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What’s Measurement Play?

Measurement play is a chance for children to bump in to STEM concepts and language as they fiddle with a variety of loose parts and tools. We’re not talking about lessons or teacher-led activities here. This is all about making measuring tools available for children to use as during play as their interest dictates.

Say Gwen, for example, has built a tower in the block area and wonders aloud, “How tall is it?”. If there happens to be a yardstick perched eagerly on a nearby shelf awaiting use, Gwen can quickly answer her own question.

Or maybe Reginald, feeling strong, hauls a big rock across the sandpit and is curious about its weight. A nearby bathroom-scale-as-loose-part would allow him to find out—and then brag that he carried a 7 pound rock all by himself.

Why Play With Measurements?

Measuring tool play is a gateway to a variety of learning. For starters, it allows kids to bump in to numeracy and related concepts like Length, Width, and Weight. It’s a chance to play with numbers.

Measuring play is also a STEM learning opportunity since accurate measurement plays an important role in the worlds of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

It’s also a chance to meet and practice using new vocabulary. Kids will brush up against words like inches, kilograms, and ounces during their playful explorations, use them in their play, and integrate them into their vocabularies.

This type of play also encourages the development of writing skills, since many kids will want to record their measurements.

On top of all that, such play can help build social/emotional skills and physical skills.

Now, let’s look at the 7 super simple measurement play ideas you can help support during play.

Measuring Length, Width, Height, Or Circumference

This might be the easiest of the bunch. Play spaces are full of three-dimensional objects to measure, and the tools are easy to supply. Kids can also use their eyes to measure–or at least estimate. Side by side comparisons of objects (this stick is longer than that stick) is a great way to size things up.

The Tools

• Tape Measures— fabric ones are safest since metal ones can cut little fingers
• Rulers—avoid the cheapest cheaply cheap ones, they tend to snap in half if there’s a breeze
• Yardsticks—here at Playvolution HQ we favor old school wooden yardsticks from antique shops and yard sales
• Random Items—anything you have a bunch of can be used for this type of measuring (this box is 7 blocks wide and 10 blocks tall, that baby doll is 11 toy cars long)

Measuring Weight

This is another easy one to implement. New scales are relatively inexpensive, and used ones pop up in secondhand stores all the time. There’s also a never ending supply of things to weigh in the average early learning setting. Kids may also play at measuring weight with their own bodies by lifting things–or even looking at them. It’s unlikely they’ll ever be as accurate as a scale, but holding (or looking at) a brick and a feather provides a lot of sensory information and allows for accurate guesses about which is heavier.

The Tools

• Bathroom Scales—with their moving dial and number line, old school mechanical versions are more interesting than their digital counterparts
• Kitchen Scales—smaller scales for weighing smaller objects
• Balance Scales—these simple scales are great for comparing the weight of items (does the apple or pear weigh less?)
• Spring Scales—these scales are small, inexpensive, and portable, making them great loose parts

Measuring Temperature

In addition to the following measuring tools, the third of our 7 super simple measurement play ideas also allows kids to practice measuring with their tactile sense. For example, placing one hand in a bucket of ice water and the other in a bucket of warm tap water, it’s pretty easy for their bodies to measure which feels colder.

The Tools

• Mounted Outdoor Thermometers—hang a couple, in places that receive different amounts of sunshine
• Mounted Indoor Thermometers—mount a couple…at kid-eye level
• Free Range Thermometers—look for durable options; floating pool thermometers and metal refrigerator/freezer thermometers have worked well for me

Measuring Liquid Volume

The fourth of our 7 super simple measurement play ideas is great for water play, sensory play, and cooking activities.

The Tools

• Rain Gauges—mount a couple on the playground, maybe near the thermometers
• Measuring Cups—opt for well-built and colorful versions; they’ll last longer and be easier to find in the sandbox or sensory bin
• Measuring Spoons—see above
• Graduated Beakers—glass versions offer a chance to practice being careful while together plastic versions are much more durable

Measuring Time

“When is Grandma going to pick me up?”, “How long until lunch?, “How long does it take me to run to the fence and back?”–playing with time measuring tools helps kids answer these questions and more.

The Tools

• Wall Clocks—mount digital and dial versions around the play space
• Watches—add a few inexpensive ones to the dramatic play area
• Stop Watches—great for kid-led exploration and games
• Kitchen Timers—see above
• Clock Apps—you can always pull up a clock or timer app on your phone or tablet if all the others are in use

Measuring Light

Kids can measure light levels with their eyeballs, but to get really accurate, they’ll need a light meter. These devices were used by photographers back before cameras became so smart.

The Tools

• Light Meters—moderately priced modern versions are available online, and you can sometimes find olden-timey versions in second hand shops
• Light Meter Apps—download a free or paid light meter app with a few clicks on your device of choice

Measuring Sound

The last of our 7 super simple measurement play ideas involves measuring the volume of sound. Kids an do this with their ears, but most ears don’t have display screens with a bouncing needle or cool graphics. These tools will also allow you to find out exactly how much noise baby Gervase makes when he cries.

The Tools

• Db Meters—(aka Decibel Meters) are available new online, and you may run across old ones like in the photo below at second hand shops
• Db Meter Apps—it might be more practical to download an app onto your device of choice

Bonus Ideas

7 super simple measurement play ideas not enough? Well, here’s three free bonus ideas.

Measuring angles with angle gauges (aka Digital Protractors).

Measuring Level/Plumb with levels.

Measure steps with pedometers.

Conclusion

Making these tools available and offering support in using them as needed is really all you need to do. Some kids will be interested, some will not. Offering the items—making them a choice—is a real gift for those interested kids.

Thoughts, concerns, questions, and additional ideas are welcome in the comments.

Brought to you by Explorations Early Learning
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