Measurement Teaching Resources
Is your maths class ready to dive into length measurement, measuring objects and more measurement practice? Say hello to printable units of measurement worksheets, games and digital activities created by teachers for teachers!
This collection of teaching resources was created by our expert maths teachers to help students meet Australian Curriculum standards. Each printable and digital download has undergone a rigorous review by the teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure they’re student-ready — so you can cut down on lesson planning time!
New to teaching this part of the maths curriculum? Our teacher team knows what it’s like to suddenly teach a brand-new year level, so we’ve put together a quick guide to teaching measurement!
What Are the 4 steps of Teaching and Learning Measurement?
Students have to learn a long list of measurement concepts during their time in primary school, including:
- length
- liquid volume
- elapsed time
- mass (weight)
- area
- volume of three-dimensional figures
The good news for teachers: Most measurement concepts have very real-world applications for students. That means there's a whole world of ways to get students excited about reading a ruler or tape measure or weighing heavy objects on a scale.
But before you can get there, let's start with the basic steps to work through when you're teaching students how to measure ... well ... anything!
- Direct Comparison — One of the earliest steps of learning measurement is learning the attributes that are being measured. For example, students need to learn what length is if they're ever going to measure it. That's where direct comparison (and step 2, indirect comparison), come in. If you put 2 objects side by side, students can directly compare which is longer and which is shorter and start to understand how to measure an object.
- Indirect Comparison — What happens when you can't directly compare two objects? You can add a third as a reference point for indirect comparison, thereby increasing student understanding of the attribute being measured.
- Measuring With Non-Standard Units or Informal Units — Just as students need to understand the attribute of measuring, they also need to understand the concept of the units we use to measure such as metres or litres. Using non-standard units is the first step to teaching the concept of units, offering students the chance to work with different objects, counting how many of these 'units' it takes to make up another. This is the fundamental base of measurement.
- Measuring With Standard Units — In the final step of teaching measurement, students move on to using the formal units of measurement and learn to use measurement instruments.
Why Is Teaching Measurement Important?
There are concrete uses for learning measurement that will surely spring to mind — from using a tape measure to measure a space in a home to weighing ingredients when baking to determining the capacity of a juice glass before pouring in the liquid. These are all means for quantifying our environment.
But the benefits of teaching students about measuring lines with a ruler or figuring out mass measurements from largest to smallest go well beyond the obvious. Learning to measure helps students develop spatial and number skills.
- Free Plan
Finding Volume – Differentiated Worksheets
Practise finding the volume of rectangular prisms and cubes with this set of differentiated worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Same Perimeter, Different Area Word Problems – Worksheet
Practise solving multi-step word problems involving objects that have the same perimeter but different areas.
- Free Plan
Connecting Volume and Capacity Posters
A set of three posters to help with connecting and converting units of volume and capacity.
- Plus Plan
Measuring and Converting Time – Teaching Presentation
Learn how to measure and convert time with this 14-slide teaching presentation.
- Plus Plan
12 Hour Clock Template
A template for an interactive 12 hour clock that displays hours, minutes and wording.
- Plus Plan
Capacity Maths Investigation - Bath Time at the Farm!
A mathematics investigation involving capacity, embedded in a real-world context.
- Plus Plan
12 and 24-Hour Time Puzzle Pops
Build batches of tasty ice lollies with a maths centre to match 12 and 24-hour times.
- Plus Plan
Reading and Constructing Timelines Worksheets
Two pages of worksheets to use when teaching students about timelines.
- Plus Plan
Volume Poster
Display our volume poster in your classroom to give students an easy reference for the volume formula and related vocabulary.
- Plus Plan
Ordering Mass Cut and Paste Worksheets
Assist students in their knowledge of simple mass with these heaviest to lightest cut-and-paste worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Heavy vs. Light Roll and Colour Activity
Explore items and decide which is heaviest and lightest in this fun and engaging roll and colour activity.
- Plus Plan
Sports Day Dilemma - Metric Conversions Maths Task
Engage students with a real-world application of measurement conversions with Sports Day Dilemma, a metric conversion maths task!
- Plus Plan
Days of the Week Activity Mat
Review the order and spelling of the days in a week with a printable Days of the Week Activity Mat!
- Plus Plan
Following Directions Worksheets - Reading a Clock Review
Practise telling time to the half-hour, quarter-hour, and five-minute mark with a pack of printable Following Directions to Tell the Time worksheets.
- Plus Plan
A.M. and P.M. Matching Game
Identify what happens in the A.M. and P.M. times with a fun matching game.
- Plus Plan
Time to the Hour and Half Hour Match-Up
Match cards with three different representations of time to practise reading clocks and time in their written form.
- Free Plan
Time Unit Conversions Dominoes
Practice converting units of time with a fun game of Time Conversion Dominoes!
- Plus Plan
Year 3 Telling Time Game
Practise representing time to the minute on analog clocks, digital clocks, and word form with this Year 4 telling time board game.
- Plus Plan
Perimeter of Composite Shapes Maze
Use this perimeter maze when teaching your students how to calculate the perimeter of composite shapes.
- Plus Plan
Measuring Perimeter with Informal Units Worksheet
Use these perimeter worksheets to give your students practice finding the perimeter of rectangles.
- Plus Plan
Printable Rulers for the Classroom
Excite your students about mastering precise measurements with these printable centimetre rulers.
- Plus Plan
Area of a Triangle - Maths Game
Practice finding and comparing the area of a triangle with a game of WAR!
- Plus Plan
Clock Labels – 'Past' and 'To'
A template to display around your classroom clock that highlights 'past' and 'to' terminology.
- Plus Plan
Time Maths Investigation - The Sands of Time
A mathematics investigation about measuring time, embedded in a real-world context.
- Plus Plan
Jack and the Beanstalk - Informal Measurement Worksheet
A simple worksheet using informal units measurement.
- Plus Plan
Measurement Word Search with Solution
A fun word search to help your students learn measurement vocabulary.
- Free Plan
Days in Each Month Poster
A poster showing the number of days in each month.
- Plus Plan
Months of the Year Poster - Southern Hemipshere - No Christmas
A poster displaying the months of the year.
- Plus Plan
Months of the Year Poster — Southern Hemisphere
A poster displaying the months of the year.
- Plus Plan
Mass Maths Investigation - How Much Do We Throw Away?
A mathematics investigation about measuring mass, embedded in a real-world context.
- Plus Plan
Time Dominoes - Five Minute Intervals
Practise telling time to the nearest 5 minutes by matching 32 analogue and digital clock dominoes.
- Plus Plan
Word Problems for Volume Task Cards
Present these word problems for volume task cards to your students to give them practice solving volume problems with real-world context!
- Measurement Worksheets
- Measurement Games
- Measurement Posters
- Measurement Templates
- Measurement Teaching Presentations
- Measurement Projects
- Measurement for Preschool/Kindergarten
- Measurement for Foundation Year
- Measurement for Year 1
- Measurement for Year 2
- Measurement for Year 3
- Measurement for Year 4
- Measurement for Year 5
- Measurement for Year 6
- Measurement for Year 7