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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Perimeter and Area Dice Game
Use this area and perimeter dice game as a math center activity when teaching area and perimeter to your 3rd and 4th graders.
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Busy Binder - Kindergarten Morning Work Activity Book
Review daily calendar, math, literacy, and fine motor skills with a printable kindergarten Busy Binder workbook!
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Blank Digital and Analog Clock Templates
Practice writing the time in digital and analog form with this set of blank clock faces.
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Free Telling Time to the Minute - Worksheet Pack
Practice telling time to the minute by writing the digital time and drawing the hands on analog clocks.
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Converting Units of Length – Worksheets
Demonstrate an understanding of decimal representations while converting metric units of length with printable conversion worksheets.
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Months of the Year Printable Activity Book
Create months of the year booklets to help your students identify, sequence and spell the months in a year.
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Measuring Area Using Informal Units Worksheets
Use this set of area worksheets to help your students practice measuring the area of regular and irregular shapes using informal (square) units.
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5th Grade Math Review – Test Prep Packet
Encourage your students to work through 8 pages of 5th-grade math problems while charting their progress to measure their success.
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Area And Perimeter Word Problem Task Cards
Use these area and perimeter task cards in your math centers to give your students practice solving real-world word problems.
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Measurement Scavenger Hunt Activity
Explore formal units of measurement and engage your students with an exciting Measurement Scavenger Hunt!
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5th Grade Geometry Test
Assess your students' skills with quadrilaterals, coordinate grids, and volume of solid figures using a printable 5th Grade Geometry Test.
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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!
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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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Measurement Conversion Game - SCOOT!
Grab a handy set of 24 measurement conversion task cards to use as a whole class scoot activity.
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Parts of a Clock Anchor Chart
Familiarize students with the analog clock face, hands and other parts of a clock with a printable poster created for the primary classroom.
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Telling Time Practice Sheets
Practice reading analog clocks with this set of differentiated worksheets.
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Comparing Mass With Balance Scales Worksheet
Practice comparing and contrasting the mass of objects as shown on balance scales with this set of mass measurement worksheets.
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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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Measurement Conversions - Length – Worksheet
Use ratio reasoning to practice converting length measurements with this worksheet.
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Elapsed Time Anchor Chart - Strategies
Teach your students how to tell elapsed time with multiple strategies using a printable Elapsed Time Anchor Chart.
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Area Worksheets
Practice finding the area of different shapes with this set of 4 worksheets.
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Customary Units of Measurement – Poster Pack
Use this set of customary conversion posters when learning about units of length, weight, and capacity.
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Mini-Mystery – Who Won the Race?
A fun, logic-based activity where students read clues to solve a mystery.
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Three Little Pigs Area Worksheet
A worksheet to practice finding area using square units.
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Volume Vocabulary Poster
A poster that explains the concept of volume and lists associated vocabulary.
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Area Worksheets (Metric Units)
Use this set of three measurement math worksheets to help your students understand the concept of measuring area in metric units.
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Roll and Write - Telling Time Dice Game
Practice telling time and have fun learning how to tell time with a Roll and Write Telling Time Dice Game!
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Which Unit? 3rd Grade Measurement Worksheets
Determine which customary or metric unit of measurement should be used to measure objects with a set of printable measurement worksheets for 3rd Grade.
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Choosing Units of Measurement - Length Worksheets (Differentiated)
Identify the unit of measurement needed to measure the length of an object with a pack of ‘Choosing Units of Measurement’ Worksheets.
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Measurement Worksheets - 3rd & 4th Grade
Practice measuring length, volume, capacity, time, and more with a printable pack of 3rd grade measurement worksheets.
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Length Measurement & Conversion - Differentiated Worksheets
Use differentiated metric measurement worksheets to practice identifying units, measuring, and converting metric units of length.
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Build a Calendar - Following Instructions Worksheets
Practice following directions and using a calendar with a pack of 12 printable calendar worksheets.
- 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