Measuring the House with a Tape Measure
Guess first, measure second, and find out by how much you were off.
Measuring the House with a Tape Measure is a Montessori activity for a child aged 6 to 8 years. Area: Early Math. Time: 20-30 min.
What the activity builds
Use a standard unit of measurement, and compare an estimate to an actual result.
The materials
- A soft tape measure, or a seamstress's measuring tape
- A sheet with two columns: "I think" and "I measure"
- A pencil
How to do it, step by step
- Choose five objects together to measure, of very different sizes.
- For each one, they write their estimate in the first column first.
- They measure it next and write the result in the second column.
- Compare the two columns, without commenting on the gaps.
- Roll up the tape measure, and keep the sheet.
The parent's role
Show once, then step back. Estimating before measuring is what makes this worthwhile: without it, measuring is just reading off numbers. The gaps aren't for commenting on, just noticing, and they narrow on their own over the sessions.
Safety
A metal tape measure snaps back sharply and can cut: a cloth seamstress's tape is safer. Don't measure anything that requires standing on a chair, and never measure around the neck or fingers.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: three objects, with simple markers, shorter or longer than a ruler.
- Harder: measure the perimeter of a table, or the height of a door.
- Extension: order the five objects from shortest to longest based on their measurements.
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