In this activity, your child will use interlocking blocks to begin to understand measurement and compare how long or tall common household objects are.
Learning Area(s): Math
MATERIALS
- Lego® or Duplo® blocks, or other interlocking blocks of the same size
- Household items of different heights to be measured
- Piece of paper
- Marker
LET'S PLAY
Talk with your child about the idea of measuring. You can explain that measuring is a way of figuring out how tall, long, or big something is. Your child has probably been measured at the doctor’s office. Sometimes we use a ruler or a tape measure to measure things, but we can use other things too, like Duplo® blocks! The important thing is that all the Duplo® (or Lego®) blocks you use for measuring have to be the same size. Together, you are going to use the blocks to measure the height or length of different objects in your home.
Let your child help you find about five things in the house to measure. They could be different sized toys, decorative items, kitchen items, etc. Gather together the household objects to be measured.
Beginning with the first object, use the Lego® or Duplo® blocks to determine how tall it is by snapping the blocks together to the exact height of the object. Together, count how many blocks it takes to match the height of the item from bottom to top. If measuring the length or how long an object is, line up the Duplo® or Lego® blocks end-to-end along the length of the object.
As your child is measuring each object, you can ask your child to predict: “Will this be taller or shorter than the last object?” Then count the blocks. You can ask, “Which object used more blocks?” and “Which one used fewer blocks?” or “Which of these objects is the tallest? The shortest?” Using the paper and marker, make a simple chart with a drawing of each item in the left column and record the number of blocks used to measure it in the right column. Together, you can look at the chart and compare measurements of the items.
TIPS
- Make sure you have enough blocks to reach the height of your tallest object, otherwise you will not be able to measure it! If you are using Lego® blocks to measure, you will need to measure smaller objects or have LOTS of blocks. You can measure larger objects with Duplo® blocks because these blocks are bigger.
- Before beginning to measure each item, you can ask your child to predict how many blocks high an object will be.
- If you do not own Lego® or Duplo® blocks or a similar set of connecting blocks, you can do this activity with large paper clips linked to each other. Just make sure all paper clips are the same size. You will hold up the chain of paper clips from the floor or table to match its height to the object.
- To get your child interested in the idea of measuring things, you might want to start by reading a book with this theme, such as: Inch By Inch by Leo Leonni or Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy.
- Many children like playing with a tape measure that pulls out and retracts. You can help your child to use the tape measure by showing her the markings for inches and feet and measuring larger things around your house. Be sure to supervise and teach your child how to use this tool safely so that it does not snap back and hurt her.