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.
- Free Plan
Converting Units of Length – Task Cards
Use ratio reasoning to convert the length of metric and customary units with this set of 24 task cards.
- Plus Plan
Up, Up, & Away! Volume of Rectangular Prisms – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Practice calculating the volume of rectangular prisms with this Google Slides interactive activity.
- Plus Plan
Interactive Perimeter Puzzle
Play this perimeter game with your class so they can practice calculating the perimeter of a variety of 2D shapes.
- Plus Plan
Determining Elapsed Time-Word Problems Worksheet
Print an elapsed time word problems worksheet to provide students with practice measuring the passage of time.
- Plus Plan
Perimeter and Area Poster
A poster that explains and compares the concepts of perimeter and area.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time - 1st Grade Math Coloring Sheet
Practice telling time to the hour and half hour with a fun Telling Time Color By Code worksheet!
- Plus Plan
Telling Time Task Cards - Hour & Half-Hour
Practice telling time to the hour and half hour with a set of printable Telling Time Task Cards.
- 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
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.
- Plus Plan
Seasons, Days, & Months of the Year Spelling Worksheet
Spell the days of the week, months of the year, and the four seasons with a printable Spelling Homework sheet.
- Plus Plan
Days of the Week Spelling Worksheets
Use these Days of the Week Spelling worksheets to help your students practice reading, writing, and spelling the Days of the week.
- Plus Plan
What Can You Do? 1st Grade Time Printables
Help your students understand time increments with a pair of cut-and-paste math worksheets for first grade.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time to 5 Minutes- Color By Number PDF
Tell time to the nearest five minutes and have fun with a Telling Time Math Coloring Page.
- Plus Plan
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!
- Free Plan
Converting Units of Length – Worksheet
Demonstrate an understanding of decimal representations while converting metric units of length with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Customary Units of Measurement – Poster Pack
Use this set of customary conversion posters when learning about units of length, weight, and capacity.
- Plus Plan
Metric Units of Measurement – Poster Pack
Use this set of metric conversion posters when learning about units of length, weight, and capacity.
- Plus Plan
Measuring to the Nearest 1/4 Inch – Match-Up Activity
Practice measuring objects to the nearest ¼ inch with this match-up activity.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time Knockout
Practice telling time to the minute by reading analog and digital clocks with this competitive whole-class Telling Time Knockout game.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time to the Nearest Five Minutes - Interactive Activities
Read different clock faces to the nearest 5 minutes.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Perimeter Worksheet
Use these perimeter worksheets in your math lessons when teaching your students how to apply various formulae to calculate the perimeter of shapes.
- Free Plan
Problem Solving Worksheet - Measurement
A problem solving worksheet involving measurement.
- Plus Plan
Today Is… Calendar Worksheet
Start your day with a morning calendar review using our printable daily calendar math template.
- Plus Plan
Measurement Conversion Worksheets - Units of Time
Use a set of printable measurement conversion worksheets to practice converting units of time.
- Plus Plan
Days of the Week Word Scramble
Unscramble the names of the days in a week with a printable word scramble worksheet!
- Plus Plan
Following Directions Worksheets - Reading a Clock Review
Practice telling time to the half-hour, quarter-hour, and five-minute mark with a pack of printable Following Directions worksheets.
- Free Plan
Informal Times of Day - Kindergarten Time Worksheet
Help students learn about time with a set of printable Informal Times of Day worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Converting Time Word Problems Worksheets
Develop problem solving skills set of printable multi-step time conversion worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Elapsed Time With Analog Clocks – Worksheets
Determine how much time has passed with this collection of elapsed time worksheets.
- Plus Plan
4th Grade Elapsed Time Word Problems - Task Cards
Solve different types of elapsed time word problems with a set of printable 4th-grade Elapsed Time Task Cards.
- 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