Measuring Things

What you need

• containers of varying shapes and sizes
• everyday objects of different weights and sizes
• butcher’s paper or chalk for the footpath/wall

What to do

Measuring Weight

Hold up a few everyday items that are different in weight and get your child to guess which is heavier by just looking at them. Then ask your child to place items in each hand and feel which is heavier. Have some larger items that are lighter and smaller items that are heavier. This way, your child will see that big doesn’t necessarily mean heavy.

Measuring Volume

Hold up containers of varying sizes and fill them with rice or water. Ask your child to guess which one has more rice or water. Pour the contents into equal sized bowls and see what happens!

Body Measurements

Trace around your child’s hand on paper and repeat every six months to see how much it has grown. Trace your own hand and get your child to look at the difference. Trace hands of your friends and family and find out which hand shapes are similar.

What they learn

Although a young child may not know what a kilogram, second or metre means, they can compare whether something is heavier, faster or longer than something else. This also encourages them into scientific learning, by predicting and then testing if their prediction is right.

Encouragement questions

• Which is bigger/fatter/skinnier/smaller/wider/longer/rounder/more colourful/etc.?
• Are there any the same size?
• Will the container grow? Will your hand grow?