Measuring Length and Perimeter
Level 1
At Level 1, students should acquire the skills to use informal units of measurement to order objects based on
The following activities can be used by parents at home to assist their child’s learning:
Building a Veggie Garden:
Measuring the height of plants
growing over time includes children
in day to day activities around the
house such as building and caring for
a veggie garden. Students can use
Non-standard measurements of
length to measure their plants to
record how they grow over weeks
and months. Making activities
meaningful and related to real life
situation engages children and helps
them make sense of these concepts.
House hold items that can be used as Non-Standard measurements of length:
length.
Measuring height of family
members:
Give your child a piece of string
(however long or short you like) and
ask them to measure all members in
the family and record it on a piece of
paper. The person being measured will
lay on the ground. Ensure the child
begins measuring at the persons feet
and finishes at the top of their head.
Repeat for each member of the family.
Once results have been recorded talk
with your child about which member is
“shorter” or “longer” or “about the
same length”. You can also introduce
words such as “taller” and “smaller”
when talking about height.
Measurement scavenger hunt:
Give your child 5 household items
(spoon, pen, TV remote, paper clip,
skipping rope etc.) ask them to find
you one thing that is longer and
short than each object. When
discussing with children what they
could find encourage them to use
words such as longer, shorter and
about the same length to
familiarise them with vocabulary
related to measurement.
Misconceptions about length:
• When children measure objects using informal measuring tools,
often they do not align them correctly which leads to a inaccurate
measurement.
• *Note for parents*
Students at level 1 do not need to understand how to use formal
measurement tools such as rulers or measuring tapes. Continue to use
informal measuring tools found around the house for the suggested
tasks.