Christmas Measuring Length Activities
This is Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities for Homeschoolers! You can check out the other posts in the series to find easy, hands-on math lesson ideas for your homeschool this month! Today I’m excited to be sharing some fun Christmas measuring length activities, and a free download so you can use these Christmas measuring length activities today!
This activity was designed for kids in 1st grade, who are learning about measuring length. It can be adapted for kids from preschool through 2nd grade using the suggestions included in this plan!
What You Need:
- This Christmas measurement free printable (get it below!)
- Scissors and tape
- Objects to measure
Prepare:
- Gather your supplies.
- Print the ruler. Cut out and tape the sections together end to end to make a longer ruler as needed.
How to Use these Christmas Measuring Length Activities:
Have your child choose some objects to measure. Help your child position the ruler so that the end of the ruler is lined up with the edge of the object. Then, count the number of elves or peppermints tall that the object is. Repeat with objects of varying size.
Adapt the Christmas Measuring Length Activities for Your Kids:
For Younger Kids:
Measure smaller objects:
Instead of cutting out multiple rulers and taping them together, use just one strip to measure smaller objects. This will make it easier for younger kids to count how many elves or peppermints tall the object is.
For Older Kids:
Measure larger objects:
Print multiple copies of the ruler pages. Cut out and tape together lots of sections to make a very large ruler. You can even measure the height of your child- or ask them to measure you!
Use a ruler instead of the elves and peppermints:
Standard units of measurement like inches and feet are more challenging for kids because they are more abstract.
Measure Longer Distances:
Put a piece of tape on the floor at the end of a hallway. Use a ruler or tape measure to measure these distances and mark with a second labeled piece of tape. •Santa’s height: 5 feet, 7 inches •Height of average Christmas tree: 7 feet •Length of Santa’s sleigh with reindeer: 28 feet, 8 inches • •
Extensions: Comparing length and height:
Gather a collection of objects. Arrange the objects in order from shortest to longest. Can you find 2 different objects that are the same length or height?
What Your Kids Will Learn in these Christmas Measuring Length Activities:
In this activity, kids are using a non-standard unit of measurement (elves or peppermints) instead of inches or feet. Non-standard units of measurement are helpful because they are more concrete for kids. Non-standard units of measurement help kids understand the concept of length without having to figure out the scale of a ruler. It is easier to count the number of elves to find how tall an object is, than to figure out where to look on the marks of the ruler to read the height. During this activity, focus on helping your child line up the ruler so that the edge of the ruler is aligned with the edge of the object. This is an important skill that will translate to using a “real” ruler with inches and feet, too. You can also make comparisons between objects that you have measured with vocabulary like longer/shorter, wider/thinner, etc.
Get the Christmas Measuring Length Activities Printable!
Fill out the form below to get your copy of the Christmas measurement free printable. I’ll also send the other lessons in the Christmas Math games and activities series straight to your inbox. All your math plans for the month are done!
Get all the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities Lessons!
This huge 200+ page PDF is stuffed with hands-on activities and printables to complete 12 fun Christmas themed math lessons! Each day includes complete directions and printables, plus bonus tips, extension activities, and worksheets to reinforce the concepts your kids are learning. This huge bundle includes all the activities and printables you will need to complete the 12 Days of Christmas math games and activities, plus bonus worksheets and extension activities that won’t be included in the free downloads! Harness that Christmas excitement to make homeschooling fun this season with this easy-to-use resource!
These lessons were designed for kids in preschool through 1st grade. Each lesson includes adaptations to customize it for your child’s unique needs- or so that siblings can do the activities together!
Learn more about this amazing resource here!
Christmas STEM Bundle- Save 30%
Are you looking for hands-on science experiments for your homeschool too? I’ve combined my Christmas math and science resources into a huge STEM bundle! And when you purchase both resources together you can save 30%! Learn more here.
Check out the other posts in the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities series here to find more fun activity ideas for your homeschool!
