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 – Worksheet
Demonstrate an understanding of decimal representations while converting metric units of length with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time Practice Sheets
Practice reading analog clocks with this set of differentiated worksheets.
- Plus Plan
How Much Does It Measure? Interactive PowerPoint
An interactive quiz to reinforce a range of measurement concepts.
- Free Plan
Three Little Pigs Area Worksheet
A worksheet to practice finding area using square units.
- Free Plan
Mass Vocabulary Poster
A poster that explains the concept of mass and lists associated vocabulary.
- Plus Plan
Area and Perimeter Word Problems
Get students to solve area and perimeter word problems with this set of three worksheets for 3rd and 4th grade.
- Plus Plan
Informal Units Rulers
A set of rulers that use different sized, informal units to measure length.
- Plus Plan
Time Number Line (5-Minute Increments)
A time number line to use when teaching elapsed time.
- Plus Plan
Measuring with Dinosaur Footprints - Worksheet
A worksheet to use when exploring informal units of length.
- Plus Plan
Measuring Length with Informal Units - Worksheet
A worksheet to use when learning about measuring length using informal units.
- Plus Plan
Build a Calendar - Following Instructions Worksheets
Practice following directions and using a calendar with a pack of 12 printable calendar worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Kindergarten Measurement Worksheets - Comparing Length, Mass, & Capacity
Practice comparing units of mass, capacity, and length with a printable pack of kindergarten measurement worksheets.
- Plus Plan
The Number of Days in Each Month - Color By Code Worksheet
Help your little learners remember the number of days in each month with a color-by-code worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Elapsed Time Test
Assess your students' abilities to determine elapsed time to the whole, half, and quarter-hour with a printable Elapsed Time Test.
- 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
Telling Time to the Nearest Minute Test
Assess your student's abilities to tell time to the nearest minute with a Telling Time to the Minute Unit Test for 3rd Grade!
- Plus Plan
Months of the Year Bingo
Recognize and order the months in a year with a printable Bingo Game!
- 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
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
Differentiated Elapsed Time Worksheets for Beginners
Download a pack of differentiated Elapsed Time worksheets to help your students learn to calculate elapsed time in hours, half hours, and minutes.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Elapsed Time Riddle Worksheets
Calculate elapsed time to solve the riddles in this printable pack of elapsed time worksheets.
- Plus Plan
It's About Time! Telling Time Unit Introduction Slides
Introduce your students to the concepts and history of time and for investigate the relationship between units of time with an interactive teaching slide deck.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time to the Minute Bingo
A set of 32 bingo cards using analog clocks to practice telling time to the minute.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Telling the Time Clock Template
Teach how to tell the time to the nearest five-minute increment with a hands-on printable clock template.
- Plus Plan
Calculating Elapsed Time - Practice Sheets
Calculate time elapsed with a variety of scaffolded elapsed time table worksheets.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Calculate the Perimeter Interactive Activity
Teach students how to calculate the perimeter with this drag-and-drop digital activity, perfect for whole-class and individual learning.
- Plus Plan
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!
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
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.
- 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