Grade by Grade
Strand A: Foundations of Language and Mathematics · Patterns, Shapes, Measuring and Sorting

Measuring: Longer, Heavier, Holds More

A10.1 A10.2About 25 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can compare two things and say which is longer, taller or shorter.
  • I can say which is heavier or lighter.
  • I can say which holds more or less.
  • I can measure with same-size things, like paper clips, with no gaps.

Words to know

long, short, tall
Words for how long or how high something is.
heavy, light
Heavy things are hard to lift. Light things are easy to lift.
holds more, holds less
How much a container can hold, like water in a cup or a bucket.
measure
To find out how long, how heavy or how much something holds.
unit
The thing we use to measure, like a paper clip or a block. All units should be the same size.

Who is taller?

Grown-up, read this out loud.

Stand back to back with your grown-up. Who is taller? Who is shorter?

When we find out which is taller, longer, heavier or holds more, we are measuring and comparing.

A big orange pumpkin and a small orange pumpkin side by side on straw at a farm.
Which pumpkin is bigger? Which one do you think is heavier? Which one is easier to lift? AI-generated image
What we measureWords we useTry it with
lengthlonger, shortera spoon and a fork
heighttaller, shorteryou and a chair
mass (weight)heavier, lighteran apple and a grape
capacityholds more, holds lessa cup and a bowl of water
areacovers more, covers lessa placemat and a napkin
temperaturehotter, colderhot chocolate and snow
Many ways to measure and compare!
Worked example

Let's compare length

Which is longer, a crayon or a pencil?

  1. Lay them side by side.
  2. Line up the ends at the same start line. This is very important!
  3. Look at the other ends. Which one goes farther?

The pencil is longer. The crayon is shorter.

crayonpencilstart line
Both start at the same line. The pencil goes farther, so the pencil is longer.
Worked example

Let's measure with paper clips

How many paper clips long is the pencil?

  1. Use paper clips that are all the same size.
  2. Put the first paper clip right at the end of the pencil.
  3. Put the next clip right after it, touching. No gaps and no overlaps.
  4. Keep going until you reach the other end. Count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

The pencil is about 5 paper clips long.

123455 paper clipsSame-size clips. No gaps. No overlaps.
The pencil is 5 paper clips long.

Why must the units be the same size?

If you use some big blocks and some small blocks, the number does not tell the truth. Use one kind of unit: all paper clips, or all the same blocks.

And leave no gaps. Gaps make the number too small.

Worked example

Let's compare mass

Which is heavier, an apple or a grape?

  1. Hold the apple in one hand and the grape in the other.
  2. Which hand feels pulled down more? The apple hand!
  3. On a balance scale, the heavier side goes down.

The apple is heavier. The grape is lighter.

apple: heaviergrape: lighter
The apple side goes down because the apple is heavier.
Worked example

Let's compare capacity

Which holds more water, a mug or a big bowl?

  1. Fill the mug with water.
  2. Pour it into the bowl. Is the bowl full yet? No!
  3. Count how many mugs of water it takes to fill the bowl.

The bowl holds more. The mug holds less.

Hands-on activity

Measuring at home

Pick one or two:

  • Foot measure: Trace your child's foot on paper. Measure it with blocks, Lego bricks or paper clips, all the same size. Then measure a grown-up's foot. Whose is longer? By how many?
  • Kitchen pour: In the sink or bath, count how many small cups of water fill a big jug.
  • Hanger balance: Hang two bags on the ends of a clothes hanger. Put a toy in each. Which side goes down?
A funny true fact

A baby giraffe is already about as tall as a grown-up person on the day it is born. Imagine measuring that with paper clips! 🦒

Your turn

1

🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦

🟦🟦🟦

Which row of blocks is longer?

2

Which is heavier: a watermelon 🍉 or a strawberry 🍓?

3

Which holds more water: a bathtub or a cup?

4

Who is taller: you or your grown-up?

5

Measure a spoon with paper clips or small blocks. How many long is it?

6

Is it fair to measure with 2 big blocks and 3 tiny blocks?

7

Which is hotter: hot chocolate ☕ or snow ❄️?

More practice: warm-up

1

Which is longer: a school bus 🚌 or a car 🚗?

2

Which is heavier: an elephant 🐘 or a mouse 🐭?

3

Which holds more: a bucket or a spoon?

4

Which is taller: a maple tree 🍁 or a flower 🌷?

5

Which is shorter: a crayon or a broom?

More practice: on your own

1

A pencil is 4 paper clips long. A crayon is 2 paper clips long. Which is longer?

2

🟩🟩🟩🟩

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Which row is longer? How many more blocks?

3

On a balance, the side with the book goes down. The side with the feather goes up. Which is heavier?

4

A jug holds 5 cups of water. A small pot holds 3 cups. Which holds more?

5

Sam leaves big gaps between his paper clips. Will his count be right?

Challenge

1

A big balloon and a small rock: which is heavier? Is bigger always heavier?

2

Put these in order from shortest to longest: a broom, a crayon, a pencil.

3

Mia's foot is 6 blocks long. Dad's foot is 9 blocks long. They used the same blocks. Whose foot is longer? By how many blocks?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

To compare two pencils, where should their ends start?

2.

Which is heavier?

3.

On a balance, the heavier side goes ...

4.

Which is the best way to measure with paper clips?

5.

Which holds more water?

For parents and teachers

What this is about: Kindergarten children compare objects by length, height, mass (weight), capacity, area and temperature, and measure with non-standard units like paper clips, blocks or cups. They learn that units should be the same size and placed with no gaps or overlaps. Rulers and centimetres come later.

How to help at home:

  • Use comparing words often: longer, shorter, taller, heavier, lighter, holds more.
  • Let your child measure real things with paper clips, Lego bricks, spoons or their own hands and feet.
  • Bath time and baking are perfect for capacity: "How many cups fill the bowl?"

Common difficulties:

  • Not lining up the ends when comparing length. Always use a start line.
  • Leaving gaps or overlapping units. Show how the count changes if you leave gaps.
  • Thinking bigger always means heavier. Compare a big pillow and a small can of soup.