Measure common small objects in your classroom, such as crayons and lunch boxes. Using everyday objects keeps a measurement lesson relevant and interactive. For an added twist, tell your students that you will be embarking on a project to measure all red objects in the classroom. Or have your students bring in their favorite toy from home and measure this item in centimeters.
Play with measurement during snack time. Give your students a snack treat, such as crackers, and have them measure the length and width of the cracker in centimeters. This works well with combined lessons on other ways of measurement, such as measuring the volume of a cup of juice, for instance.
Keep a classroom record of all your measurement activities. Have your students keep individual centimeter journals or create a colorful poster for your classroom consisting of a table that includes columns for length and width where students can record all the items they've measured in centimeters. This will help your students retain what they've learned and get them excited about becoming part of a collaborative group project.
Use sticky notes to label objects in your classroom with the length of the object in centimeters. Or label a classroom plant and update the length and width of the plant in centimeters each week as it grows. These activities creates a visual reminder of what you've learned and work as collaborative projects for all your students to work together on.
Try a guessing game with your students. Have them guess how long an object is in centimeters and record their guess. Then have them measure the item. This will foster a general sense of metric units. This guessing game works well for small groups, where students can discuss their guesses with each other.