How it works
These measurement for kindergarten worksheets start before the ruler. Two bars begin at the same line, and the child circles the longer one. Later sheets ask for the shorter bar and for a length counted in squares.
Read the full guide
Compare first
The page opens on Which bar is longer? Bars of 2 to 10 squares. Both bars start at the same line, so the child only has to look at where each one ends. The short-bar sheets are easier, and the sheets with two long bars are close calls. How many blocks longer is the top row? asks for the difference.
Then count units
On How many squares long? Bars of 2 to 10 squares a row of squares sits under each bar, touching, with no gaps and no overlaps. The number of squares is the length. That is the idea a ruler is built on, and Common Core places it in first grade.
- Use the words aloud: longer, shorter, the same length. The sheet practices the looking; the talk teaches the words.
- Follow a sheet with real things: two pencils on a desk edge, lined up at one end.
- Now and then every answer on a sheet is the same letter. Press Make a new sheet for another one.
Questions and answers
What measurement do kindergartners learn?
Comparing. Common Core and the Texas standards both ask kindergartners to compare two objects directly, see which has more or less of something such as length, and describe the difference. Measuring with a unit comes in first grade.
Do these sheets need a ruler?
No. Nothing here is measured in inches or centimeters. The child compares two bars by eye, or counts the squares printed under a bar to say how long it is.
Is there an answer key?
Yes. The key prints as the last page with the right letter or number under each picture. To print the sheet alone, untick Answer key before you press Print.
Are weight and capacity on these sheets?
No, only length. Heavier and lighter, or holds more and holds less, are best done with real things: two bags to lift, two cups to fill.