There are different type of tools, objects and instruments that are used to measure area. Standard tools used for measuring area include rulers, yard sticks and measuring tapes. Non-standard tools include blocks, hands, cereal, feet and pieces of paper. Students can bring in some non-standard measuring tools from home to practice measuring area.
Area refers to how much a 2-dimensional shape can hold on top of it. Activities for measuring area could include seeing how many blocks are needed to cover a table top or how many pieces of cereal are needed to cover a leaf. This type of activity can be reversed so that kids must build an item that can hold a certain number of blocks. Students can take turns guessing how many items it will take to cover an object and see who gets the closest.
Kids can pick two objects in the classroom, such as a table top and a section of the floor. Using a ruler, kids can measure both objects to see which one is wider and longer. Then, using blocks, kids can see which surface has the larger area. Kids can also do a measuring activity to compare the size of their hands. Have each student see how many hands it would take to cover his own desk. Then compare the numbers to see who used the smallest number of hands.
Students can get together to see just how big a specific area of the classroom floor is. The area where circle time is held would work well since this area is already cleared of any furniture. Have students lie on the floor next to each other, filling in the entire area. See how many students it takes to cover the area. This activity can also be done using blocks, desks and chairs.