Practices

Try the following practices with preschool-aged children. Find out how home visitors can put these practices to work with families.

Preschoolers

• Provide materials that encourage children to explore measurement, including standard and non-standard measuring tools.
• Encourage children to estimate and check measurements (e.g., “How many cups would it take to fill this pitcher with water?”).
• Use literature (e.g., Goldilocks and the Three Bears) to illustrate measurement concepts, discuss the concept of size, and use comparison vocabulary.
• Plan activities that use measurement; for example:
  • Using same-size sticks to keep equal distance between plants when gardening
  • Identifying measuring cups and spoons and demonstrating measuring exact amounts when baking
• Use language that compares quantities (e.g., more than, less than, same as) and measurement terms to identify differences in attributes (e.g., long/longer/longest; short/shorter/shortest; heavier/lighter).

Home Visitors

Home visitors can support parents in identifying, adapting, and trying the practices listed above during home visits and group socializations. Here are more ideas.

• Encourage parents to use measurement terms and comparison vocabulary in the language(s) they know best.
  • For example, parents can play a game in which children find objects around the home that are “longer than,” “heavier than,” or “taller than” a particular object.
• Talk with parents about ways they can involve their child in everyday measurement experiences, such as cooking, gardening, grocery shopping, and tracking height and weight as the child grows.
• Explain to parents that young children may become familiar with tools such as a scale, a measuring tape or ruler, or a thermometer, but are not expected to know how to read and use these tools without adults’ guidance.

Last Updated: January 7, 2025