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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Reading a Calendar Worksheets
Practice reading a calendar with a pack of printable monthly Calendar Worksheets.
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Elapsed Time - Math Maze Worksheets
Find start times, end times, and time elapsed to find your way through our printable Elapsed Time Math maze worksheets.
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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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3-Act Math Tasks - Time Conversion Worksheets
Practice problem-solving skills and time conversions with a printable pack of 3 Act Maths Task worksheets.
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Telling the Time - Clocks to 5 Minutes Task Cards
Practice reading clocks to determine time to the nearest 5 minutes with a set of telling time task cards.
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Time to the Minute - Color by Code Worksheet
Review how to tell time to the minute with a fun Color By Code 3rd Grade math worksheet.
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1st Grade Telling Time Game - Mystery Reveal
Practice telling time to the hour and half-hour with an interactive Telling Time Game for first grade.
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What Does the Clock Say? - Telling Time Game
Solve the math riddles to find the clocks that show the correct time with a fun Time to 5 Minute Telling Time Game.
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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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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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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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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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Months of the Year - Ordering Worksheet
Practice ordering months of the year with a pack of printable months of the year worksheets for kindergarten.
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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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Perimeter of Composite Shapes Interactive Activity
Get students to answer perimeter questions with this interactive digital resource, perfect for lesson introductions and wrap-ups.
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Capacity vs. Volume - Poster
A poster explaining the difference between capacity and volume.
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Area and Perimeter Haunted House Project
Design your own haunted house and practice finding the perimeter and area of rectangular figures with an exciting Halloween Math Activity!
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Area of a Triangle – Differentiated Math Mazes
Use the area of a triangle formula as you work your way through this set of differentiated math mazes.
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Converting Units of Length – Board Game
Engage your students with a lively board game while practicing how to convert customary and metric units of length.
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Build Your Own Theme Park – Project
A STEM project embedded in a real-world context.
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Measurement Conversions - Length – Worksheet
Use ratio reasoning to practice converting length measurements with this worksheet.
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Riddle Me! Converting Units of Length – Worksheet
Use ratio reasoning and measurement conversion skills to complete a set of 3 riddle worksheets.
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Measuring to the Nearest 1/4 Inch – Match-Up Activity
Practice measuring objects to the nearest ¼ inch with this match-up activity.
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I Have, Who Has? – Measuring to the Nearest Quarter Inch
Practice measuring objects to the nearest ¼ inch while playing this whole-class game.
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Nearest Inch, 1/4 Inch, 1/2 Inch Sorting Activity
Practice measuring to the nearest ¼ inch, ½ inch, and inch with this set of 20 sorting cards.
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Telling Time Board Game
Practice representing time on analog clocks, digital clocks, and word form with this board game.
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Telling Time to the Minute – Memory Game
Practice telling time to the minute with this set of 30 match-up cards.
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Four in a Row Game - Telling Time to the Hour and Half Hour
Students match analog and digital clock times on their game board to tell the time in 30 minute and hour increments.
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Find the Perimeter of Rectangles Worksheet
Use these perimeter worksheets for 3rd grade and 4th grade students to give your students practice finding the perimeter of rectangles.
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Telling Time Practice Sheets
Practice reading analog clocks with this set of differentiated worksheets.
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How Much Does It Measure? Match-Up Activity (Length, Mass, and Capacity)
A set of 18 match-up cards to reinforce measurement concepts of length, mass, and capacity.
- Measurement Worksheets
- Measurement Games
- Measurement Posters
- Measurement Templates
- Measurement Projects
- 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