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How to Make a Measurement Game Using Tape

Measurement Game Using Tape.png
By Michelle Nguyen
September 30, 2025
Language:

Learning Goal:

This game will help your child:

  • Use non-standard units of measurement to measure and compare objects 
  • Learn about spatial concepts of position, location, and directionality

Materials:

  • Tape 
  • Miscellaneous objects of similar size (i.e., hand towels, socks, blocks, toys, stuffed animals, food containers) 
  • Markers and paper or cardboard 
  • Optional: Chalk 

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  • Step 1: Draw your child on a piece of cardboard!  
    *To make this on a bigger scale, trace your child on the floor with chalk or on a large piece of butcher paper.
  • Step 2: Use tape to mark the top of their head and the bottom of their feet.  
  • Step 3: Play the game. Find objects around the house that are similar in size (e.g., stuffed animals, books, erasers, buttons).
  • Step 4: Before measuring, guess how many objects tall the drawing is (e.g., How many stuffed animals tall is the drawing? Or how many buttons tall is it?).
  • Step 5: Stack up the objects against the drawing. Count how many add up to your child's height. The person who guessed the correct number (or closest number) wins. 

Game Tips:

  • To explore the amounts needed when using larger objects and smaller objects to measure, ask questions such as, "You are three books tall when we measured with the books, and six pencils tall when we measured with the pencils. Which number is smaller?"
  • Encourage creative thinking by asking, "Is there another object we can use to give us a smaller number?" 
  • Measure another person to make comparisons. Ask questions such as, “Who is taller? Who is shorter? How do you know?”  

Keep the conversation going:

Here are some conversation starters to help incorporate math talk while playing the game:

  • How many objects tall do you think you will be? 
  • How many objects taller or shorter is someone in your family? 
  • What do you notice when measuring using different objects? (Was the number of objects you used larger or smaller?) 

Book suggestion:

  • “Inch by Inch” / “ Pulgada a Pulgada (2-5) by Leo Lionni. In this book, your child will see how an inchworm uses non-standard units of measurement to avoid getting eaten by a nightingale.  
  • “Albert Is Not Scared” / “Alberto No Tiene Miedo” (Ages 4-6) by Eleanor May. In this book, your child will practice spatial language while Albert tries to be brave at the amusement park. 

Corresponding Standards:

  • Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten 
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1. Describe measurable attributes of objects such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object. 
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.2. Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of” / “less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter. 
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1. Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to. 
  • California Preschool Learning Foundations 
    • Measurement 
      • 1.0 Compare, Order, and Measure Objects 
    • Geometry 
      • 2.0 Positions in Space
  • Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework 
    • Measurement
      • Goal P-MATH 8. Child measures objects by their various attributes using standard and non-standard measurement. Uses differences in attributes to make comparisons.
    • Geometry and Spatial Sense 
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