Children arrive at preschool with an everyday understanding of measurement that starts in infancy.
Shoe comparison supports learning about measurement and comparing the lengths of items. Comparing how long things are helps prepare children to understand why we use standard units of measurement.
Have your child use a shoe as a measurement tool. Say, “Can you find four things in the room that are shorter than your shoe?” Use math vocabulary such as measure, compare, length, shorter, and longer to discuss the objects your child finds. Next, ask your child to find four objects that are longer than the shoe.
As you continue to build on your child’s knowledge of measurement, informal measurement and opposites reinforce your preschooler’s understanding of these concepts. Comparisons like:
• Big-Little
• Long-Short
• Near-Far
• Wide-Narrow
• Large-Small
• Thick-Thin
These can all be used to describe things in everyday life and considered a measurement concept. As your child begins combining concepts and building her vocabulary, you can springboard off of statements to deepen understanding. For example, “our table is long!” You can reply, “Can you tell me how long the table is? Let’s use the ruler (or your shoe or hand span) to figure it out.” You can then take your child from talking about a “long” table to a “five-foot” table.
For more ideas, this article offers classroom activities that can easily be used at home to engage children in measurements: https://dreme.stanford.edu/news/measuring-measurement-preschool-classroom.
Other measurement resources to check out:https://www.thoughtco.com/standard-unit-of-measurement-2086614https://www.startriteshoes.com/paper-measuring-gauge
