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.
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Reading and Constructing Timelines Worksheets
Two pages of worksheets to use when teaching students about timelines.
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Volume Game — BINGO!
Play our BINGO volume game with your students to give them engaging practice finding the volume of rectangular prisms.
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Composite Volume Problems — ‘Prism Party’ Interactive Activity
Challenge your students with this composite volume problems interactive activity that provides nine levels of volume-finding fun!
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Volume Math Games — Composite Figures Match-Up
Challenge your students with volume math games like this composite figures match-up that will have them matching compound rectangular prisms with equations and volumes.
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Fun Volume Activities
Bring maths to life with these fun volume activities that will have students building prisms, going on a scavenger hunt and estimating volumes!
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Volume of Composite Shapes Worksheet
Reinforce essential concepts of volume with our volume of composite shapes worksheet full of real-world scenarios.
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Converting Units of Measurement Games — 'Construction Conversions' Board Game
Introduce converting units of measurement games like our “Construction Conversions” board game to help your students master conversions of metric length.
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Animal Shelter Operations - Metric Conversion Maths Task
Bring metric conversions into the real world with an engaging Animal Shelter Metric Conversions Maths Task.
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Informal Mass Choose and Use Cut and Sort
Learn the concept of informal units of measurement for mass with this choose and use worksheet.
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Measurement Maze Worksheets - Kindergarten/Foundation
Teach your students to compare tall and short objects with a printable set of Kindergarten Maths Maze Worksheets.
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Measuring With Informal Units Scavenger Hunt
Explore informal units of measurement and engage your students with an exciting Informal Measurement Scavenger Hunt!
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Which Unit of Measurement? - Length Worksheets
Identify the unit of measurement needed to measure the length of an object with a pack of ‘Which Unit of Measurement’ Worksheets.
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Year 7 Maths Test - Measuring Volume
Assess your students' skills with measuring volume using a printable Year 6 Volume Assessment.
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Time to 5 Minutes - Digital Learning Activity
Review how to tell time to the nearest five minutes with an independent Telling Time Digital Learning Activity.
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Order Up! Elapsed Time Puzzles
Practise determining elapsed time with a printable pack of nine Order Up! Elapsed Time Cut and Paste Puzzle Strips.
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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.
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Days of the Week Spelling Worksheets
Use these Days of the Week Spelling worksheets to help your students practise reading, writing, and spelling the Days of the week.
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Elapsed Time Word Problems Game
Practise solving elapsed time word problems with an interactive Year 3 maths game.
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Task Cards - A.M. and P.M. Time
Help your students tell A.M. times from P.M. times with a set of 24 A.M./P.M. task cards.
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Calendar Maths - Days and Months Task Cards
Teach your students about calendars, days of the week, and months of the year with a Classroom Calendar Scoot Game!
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Time to the Hour and Half-Hour - Digital Learning Activity
Read different clock faces to tell time to the nearest hour and half hour with an interactive slide deck.
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Elapsed Time Rulers
Use an elapsed time ruler to help your students determine the duration of time.
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Time to the Hour & Half-Hour Playdough Mats
Use playdough to practise telling time to the hour and half hour with printable playdough mats for early years.
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Hours, Seconds & Minutes - Estimating Time Sort
Estimate activities that take about a second, minute, hour, and week with a printable units of time sorting activity.
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Time to 5 Minutes- Colour By Code Worksheet
Tell time to the nearest five minutes and have fun with a Telling Time Colour By Code Worksheet.
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Telling the Time Clock Template
Start telling time to the nearest five-minute increment with a hands-on printable clock template.
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Telling Time to the Minute – Memory Game
Practise telling time to the minute with a printable time-to-the-minute game.
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Interactive Area Puzzle (Squares and Rectangles)
Find the area of 16 shapes on the board and match the corresponding pieces to reveal a mystery picture.
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Jack and the Beanstalk - Informal Measurement Worksheet
A simple worksheet using informal units measurement.
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12 Hour Clock Template
A template for an interactive 12 hour clock that displays hours, minutes and wording.
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Measurement Word Search with Solution
A fun word search to help your students learn measurement vocabulary.
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Using Units of Measurement Worksheets - Year 4
16 measurement worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
- Measurement Worksheets
- Measurement Games
- Measurement Posters
- Measurement Templates
- Measurement Projects
- Measurement Teaching Presentations
- 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