Measuring lines with ribbons is the activity we need for our preschoolers.
Do you have leftover ribbon or string from the holidays? We can set this preschool measuring activity faster than we can pour ourselves a cup of hot coffee in the morning.
Sounds ambitious, I know.
Well, fear not, it’s true. We call these Breakfast Invitations, and they are a great way to introduce such an important early math skill as we wake up slowly and begin our day with play.
RELATED: SIMPLE ideas such as this are found on our activity cards.
Introducing measurement to our preschoolers can begin with play.
Here, we have a simple set up that invites our children to discover nonstandard measurement.
The ribbons have fun designs that almost instantly captives a preschooler’s attention.
Since our preschooler is interested in what is in front of him, he is more likely to be engaged with problem-solving and testing each length.
RELATED: Here are 50+ kid activities for the home that invite play into your every day!
There are many ways to practice nonstandard measurement.
- Measure capacity with water
- Discover capacity using pom poms
- Introduce length with magnetic tiles
- Measure the length with glass globs and washi tape
There are just so many creative ways to introduce measurement with simple hands-on learning play prompts!
Supplies to get measuring
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- White paper roll
- Ribbon
- Markers
- Scissors – We use these kid’s scissors
Your set up will take 5-10 minutes tops.
- Begin by cutting a couple of different strips of ribbon in various lengths. Be sure to have each length different from the rest.
- Draw a line on the paper to match each ribbon.
- Set all ribbon aside. I like to layout each strip so my preschooler can begin to problem-solve.
Allow your preschooler to take some time investigating what the set up is asking them to do.
Prompt if needed. “I wonder if any of these ribbons are the same length as the lines.” “How could we tell if the line and the ribbon are the same lengths?” “Are all the ribbons the same length?” “Let’s take a look.”
Allow your preschooler to begin matching the ribbon to the lines shown.
REMEMBER: it is important to guide your preschooler to the start of the line. This preschool math activity will begin to introduce concepts of measurement and ruler placement.
What’s the big idea with this preschool measurement activity?
By Kindergarten, children will be asked to describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
Students will also be asked to compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common to see which object has “more of”/”less of” the attribute and describe the difference.
You can begin to introduce some of these concepts now on a preschool level!
