Measurement Teaching Resources
Is your math class ready to dive into length measurement, measuring objects, and more measurement practice? Say hello to printable measurement worksheets, games, and digital activities created by teachers for elementary teachers!
This collection of teaching resources was created by our expert math teachers to help students meet Common Core and state-level 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 math curriculum? Our teacher team knows what it’s like to suddenly teach a brand-new grade level, so we’ve put together a quick guide to teaching measurement!
What Are the 4 steps of Teaching and Learning Measurement?
Elementary students have to learn a long list of measurement concepts during their stint in elementary 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 inches or pounds. 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 — Finally, 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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A.M. or P.M.? 2nd Grade Time Game
Differentiate between events that occur in A.M. and P.M. times with an interactive self-checking digital learning game.
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Hours, Seconds & Minutes - Estimating Time Sort
Estimate activities that take about a second, minute, hour, and week with a printable unit of time sorting activity.
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Days of the Week Activity Sheets
Use these Days of the Week printables to introduce your students to basic calendar concepts like ordering days of the week, writing their names and more!
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Figuring Elapsed Time - Interactive Game
Determine the elapsed time between events and have fun with an interactive Elapsed Time game.
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Elapsed Time Word Problems - Worksheets
Solve elapsed time word problems and build telling time skills with printable time and elapsed time worksheets.
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Elapsed Time Riddle Worksheets
Calculate elapsed time to solve the riddles in this printable pack of elapsed time worksheets.
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Telling Time Printable Games for 2nd Grade
Help your students learn to tell time to the 5 minutes with this set of six printable Telling the Time games for 2nd grade.
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Elapsed Time Trivia Game
Play an interactive Math game show to practice telling time and calculating elapsed time.
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Estimate the Time - Math Worksheets for 1st Grade
Help your students understand and estimate time in seconds and minutes with a trio of Time Estimation worksheets for first grade.
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Analog Clock Test - 2nd Grade Telling Time
Administer an Analog Clock Test to determine mastery of second grade clock reading skills.
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Hunt & Find - Telling Time Clock Game
Tell time to the nearest minute with a Tell the Time Clock Game for 3rd graders.
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Time by the Minute - 3rd Grade Math Interactive
Practice telling time by the minute with an interactive Time-telling digital learning activity.
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Grade 5 Math - Time Conversion Chart
Help your 5th Grade math students learn to convert units of time with a printable Time Conversion Chart.
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How Long Does It Take? – Seconds, Minutes & Hours Worksheets
Estimate the duration of time it takes to complete an action with a pair of Seconds, Minutes, or Hours? Cut and Paste Worksheets.
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Reading a Calendar – Worksheet
Practice locating information on a calendar with a 2nd Grade Calendar Worksheet.
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Tarsia Puzzle - Telling Time for 1st Grade
Solve the tarsia puzzle and practice matching digital times with their corresponding word forms.
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Telling the Time Poster
Help your students learn to tell the time to the hour, half-hour, quarter, and minute with a printable Telling the Time anchor chart PDF.
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Days of the Week Poster
Display the days of the week with a bright and cheery Days of the Week poster for your classroom.
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Telling Time to the Minute Bingo
A set of 32 bingo cards using analog clocks to practice telling time to the minute.
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Elapsed Time on a Number Line Worksheets
Practice finding elapsed time using an open number line with a pair of differentiated elapsed time 3rd grade worksheets.
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Telling the Time Clock Template
Teach how to tell the time to the nearest five-minute increment with a hands-on printable clock template.
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Calculating Elapsed Time - Practice Sheets
Calculate time elapsed with a variety of scaffolded elapsed time table worksheets.
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Elapsed Time Anchor Chart - Printable
Show students how to calculate elapsed time on an open number line with a printable elapsed time anchor chart.
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Digital Clock Template
Print an interactive digital clock template to practice telling time during daily classroom calendar lessons.
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How Long Does It Take? – Sorting Activity
A set of 18 daily events for students to sort based on how long they take (second, minute, hour).
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Time to the Hour and Half Hour Match-Up
Match cards with three different representations of time to practice reading clocks and time in their written form.
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Months of the Year Playdough Mats
Use printable playdough mats to help your students learn to read and spell the months of the year.
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Days of the Week Playdough Mats
Use playdough mats to help your students identify, sequence and spell the days of the week.
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When Does It Happen? – Sorting Activity
Identify activities that happen in the morning, afternoon, and at night with a Time of Day Sorting activity for Kindergarten students.
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Time Conversion Dominoes
Practice converting units of time with a fun game of Time Conversion Dominoes!
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Area (Measuring Regular and Irregular Shapes) Interactive Activity
Assign this colorful area interactive activity in your next math class to help students practice measuring the area of regular and irregular shapes!
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Measuring Area Using Informal Units Interactive Activity
Use this set of ten interactive slides to help your students practice measuring the area of regular and irregular shapes using informal (square) units.
- Measurement Worksheets
- Measurement Games
- Measurement Posters
- Measurement Projects
- Measurement Templates
- Measurement for Pre-K
- Measurement for Kindergarten
- Measurement for 1st Grade
- Measurement for 2nd Grade
- Measurement for 3rd Grade
- Measurement for 4th Grade
- Measurement for 5th Grade
- Measurement for 6th Grade