Chapter V
Learning Measurement through Play with Blocks
Why is it worth teaching measurement through play?
In preschool education it is extremely important that children can learn through action and direct experience. One of the areas that develops especially well through hands-on activity is the skill of measuring - length, height, and distance.
Preschool children do not yet use formal units of measure. Instead, they learn to compare objects and judge "more", "less", "longer", "shorter", and so on. Blocks are an excellent tool for such work - they have a repeating shape and size, they are colorful, and they invite experimenting. Thanks to them, a child can get to know the basics of measurement in a natural, intuitive way.
The games in this chapter allow children, among other things, to:
- compare the lengths and heights of constructions,
- measure objects using blocks as informal units,
- estimate and check measurement results,
- understand what distance is in the context of their own experience.
Through engaging play, children not only develop mathematical skills, but also learn precision, attentiveness, and logical thinking. By introducing measurement through play, we build foundations for a later understanding of mathematical and scientific ideas.
Build as Long as...
Learning goal
Comparing lengths.
Needed elements
Blocks - especially straight connectors and cylinders.
How it goes
- Divide the children into small groups.
- Assign each group one dimension (e.g. we say "the width of the table", "the height of the chair").
- Children build from blocks (joining a cylinder, a straight connector, a cylinder, and so on) a "measuring stick" of the same length as that dimension.
- Children compare: which measuring stick is the longest, and which is the shortest?
Variants
The measuring sticks that have been built can be counted, for example, in shoe lengths or elbow lengths.
The Block Snake
Learning goal
Measuring length using an informal unit (a block).
Needed elements
Blocks, strings of different lengths, or paper tape stuck to the floor in different lengths.
How it goes
Children place successive blocks along the string to check its length.
They count how many "blocks" long the string is.
Variants
- Using blocks, you can measure the distance from the table to the door.
- An idea for a class photo/challenge.
Which One Is Taller
Learning goal
Comparing the heights of constructions.
Needed elements
Blocks.
How it goes
Each child builds constructions from a set number of blocks.
They compare the heights and arrange the towers from shortest to tallest.
Variants
- Children choose the number of blocks themselves and then compare the results.
How Many Blocks Are Needed?
Learning goal
Estimating and checking.
Needed elements
Blocks, objects to measure (e.g. a cupboard, a door, a chair)
How it goes
Children in groups guess how many cylinders are needed, by joining them with connectors, to build a tower as high as, for example, a chair.
Then they check by arranging them.
Variants
Children guess in pairs and compare who was closer.
Children estimate how tall a tower they need to build so that it touches the door frame / the ceiling.
An idea for a photo challenge.
Measuring Movement
Learning goal
Observing and measuring a change of position.
Needed elements
Blocks with gears, platforms.
How it goes
Children build a line of gears and mark where the movement starts.
After starting the mechanism, children observe how far the movement "traveled".
They measure the number of gears through which the energy passed.
Variants
Compare two lines: which one transfers the movement farther?
Who Can Reach Farther?
Learning goal
Estimating distance and comparing reach.
Needed elements
Straight connectors and cross connectors, cylinders.
How it goes
Children build a "stick" from blocks and try to make it reach as far as possible (e.g. from the edge of the table) without "breaking".
They measure the length of the arm by counting the number of blocks.
They compare which arm reaches the farthest.
Variants
- Children build the longest stick, holding it together so that it does not break.
- An idea for a class photo.
Measuring a Path
Learning goal
Measuring the length of a route.
Needed elements
Blocks,
painter's tape or a string laid in a line.
How it goes
We lay a winding path on the floor.
Children place blocks beside it to measure its length.
They count the blocks needed to complete the route.
Children may jump along the route with both feet or on one foot.
Variants
Children in groups stick the route onto the floor themselves and arrange blocks along it.
Block Weight
Learning goal
An introduction to the idea of mass and comparing "weight".
Needed elements
A set of blocks for all the children to use together (e.g. poured onto the carpet), string and a hanger to build a scale, platforms that will be the "pans" of the scales
How it goes
Children compare the mass of two sets of blocks - e.g. 3 gears and 5 gears.
They observe which set is heavier and think about why.
Variants
An attempt to balance two sets with a different number of blocks (e.g. we have three gears - how many cylinders do we need to place on the other side so that their mass is the same).
A photo of a scale visualization made from platforms and blocks.
The Block Meter
Learning goal
Creating one's own unit of measure.
Needed elements
Cylinders and connectors.
How it goes
Children agree that 5 cylinders joined with connectors are their unit of measure (they may name it as they like, e.g. "five-block").
Using this "five-block", they measure the length of various objects.
They convert, saying for example "the height of the chair is four five-blocks".
Variants
Children create two units of measure (e.g. "five-block" and "eight-block") and use them to compare the dimensions of different objects.
Measuring Steps
Learning goal
Understanding distance and the number of steps as a measure.
Needed elements
Blocks as markers of start and end points.
How it goes
The teacher asks the children to build simple constructions from blocks that will be markers.
Then the children pair up and place their markers in different places in the room.
The children's task is to walk from one marker to the other, counting their steps at the same time.
Then, at the marker, the child places a number of blocks matching the number of steps.
The second child walks from the second marker to the first, also counting steps and taking the same number of blocks.
Children compare the number of blocks, then check how the number changes when they take larger / smaller steps.
Variants
Instead of steps, children may do jumps with both feet or on one foot.