Measuring Concepts and Activities for Primary Children By Amanda Thompson

Stages of Measurement Development

Stage 1: Plays and Imitates Children play and imitate adults and older children by using measuring sticks or rulers, exploring with scales, working with measuring cups and spoons, and observing different temperatures. As children dump, pour, and explore sand, water, beans, and other items; they begin learning about volume. As children lift and move things; they are learning about weight. When children begin to realize that other people are shorter or taller than them; they are learning about length. They also learn about length when they are not able to reach something they want and have to enlist the help of someone else. Children learn about temperature through food experiences (where food is hot or cold), preferences on the temperature of bath water, and deciding what clothing to wear based on the temperature outside.

Stage 2: Makes Comparisons As children begin to see differences in items; they begin to compare them. Children first use comparisons that do not require numbers. This includes bigger/smaller, heavier/lighter, taller/shorter, and hotter/colder.

Stage 3: Uses Arbitrary Units Children begin to see a need of explaining how big or small an item is. This leads to the child using nonstandard or arbitrary units to measure objects. This means objects such as paper clips, marshmallows, pencils, etc. are used to help define the measurement of that object. For example: “5 coffee cups of sand fit into this big bucket!” For example: “The desk is 10 paper clips long.” Children count the number of arbitrary units, and towards the end of this stage, record the information. As children explore with arbitrary units, they learn concepts needed to understand standardized units. (foot, inch, pound, cup)

Stage 4: Sees need for Standardized Units Through exploring with nonstandard or arbitrary units, the child begins to see a need for standardized units. They begin to understand that to effectively communicate a measurement, they must use the same unit as the other person. This is learned though following recipes, building models, and many other daily activities.

Stage 5: Uses Standardized Units Child begins to use and understand standardized units of measure such as inch, foot, meter, pint, gram, degree, minute, hour, and pound.

Measurements of Length The units of inch/foot and centimeter/meter are introduced in grade 1. Children begin using these units of measurement in grade 2.

Activities for Measurements of Length: Encourage young children to make comparisons. Point out who is taller/shorter and what is longer/shorter during everyday activities. Compare how: far the children can hop, a ball rolls, and how high a block tower is built. Then begin making measurements of items using everyday materials. For example: “This graham cracker is 2 marshmallows long!” “The ball rolled as far as 3 sticks.” About first grade children begin understanding the need for standardized measurements. “Are all the sticks (marshmallows, etc.) the same?” Through this the units of inches and feet can be introduced. About second grade children begin measuring objects using inches and feet.

Measurements of Time Standard units of time are introduced gradually starting in preprimary, but not accurately measured until the end of primary or later.

Activities for Measurements of Time: Young children begin to learn about time through informal exposure to the language of time such as later, tomorrow, last night, yesterday, first, next, and soon. Young children can learn more about time through the use of a daily schedule or routines. This helps children to predict what and when certain things will happen and also helps them understand time duration. They also learn about time as they sequence stories or events. Adults can help children with time concepts by listening and expanding on what they say. For example: A child says he went to the beach last night. The teacher may reply: Yes, you went to the beach last summer. Use calendars to sequence time and learn the names of the days of the week and months of the year. This can also be used to keep track of special days and when certain things will happen. Children begin learning to tell time in first grade. Skills needed to tell time are learned over many years and experiences with clocks.

Measurements of Volume The Standard units of volume is introduced in the second grade.

Activities for Measurements of Volume: Young children begin to learn about volume as they dump, fill, and pour materials. This can be sand, water, rice, or other materials. Children then begin to make comparisons stating that something holds more, less, or the same amounts of the materials. Adults can encourage children to make comparisons by talking to the child about what they are doing while filling containers. Next children begin using nonstandard units to measure how much of something a container will hold. This is seen when children state that the bucket will hold 6 coffee cups of sand. Children can be encouraged to begin counting and recording this information. In the second grade children begin to use standardized units to measure volume. This is practiced when following recipes or giving everyone the same amount of something.

Measurements of Weight Standard units of weight are introduced in third grade.

Activities for Measurements of Weight: Children begin to understand concepts of weight as they pick up and move items. Adults can talk to children about items and if they are heavy or light. Children also learn about weight through experiences with teeter-totters. Children can use balance scales to notice and compare the weight of objects. Children can be encouraged to make the scale balance by adding more materials to one side of the scale. This leads to children using arbitrary units to measure the weight of an object. This is seen when a child explains that a rock weighs 8 pinecones. The child is introduced to standardized units of weight in the third grade. They then begin using pounds and grams.

Measurements of Temperature Standard units of temperature are introduced in grade 2, but children are well beyond primary years when accuracy is achieved.

Activities for Measurements of Temperature: Children begin to learn about temperature as they experience hot and cold foods, temperature of their bath water, and the weather. Adults can expand on these experiences by discussing the temperature and the child’s preferences. Children begin experimenting with thermometers and how different thermometers are used. (outside to measure the temperature outdoors, inside to measure temperatures indoors, and in the mouth (or new ones that are used on the forehead or temple) to measure body temperature. Imitations of this can be seen as children pretend play and measure someone’s temperature or fever. It is also seen in pretend play when children “read” the temperature outdoors to determine their clothing. Children learn temperature units in second grade, but it is beyond primary age when children can accurately measure and understand temperature units.

Measurements of Money Introduction of measurements of money begins in preprimary, but value is not really understood until the end of primary.

Activities for Measurements of Money: Children have early experiences with coins and bills and children are often able to identify bills and coins prior to primary grades. This is due to children’s experiences purchasing (and observing adults purchasing) materials. Children imitate this by playing store and paying for items with pretend money. Children may even “pay” someone for services such as fixing the house or babysitting. Children’s understanding of money can be expanded by having the child count money and pay for items at stores and during play. (Adults can set up a store and have children purchase items. First starting with pennies. Then adding pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars as children’s understanding increases.) For older children understanding of money can also be enhanced through playing games such as Monopoly. Children’s understanding of money value is not understood until the end of primary.

Measurements of Area Measurements of area are mainly informal during primary age, but important for visual representation of multiplication.

Activities for Measurements of Area: In first grade, area is introduced informally and with nonstandard units. This could include activities where the number of squares (area) of shapes is found. This activity could use shapes where the squares are marked, or could use shapes where the child finds the number of squares using counters. Eventually area activities tie in with multiplication in the third grade.