Measuring with hands and spoons

Ages 3 to 5 Read and do together · about 10 minutes

Read together

How long is the table? Let us measure with hands.

How much water fits in the cup? Count the spoons.

Do it

1. Measure the length of a table in hand spans. Put one hand after another and count.
2. Measure the cup with a spoon: pour spoonfuls from a bowl until the cup is full. Count.
3. Measure again with your hand and compare. Is the answer the same? Why not?
4. Say “long”, “short”, “tall”, “full” and “empty”.

Talk about it

• Why did we get different numbers?
• What else can we measure?

For the grown-up

Measuring with hands and spoons teaches that we count units. Different hands give different numbers, which is why people agreed on standard units such as centimetres and cups. You can show a ruler next.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

This is a play and practice activity with no factual claims to source.

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.