in their language)
How should we teach kids units of measurement?
Teach Your Kids About Standard Units of Measurement
- Standard vs Nonstandard Units. A standard unit of measurement is a quantifiable language that helps everyone understand the association of the object with the measurement.
- Standard Units and Young Children. ...
- A Nonstandard Measurement Experiment. ...
- A Standard Measurement Experiment. ...
How to create a measurement plan?
Select the Right Measure (s) for Each Objective
- Answer key user questions about the organization’s performance towards strategic objectives
- Provide information needed to make better strategic decisions
- Are valid and verified, measuring what is intended
- Encourage desirable employee behaviors
- Avoid an undue data collection burden or other unintended consequences
What are the types of Educational Measurement?
- Diagnostic Testing. This testing is used to “diagnose” what a student knows and does not know.
- Formative Testing.
- Benchmark Testing.
- Summative Testing.

How to teach kids to measure?
Instruct kids to measure objects around the house or classroom using feet, hands, or small manipulatives, like magnetic tiles, buttons, or even pieces of candy! Encourage children to count the items they use to measure with to find the length or height of an object.
How to teach children inches and centimeters?
Once children understand length and the fact that objects can be measured, it’s time to introduce inches and centimeters. To understand this concept, use a readily available manipulative, like colored tiles. While you may use any object that measures 1 inch, colored tiles are typically 1 inch in length and width, making them an ideal choice for this lesson.
What do we measure in our daily lives?
Without even realizing it, we all use measurement in our daily lives all the time. We measure cups and teaspoons when we’re cooking dinner, and estimate distance and the time it takes to get someplace when we’re driving our cars. Many professions rely on measurement, from construction workers, to contractors, to doctors determining doses of medicine.
How to explain tile to kids?
Give the child a colored tile and explain that each tile is 1 inch in length. Next, have the child compare the tile to the length of small objects found around the room. For example, kids can use the tile to compare its length with paper clips, small toy figurines, peanuts, etc. After determining objects that are bigger or smaller than 1 inch, ...
What do 1st graders need to know to measure?
Measuring with Non-Standard Items. Measurements for 1st graders typically start out simply, as kids must learn that objects and liquids can be measured in the first place, before they can learn about the concept of centimeters or inches.
How to teach a child to jump?
Instruct the child to start at the line, and jump as far as possible. After jumping, the child will place the object in their hands to mark their spot.
How to do a scavenger hunt with a ruler?
This strategy is great because it gives kids plenty of practice using a ruler and measuring real-life objects! Create and print out scavenger hunt cards that contain different measurements to find, depending on the child’s ability. Give the child a ruler, and challenge him or her to find objects around the room that measure about the same as the measurements on the card. Once the child finds an object that matches a measurement on the card, he or she will check it off and continue until all the measurements are found!
Why is measurement conversion so hard?
Measurement conversions, especially, can be hard for students because it calls upon so many other math skills such as math operations, number sense. Students can often get lost in the “number weeds” as they try to go from customary to metric and back again. On top of that, there are several units of measure.
Why do teachers use task cards?
Task cards can be a teacher's favorite tool for giving students extra practice with a skill. They are so versatile. Put them at a center and have students work on them individually or use them for a whole-class game of SCOOT. Just having math problems on a task card instead of a worksheet gives students that feeling of a game - and it is much more interactive. I like to use a series of task cards for each measuring skill that students learn throughout my measurement unit.
Is there anything ground shaking about measurement?
It's hard to blame them. There's nothing ground-shaking about measurement. There's nothing exciting about metric vs. customary.
How to teach a child to measure their height?
Explain that it doesn't matter who measures, everyone will get the same result. Move around your home and measure similar objects, such as the television, sofa, or bed. Next, help your child measure their own height, yours, and each member of your family.
What is standard unit of measurement?
A standard unit of measurement is a quantifiable language that helps everyone understand the association of the object with the measurement. It is expressed in inches, feet, and pounds, in the United States, and centimeters, meters, and kilograms in the metric system.
What is volume measured in?
Volume is measured in ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons in the U.S. and milliliters and liters in the metric system. In contrast, a nonstandard unit of measurement is something that may vary in length or weight. For instance, marbles are not reliable for finding out how heavy something is because each marble will weigh differently than ...
What is a ruler for kids?
However, the ruler is a tangible object that can easily be transported and used to measure larger objects around you. Many kids even come to see it as a fun game.
Is a five foot table accurate?
"The long table," for instance, may describe a table of some length, but it doesn't say how long the table actually is. "The five- foot table" is far more accurate . However, this is something that children will learn as they grow.
What are some measures that students should be taught?
Another measure that students should be taught is elapsed time, which is how long it takes for something to happen. Stopwatches, timers, and clocks are used to measure time. One way that teachers can support student understanding of time is through consistent use of timers throughout the day.
What are some standard units of measure that students need to learn?
What are some standard units of measure that students need to learn? In the U.S., most people use customary units of measure, such as feet or pounds. Students need to be familiar with these, but metric units, such as meters and grams, are more commonly used in the rest of the world, in higher education, and by those who work in various fields of science. Regardless of the unit used, students should also know how to use measurement tools, such as a tape measure or a ruler.
What is a nonstandard measurement tool?
Nonstandard measurement tools are things that are not generally considered measurement devices but are used for measurement to help students understand basic measurement concepts and prepare them to comprehend conversions. Conversions are changes from one unit of measure to another.
What is conversion in math?
Once students comprehend using nonstandard measurement tools, they will be able to perform conversions. Conversions are changes to the form of measurement. For example, a student might measure the length of a book using a crayon. Then he would measure the length of the book using his foot. Will he need more crayons or more feet to measure the desk? How many crayons equals a foot? This line of thinking will naturally lead to the student being able to move easily between the different standard units of measure.
What is conversion in measurement?
Conversions are changes from one unit of measure to another. Anything of consistent size that's readily available can be used as a nonstandard unit of measure. As the student's conceptual understanding of measurement grows, students should be introduced to standard units of measure.
What are measurement tools?
Measurement tools such as rulers, scales, and stopwatches are used by students to experiment with measurement. Measurement activities that are relevant and exploratory in nature have the most meaning for students. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Create your account.
What are nonstandard units of measure?
Before introducing standard measurement tools , such as a ruler or a scale, students should understand the basic concepts of measurement using nonstandard measurement tools, which are things that are not intended to be used for measurement, such as the student's thumb, blocks, or erasers.
How to measure length of object?
Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
How many stations are there in a measurement lesson?
Before teaching, read the lesson and gather materials. Set up four stations for students to apply measurement concepts as described in the lesson - measuring height, length, weight and temperature.
What units are used to calculate length?
Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
What to ask students to reflect in their math journals?
Ask students to reflect in their math journals, comparing the lengths of objects or expressing similarities and differences.
Young Children's Developing Understanding of Measurement
Young children apply early concepts of measurement in many of their everyday activities. They compare sizes of toys and portions of food, their own height to another’s, the weights of two pumpkins, and the lengths of toy trains.
Supporting Measurement in the Preschool Classroom
Measurement applies some of the earliest mathematics that children learn, and there are many informal and formal opportunities to support this development in the classroom. In play, measurement is already very meaningful, particularly around fairness.

Standard vs Nonstandard Units
Standard Units and Young Children
- Young children might understand that the words “weight,” “height,” and “volume” are associated with measuring. It will take a while to understand that in order to compare and contrast objects or to build to scale, everybody needs the same starting point. To begin, consider explaining to your child why a standard unit of measurement is necessary. For example, your child likely understan…
A Nonstandard Measurement Experiment
- You can use two objects at home to demonstrate this concept: a table and a book. Both you and your child can participate in this measurement experiment. Holding your hand rigid, measure the length of the table in hand spans. How many of your hand spans does it take to cover the length of the table? How many of your child's hand spans? Now, measure ...
A Standard Measurement Experiment
- Once your child understands that hand spans are nonstandard measurements, introduce the importance of a standard unit of measurement. You might, for instance, show your child to a one-foot ruler. At first, don't worry about the vocabulary or smaller measurements on the ruler, just the concept that this stick measures "one foot." Tell them that people they know (grandparents, teac…