There are lots of opportunities for children to learn how to measure size throughout their day.
Birth to 3 years old
Babies love to reach out and grasp objects of assorted sizes when they are playing. Comment on the size of objects using big and small.
As they grow give them big and little versions of the same objects such as spoons and balls for them to compare. Comment using more size words such as huge, little, tiny and enormous.
Sing songs and rhymes showing size.
Make up your own rhymes such as 'Mummy is big, grandpa is huge, baby is small.' Make gestures to show the sizes.
3 to 4 years old
Use Goldilocks and the Three Bears story to talk about size.
Sing the song When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears, available on the BBC Bitesize website.
Use the words huge, small, tiny. Can you find a huge, tiny, small spoon, bowl, chair, bed, bear in your house?
Set challenges by asking:
Can they find their favourite toys and arrange them in order of size finding the smallest and the biggest, the tallest and the shortest?
4 to 5 years old
Use the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story to talk about comparing size.
Sing the song When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears, available on the BBC Bitesize website.
Introduce the concept of medium sized. Use comparative language 'than'.
Set some challenges such as 'is the blue bike longer than or shorter than the red bike?'
Ask for reasons why they have made that decision and can they test their predictions. How would they do it? What are the different ways you could measure the bikes?
Provide objects that are small yet heavy, tall yet thin, large yet light.
Provide a variety of toys and objects of varied sizes for children to play with, where children will naturally learn about size.
Ensure some of the objects are identical apart from their size.
Provide boxes and containers of different sizes that will fit into each other.
Provide rulers, tape measures, sticks, measuring wheels for children to investigate with.
While they are playing talk to them about size. For example, which is the tallest teddy and how do they know?
When getting dressed, compare the sizes of socks and shoes, order them from smallest to biggest. Hang clothes on the line in order of length.
During mealtimes ask who has the biggest spoon, bowl, plate? Are there any exactly the same or any longer than another?
Whilst shopping ask if they can you find the longest carrot?
Measuring your child's height can be a new routine you create. Measuring the family against the door on a height chart.
In the park ask how many footsteps to the swing? Find the tallest tree, the biggest stone, the tiniest leaf.
