Year 1 Measurements Activities

Discover Measurement with Seven Hands-On Year 1 Maths Activities

Introduce young learners to the world of measurement with this comprehensive Year 1 resource featuring seven engaging activities that develop understanding of length, height, capacity, volume, and weight through practical, hands-on exploration.

Seven Complete Activities Included:

1. Measurement Challenges: Make measurement fun with exciting challenges! Children complete tasks like finding the longest pencil, the tallest tower, or the heaviest book—developing measurement vocabulary and comparison skills through playful competition
2. Measuring Length And Height: Learn to measure using non-standard units like cubes, hands, or footsteps! Children measure objects and distances, developing understanding of measurement concepts before moving to standard units
3. Comparing Length And Height: Develop comparison skills by ordering objects from shortest to tallest or longest to shortest! Use vocabulary like longer, shorter, taller, and smaller while building understanding of relative measurement
4. Measuring Capacity: Explore how much containers can hold! Use cups, spoons, and other non-standard measures to compare capacities, discovering which containers hold more or less liquid
5. Exploring Volume: Investigate how much space objects take up! Fill containers with cubes, rice, or water to explore volume concepts in a tactile, memorable way
6. Clothes Hanger Balance Scale: Create a simple balance scale from a clothes hanger! Explore weight and balance by comparing objects, discovering which are heavier or lighter through hands-on experimentation
7. Comparing Weights: Develop understanding of heavy and light by comparing everyday objects! Use balance scales and hands to feel and compare weights, building intuitive understanding before formal weighing

Why Teachers Choose This Resource:

• Curriculum-Aligned: Fully supports Year 1 Maths objectives for measurement in the National Curriculum of England
• Hands-On Learning: Practical activities that make abstract measurement concepts concrete and accessible for young learners
• Non-Standard Measures: Uses familiar objects before introducing formal units—building conceptual understanding first
• Ready to Use: Complete lesson plans with learning objectives, resource lists, and step-by-step instructions
• Age-Appropriate: Activities specifically designed for 5-6 year olds with achievable, engaging tasks
• Cross-Curricular Links: Connects to Year 1 Science (materials, properties) and develops mathematical vocabulary
• Accessible Materials: Uses everyday classroom items and simple equipment

Perfect For:

• Year 1 Maths measurement lessons
• Key Stage 1 measurement teaching
• Homeschool maths curriculum
• Building foundational measurement understanding
• Developing comparison and estimation skills
• Introducing measurement vocabulary

Learning Outcomes:

Through these activities, children will compare, describe and solve practical problems for lengths and heights (e.g. long/short, longer/shorter, tall/short, double/half), mass/weight (e.g. heavy/light, heavier than, lighter than), and capacity and volume (e.g. full/empty, more than, less than, half, half full, quarter), measure and begin to record lengths and heights, mass/weight, capacity and volume, and develop measurement vocabulary through practical use.

What Makes This Resource Special:

Year 1 children aren't ready for centimetres and kilograms—they need to understand what measurement means first. These activities use hands, cubes, cups, and other familiar objects to build genuine understanding of measurement concepts. By comparing, ordering, and measuring with non-standard units, children develop the foundation they need for formal measurement in Year 2 and beyond.

Building Measurement Foundations:

Understanding measurement requires more than using rulers and scales—it requires developing a sense of what longer, heavier, and fuller mean. These hands-on activities build that intuitive understanding through direct comparison and exploration, ensuring children grasp the concepts before tackling the technicalities of standard units.

Developing Mathematical Language:

Measurement vocabulary—longer, shorter, heavier, lighter, fuller, emptier—is essential for mathematical thinking. Through these practical activities, children use and internalize this language naturally, building the communication skills they need to explain their mathematical reasoning.

Make measurement meaningful for Year 1! These engaging activities help young children discover length, height, capacity, volume, and weight through hands-on exploration and comparison that builds genuine understanding, develops essential vocabulary, and creates the strong foundation needed for all future measurement learning.