So far in our series about math standards we have discussed Counting & Cardinality, Operations & Algebraic Thinking, and Numbers & Operations in Base 10 and with Fractions. I am excited to share with you some of the resources I have found for teaching your children about Measurement & Data.
What is Measurement & Data? For the younger grades it is the ability to measure and estimate length and width using standard units, represent and interpret data on a graph or chart, and understanding the concepts of time and money. Of course the degree of difficulty depends on the grade level of the students- with kindergarteners only being required to categorize data into groups and using terms more/less than to describe varying measurements.
When should I start teaching my child Measurement & Data? The terminology for this standard can be introduced to your child early on. They might not be able to count money or measure anything, but using terms such as “time, coins, taller, shorter, longer, bigger, and smaller” can set a good foundation.
What resources are available to help my child learn Measurement and Data? Of course there are a lot! Because this standard includes time and money this list could be very lengthy. Just know that this is a small sampling to whats available online.
Here are some great apps for the android users that include Kids Measurement Science, Kids Learn Time, Interactive Telling Time, Telling Time: Read a Clock, Kids Money Box (this is like a digital piggy bank), Learn to Count Money, and Count Money Master.
In the iTunes store you will find measurement and data apps like Mingoville Fun Clock, Interactive Telling Time, Clockwork Puzzle, Exact Change, Coin Matching Game, Kids Money (digital piggy bank), Preschoolers Learn Money, Smart Fish: magic Matrix HD, Mathomatix Measurement, Measure Length: Tiny Chicken, Data and Graphs, and Teaching Graphs.
Here is a list of Measurement and Data literature and teacher resources that you can read with your child. I apologize for the length- there were just so many titles that looked interesting! I will divide the books into four categories: measurement/data/time/and money. And don’t forget to click on the picture to learn more about each book!
Measurement:
Data (charts and graphs):
Money:
Time:
Here are some of our previous posts of Measurement & Data activities.
When Boo was just itty bitty we would play a coin learning game. I liked this because not only did she become familiar with money words, but it was a great fine motor activity. And it was as simple as taking down her piggy bank and sitting on the floor!
I made some free printables that you can download in our New Years Countdown Bags post and Our Disneyland Adventure post. These activities are both similar in that your child gets to open up a bag at a certain time. Can I just say we had a great time with our Disney Clock bags! I highly recommend making them for the long car trips.
We learned more about coin recognition during the holidays with our Christmas Money Advent Calendar.
Played with some of my old money manipulatives for the overhead projector (did I just age myself as a teacher) . You can read more about in our DIY Light Box post.
During our Lego Day we made rulers out of legos and ran around the house and measured things. Of course I didn’t take a picture of that activity. But adding with legos was fun too and it is math related 🙂
During our studies of mammals we made animal footprints and then categorized them by the number of feet they walk on. Keep in mind this was a preschool activity- you could always extend this by having students make different graphs and charts to represent their data.
Here are some other great posts on Measurement & Data from other bloggers.
The Preschool Toolbox shares a fun winter post “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow” Winter Activities for Kids which includes a snowman estimation and graphing activity. She has included free printables, too!
Interaction Imagination posted a really fun and magical activity Creating Fairy Doors. Get your rulers out for this one- not only will your child make a cute door but they will learn a lot about measuring! She also posted some Forest Math activities which include measuring the size of trees and checking the depth and size of holes using sticks. So fun!
Kids Creative Chaos shares a St Patricks Day Game that will teach your kiddo to count money. She has included free printables for her game as well! I love to see math learning integrated with fun holiday stuff 🙂
I love Naturally Educationals post March Weather Bar Graph. This is a great example of math you can do at home with your little ones. She also has some ideas on how to incorporate this activity into a lesson for grade level kids. She also has a cute Candy Heart Graph. I especially love that she has her four year old label her graph… great way to incorporate writing! Plus I just love the look of child-made work.
I have tried to keep this post informative and yet not too long- which was hard to do with all the resources available to teach Measurement & Data! I am especially impressed with all the good math literature that is now available in helping our kiddos understand concepts that can sometimes be a little tricky or abstract.
Enjoy! Happy Teaching!
