Measuring Length in cm and m

Method

1. Start with direct, hands-on comparison of real objects (which pencil is longer, which book is taller) before bringing in a ruler at all, so length is understood as something to compare before it is measured.
2. Introduce a ruler as a tool marked with equal-sized centimetre gaps, and show explicitly where the '0' mark is.
3. Fix the single most common ruler mistake directly: many children line the object up with the edge of the ruler rather than the 0 mark, which makes their answer too big. Always check the 0 mark sits exactly at the start of the object.
4. Practise measuring small, real objects (a pencil, a book, a hand span) to the nearest centimetre, reading off the mark where the object ends.
5. Move to a metre stick or tape measure for anything too long to measure sensibly in centimetres, such as a table or the width of a door, and explain that metres are simply a bigger unit for bigger lengths.
6. Compare two measured lengths using the words 'longer than' and 'shorter than' first, then move to the symbols < and > once the child is confident with the words.
7. Practise simple addition and subtraction with measured lengths (e.g. how much longer is one object than another) to connect measuring with the number work the child already knows.

Practice questions

Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.

Free printable worksheet