For this activity you need a pair of balance scales, a  number of cubes, small bricks, marbles or coins and some small toys. The idea is to weigh the small toys by using the bricks/marbles. Pick up a small toy, hold it and make an estimate, or guess, as to how many cubes will balance [...]

Here is another simple idea to help children understand measuring capacity. At this early stage non standard units of measurement are used eg a cup or a glass full rather than the standard litres and ml. You need a small saucepan and a selection of different cups, mugs, glasses etc. Try to avoid containers which [...]

Whether it is snakes, ladders or trousers, there are plenty of opportunities on these worksheets to use the language of measurement, in this case, longer and shorter. Being able to correctly compare different lengths is vital before actual measurement using standard units is introduced later. Use these pages as a starting point for comparing lengths [...]

Whether it is bath water or a jar of sweets, the terms empty and full are very important when talking about capacity. This is an area of maths which is quite interesting with young children. They will decide which container holds the most by its height rather than size and it is well worth spending [...]

Learning the correct terms to compare things is vital in the Early Years and one of the most important aspects of measurement. Here we have four more great pages on maths vocabulary for young children, looking at bigger and biggest. You can find these in our Shapes and Measures section. Pick out the biggest frog [...]

This is the very first of a new range of colourful resources for our members which will look at all aspects of shape and measurement for young children.  At this age, measurement is about comparisons between things and standard units of measurement such as centimetres are not introduced until much later. So we begin with [...]