Units Of Measurement

Our Length Activities For Kindergarten, Pre Primary & EYFS Kids  Teaching Resources will help build and explore EYFS measuring skills. Get some hands-on non-standard units of measurement lessons to make measuring length, mass and capacity a breeze!

Before kids are introduced to measuring length using formal measuring tools like rulers and tapes, they need to be taught the essential skills and steps of the measurement process, known as non-standard measurement.

Non-standard measuring is the foundation of all measurement concepts that Kindergarten and Pre-primary students need to be taught. Because this doesn’t involve reading a ruler, the students can focus on how measuring works and how to use units of measurement.

Read on to find out what you need to know about length and teaching Non-Standard Measurement For Kindergarten & Prep kids.

Teaching Length in Kindergarten & PrePrimary

To build a deep understanding of the measurement process and the skills needed to measure accurately kids need to practice measuring using informal non-standard units like pop sticks, paper clips and blocks.

So what is nonstandard measurement?

Non-standard measurement is using an informal unit to measure objects. It’s used by students in Foundation Stage, Kindergarten, Nursery, Reception and Year 1. The purpose of non-standard measurement is to focus the child on key measuring skills rather than reading tricky scaled instruments. Non-standard measurement skills included learning to:

• select the right tool to measure the object being measured
• select the same unit and not different units when measuring an object
• measure without gaps or overlaps
• start and end the measuring in the right spots
• measure it straight
• be precise

These are universal skills that apply to all measurement concepts. In the context of teaching Length to Kindergarten and Prep Students teaching programs should focus on:

• using everyday language to compare 2-3 objects:
  • long, longer, longer than, longest
  • short, shorter, shorter than, shortest
  • tall, taller, taller than, tallest

• Using direct comparison to compare objects. This involves placing two objects side by side, lining them up, to see which is longer.
• Using indirect comparison of two lengths – using a non-standard unit e.g. counters, cubes, paperclips, to decide which object is the longest or shortest
• Estimating – encourage students to estimate their answer before completing the task, then review their guess, discussing how to make a good estimation

Below you will find a library of hands-on, play-based activities created for Kindergarten and Preprimary students measuring length using non-standard units.