Inches and Feet
Background Information & Activities

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Measurement is an important part of every elementary curriculum. Your children should become familiar working with nonstandard and English customary units (U.S.) and using different measurement tools such as rulers, tape measures, and yardsticks. The metric system is also an important part of elementary education and will be covered in a separate topic. Review with your children that length is how long an object is and the width is how wide an object is. The height is the measurement of how tall or high the object is.

Most students use nonstandard units when they first learn how to measure. Encourage them to use different objects to measure lengths. Explain that objects that are flat and straight work best when measuring length. The objects should be lined up, end to end with no gaps, next to the object they are measuring. Students should start measuring from the end of the object to get an accurate measurement.

Standard units of measurement are important because they provide reference points that everyone can use. Historically, an inch was equivalent to the width of a thumb and in many languages the word for inch is the same as the word for thumb. Similarly, the length of a person’s foot represented a foot. Since hands and feet differed in size, a more accurate system of measurement was necessary.

The customary units used in the U.S. include inches, feet, yards, and miles. Your children should know that 1 foot is equal to 12 inches. Your children should also know the abbreviations for customary units: inch (in.) and foot (ft). When young children use a ruler to measure, it should be stressed to line up the end of the object with the 0 on the tool. When they identify the number and mark on the ruler that lines up with the end of the object, they should record their results with both the number and the unit of measurement.

Your children should become familiar with the language and vocabulary associated with measurement. For example, about, close to, between, just under, less than, and greater than are all words used to help describe measurements. We recommend watching the Place Value movie together as a review for comparing large numbers. Encourage them to notice that many things do not measure to an exact inch or foot. Prompt them to use describing words to help explain how close the object is to nearest inch or foot.

Encourage your children to explore the world around them and measure objects using nonstandard and standard units of measurement. They will begin to notice particular units and tools work better for different tasks.

Inches and Feet Teacher Activities – Click Here!

Inches and Feet Family Activities – Click Here!

Inches and Feet Teacher Activities

© 1999-2009 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Measurement Hunt

On index cards, write different measurements such as 5 inches, 3 feet, and 1 inch. You may also want to use abbreviations so your students become accustomed to reading them. Put the index cards in a hat and have each student or pairs of students draw a card. Then have them measure things in the classroom to find an object that matches the measurement.

Body Part Measurements

Have pairs of students draw an outline of their bodies on large sheets of butcher paper. Then have students measure their body parts in nonstandard and customary units. You may wish to provide a list of parts to measure, such as the length of the foot, width of the neck, the hip bone to the knee, the span of the shoulders, and the distance between the middle finger tip to the elbow. Students can help each other measure using different units and record their measurements on their outlines. Post the outlines around the classroom so students can compare measurements with each other.

Funny Feet

Teach children that people used to use everyday things to help them measure, like their body parts. Teach them some of these older units of measurement: A cubit is length of the forearm from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow (about 18 in.), a digit is the width of a finger (3/4 in.), and a fathom is the arm span from fingertip to fingertip (6 ft). Have each student trace his or her right foot on construction paper and cut it out. Then have them measure and label their cutout in inches. Students can measure things in the classroom using their cutout feet. Invite students to explain why we need standard units of measurement.

Inches and Feet Family Activities

© 1999-2009 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Growing Up

Together, start measuring and recording your child’s growth every month. You can measure your child’s height in customary and nonstandard units. Put up pieces of paper lengthwise on a wall or behind a door and use it to measure and record your child’s growth. Your child can measure his or her height using a ruler or tape measure.

Footstep Map

Make a map of your home or neighborhood with your child. Your child can draw or landmarks and then use footsteps to measure distances between them. For example, the bathroom may be 23 steps from the kitchen. The mail box may be 58 steps from your front door. You and your child can then use the map as a “treasure map.” Hide different objects in your home or point to your child to a secret landmark and give hints based on the measurements on the map.