Measurement Worksheet: Big to Small & Hand Measurement Fun!
Ranking objects from biggest to smallest teaches children to make and justify comparative judgments, while the hand-measurement activity introduces the idea of using a non-standard unit, their own hand, to measure length, both foundational concepts before children move on to rulers and standardized units. This combination suits ages three to five well, since it keeps measurement concrete and physical rather than abstract.
Part of the pack
Month 8: English, Math, Science | Ages 6-7Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Look at the objects in the first row together and ask your child which one looks biggest and which looks smallest before they mark the numbers 1 through 3. Have them write '1' next to the biggest object, '2' next to the middle one, and '3' next to the smallest, repeating this for each row on the page. For the second part, look at the hand image and ask your child which objects on the page seem about the length of a hand. Have them draw a line connecting each of those objects to the hand image.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Crayons
Extension activities
- •Go on a size hunt around the house, finding objects and ranking them from biggest to smallest.
- •Measure a few household items using your child's actual hand span, counting how many 'hands' long each one is.
- •Compare your child's hand size to an adult's hand and talk about why they're different.
- •Use a ruler or tape measure on the same objects afterward and compare the results to the hand measurements.
Tips for parents and teachers
Ask your child to explain their reasoning when ranking sizes, 'Which one is bigger? How do you know?', since verbalizing the comparison strengthens the underlying logic more than simply marking the right order. When measuring with hands, expect some inconsistency in results, and use that as a gentle introduction to why we eventually need a standard unit like a ruler.
Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Every RaisoActive worksheet is designed and checked by the founder before publishing.
Published · Last reviewed
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