Measuring up

Ready for a secret? All you need to keep your 2.5-5 year old entertained for a LONG time is a retractable fabric (or vinyl) measuring tape! My son received a real metal one with a gift, but that one retracts too quickly and can easily cut those little hands that don’t know to be out of the way, so that one now lives in the garage. However, the measuring tape that I keep with  my sewing supplies is a much safer substitute… and worth at least 15 minutes of fun all on his own!

If your little one doesn’t already know the magic of pulling out the tape, then pushing the “magic” button to make it retract, be sure to show him/her that first. This may be enough fun for the first go-round with the measuring tape!

Once your child is comfortable with how it works, let him/her play with it to “measure” things on his/her own. Ask your child how long his/her favorite toy is, or how tall his/her favorite chair is. Work together to discover how long his/her arm is, and how tall he/she is (doing this in front of a full-length mirror makes it a lot more concrete for young minds, and gives an opportunity to make some great funny faces while you’re at it).

This is a great chance to talk about numbers, recognize numbers, talk about what “half” means, compare numbers, etc.

You may even want to enlist your new measuring expert to “help” you determine if a piece of furniture or a toy will fit in a certain designated space. Ask your child to measure the item, then measure the space. Write down the numbers. Which one is bigger? Will it fit? If your child answers incorrectly, let him/her see if the item will fit by him/herself.

A cup is a cup is a cup

Lately, when I’m pouring milk into his cup, my 3.5-yr-old has been asking, “How much milk is that?” Sometimes, when overly tired, I’ll just answer, “Lots.” He’ll ask, “Lots and lots?” My reply to that is, “Yes. Lots and lots.” Clearly, “lots” is not a measurable quantity. What is staring me right in the face? A learning opportunity!

Here is a really easy way to teach your child about volume, and that, indeed, a cup is a cup is a cup.

What you’ll need:

• a 1-cup measuring cup
• water (your kitchen sink is a-ok for this)
• your child’s favorite drinking cup or sippy cup (which holds at least 8 fl. oz.)
• a small clear drinking glass (which holds barely more than 8 fl. oz.)
• a large clear drinking glass (which holds much more than 8 fl. oz.)
• another cup or glass of your child’s choice (which holds at least 8 fl. oz.), preferably one of a very different shape than the others
• a bowl (which holds at least 8 fl. oz.)

This may involve some water spilling depending on your child’s fine motor skills, so use your discretion as to where this activity takes place. Outside might be a good choice if your child is new to pouring liquids!

What to do:

1. Working together at whatever age-appropriate capacity is needed, have your child use the measuring cup to measure one cup of water (which is 8 fl. oz.). Talk about how the measuring cup is used when you’re cooking, etc.
2. Have your child pour the water into your his/her favorite drinking cup. Talk about how you already know how much water is in his/her favorite cup because you measured it with the measuring cup.
3. Next, have your child pour the water from his/her favorite cup into the small clear drinking glass. Talk about how the glass is almost full with the water… “lots” of water. However, we know that it is holding the same amount of water that was in the favorite cup.
4. Have your child pour the water from the small glass to the large glass. Suddenly, the water that seemed “big” will now seem “small,” in your child’s eyes. “Lots” is now “just a little bit.”
5. Again, pour the water from the large glass to the cup or glass of your child’s choice. Does it seem like there is “lots” or “just a little bit” now?
6. Finally, pour the water into the bowl.

Along the way, ask your child how much water is in each container. Keep coming back to the idea that even though it may look like “lots” or “just a little bit,” you already know that it is the same amount — 1 cup — because you measured it at the start.  It may look different because it is in containers of different shapes and sizes, but it is still the same volume of water. If your child is having a hard time grasping this concept, you may want to let your child fill each of the containers (now empty) with 1 cup of water from the measuring cup, and place the containers side by side to compare them.

So, the next time your little one asks for “lots” of milk, ask him/her, “How much milk do you want?”