Developing Length 1: Introducing: One Metre

Vocabulary

metre

compare, longer than

shorter than

about the same as

Hints and Tips

The activity below helps your child to understand how long a metre is by comparing it with common objects. That is the main objective of this activity.

This step comes before using the metre measure to measure lengths.

Use both a stick, piece of stiff card or an actual metre ruler but also use a piece of string or ribbon that is one metre long so your child has practice of measuring around things and also realises that measuring is not just about straight lines.

We start with one metre as that is the standard measure for length. All other length measures are multiples of or parts of a metre.

It is important to say one metre instead of a metre. As adults we know this is the same thing but your child is not mathematically able enough at this point to know that.

 

Essential Prior Knowledge

Know length is a measure of distance.

Activity

Activity One

A good place to start is with your child's body.

It is useful for your child to be able to compare parts of his/her body with a metre.

Measure the following:

With arms outstretched, place the metre measure at the point of one hand and see how far across the other out stretched arm the metre measures.

Then place one end of the metre measure on the floor and see how high up your child's body it reaches.

 

Now place the metre on the floor and ask your child to do a long step that reaches as near to the metre length as possible.

 

This activity can be repeated as your child grows as the places on their body will change.

 

Activity Two

Use both the stiff metre measure and the string/ribbon for this activity.

Either take one large piece of paper divided into 3 columns or 3 smaller pieces. 

Label the columns/sheets of paper as follows:

Less than/shorter than one metre, About the same as one metre and More than/longer than one metre

Using both types of measure, your child should compare objects inside or outside to the measures.

Use this activity as an opportunity to discuss your child's thinking and probe how they are making the decisions about the comparisons.

You or your child should record the objects in the correct column or on the correct sheet. This recording can be by words or drawings.  To personalise this further you could take photographs of your child using the metre measure beside the objects, print the photographs and then stick them in the relevant column or on the relevant sheet.