Purchase or ask parents to donate a variety of prizes such as small toys and candies that can be placed in jars. The jars should each be filled with a different prize. There are two ways teachers can let students win a prize from the jars. In the first method, students can attempt to guess the weight of the prizes in each jar using the metric system. Alternatively, the teacher can give students the weight in ounces and students can convert the measurement into metrics, with the first student to correctly answer being the winner. Save the rest of the toys and candies for prizes for other metric-related games.
Teachers should start by creating a "Jeopardy"-style game board on poster board or using translucent paper for an overhead projector. The board should include questions for a variety of knowledge levels. For example, one question might be "What is the abbreviation for kilometers?" More difficult questions might involve converting measurements from imperial to metric. Divide the students in the class into two to four teams, depending on the size of the class. Give the teams a bell or a buzzer and let them compete to answer questions and win the most points. Give the winning team a prize or extra credit points.
Teachers should set up a number of different stations around the classroom. Each station should have a measurement exercise with an item to measure and a measuring cup, a ruler or a scale to use to complete the task. Divide students into small teams and send them to each station. Students can be awarded points for each correct answer and the team with the most points would be the winner, or the teams with the most correct answers can win.
Similar to the measurement obstacle course, students can participate in a measurement scavenger hunt and put their metrics measuring abilities to practice. Create a worksheet for students with a variety of tasks. An example task that could be used is "Find something in the classroom that is 55 millimeters long." Then let students explore the classroom, attempting to find a solution to each of the tasks. The student who is able to complete the most tasks correctly is the winner.