Large Measuring Tape

by Early Math Counts

Large Tape MeausreWhen you are married to a landscaper (or contractor, or builder) there are always tape measures lying around.  My boys loved playing with tape measures, but I could never take my eyes off of them for a second, because a real tape measure releases really quickly and can snap back on small hands, fingers, or eyes.  They can also be sharp with metal edges.

The tape measure shown above is soft and rolls back up with a turn of a knob.  It shows both inches and centimeters and has a nice 1 inch width with easy-to-read numbers. These tape measures can be used to measure all sorts of things in the classroom, as long as they are less than 5 feet long.  That means that children can measure their heights (unless you have some extraordinarily huge three year olds in your program).  They can measure furniture, rug space, the edge of a desk, and the width of the easel.  Remind children that inches and centimeters are standard units of measure, and that they are the same everywhere in the world

Try to give children a place to record their measurements, and help them write them down.  They can copy the numbers they see on the tape measure which will reinforce their sense of number as well as support their fine motor skills.

10 Replies to “Large Measuring Tape”

  1. My kids love these. Right now they are with our workbench and tools and the kids love to measure things. We like to measure and compare the sizes of different things to see which one is bigger, that seems to be their favorite.

    1. Hi Sandra,
      Are the kids able to look at the number that corresponds to the length of what they are measuring and tell you \”how long?\” I\’m interested in knowing how children use the tape measures in reality, and how able they are to accurately report the length. Thanks, Jen

  2. I agreed with both jen & sandra with kids love to measure alot of things like our bodies, our toys in the tool area.

  3. I have done with activity in my room and the kids have had a blast going around measuring different objects around the room. I give them a clipboard with paper fro them to write down their measurements. Great activity!

  4. Yes! Having an measuring is always grate when you want to introduce the measurement subject, and it is always fun to hear their findings.

    1. Yes! Having a measuring tape is always great when you want to introduce the measurement subject, and it is always fun to hear their findings.

    2. Yes! Having a measuring tape is always great when you want to introduce the measurement subject, and it is always fun to hear their findings. (sorry for typos).

  5. I will do this measurement with my children. I will let them measure each other. Great idea!!! We do a guesstimate game. Who would be the longest or shortest?

  6. This is important because it gives children a chance to see how a tape measure helps with seeing the sizes or how long something is.

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