From an early age children show lots of interest in measuring. They often use tools such as tape measures, scales and timers in role play without fully realising their purpose. During the Foundation Stage, early years practitioners need to build on this early awareness to develop children's understanding of the main measures that they will learn about in school and use later in life, namely weight (or mass), length, volume and capacity, and time (see box).
A wide range of experiences is crucial for children to develop their ideas of measurement. Children do not, of course, differentiate between the learning of different areas of mathematics or even different curriculum areas. Many of their most valuable measurement experiences, therefore, will come from activities planned as part of the curriculum framework other than mathematics,or from incidental or child-initiated activities.
Many play activities can be extended to provide mathematical learning experiences and develop practical skills. Outdoor play with large apparatus, while it helps to develop the children's whole body co-ordination, also gives them opportunities to use the language of measures as they talk about 'higher than' or 'lower' when climbing on the frame. They are also beginning to experience length and distance as well as straight lines as they run, jump and skip between the apparatus.
Encouraging the children to experience different connecting lines can be done by drawing or painting different types of lines such as straight, zigzag or wavy between the apparatus. Or you could decide that between activities you must always 'touch base', which could mean starring your name on a database, or putting another bead on your lace or throwing a ball in a box - anything that registers that you've been back to base. Such an exercise would introduce the idea of recording repetitions and how many times something happens.
Putting out balls and beanbags of different sizes and weights would give children the opportunity to discuss which ones they had used or thrown and caught. You might also want to extend the measure potential of the sand tray by putting large bucket balances nearby.
UNDERSTANDING
The measuring that we do as adults is sometimes fairly simple, and can be done by comparing things directly. For example, we can see that the car will fit into that space or not, and children find which cup holds most by pouring the contents of one into the other. It can also be more complex, involving measuring with units to calculate, for example, area, speed or temperature. For example, we measure accurately to work out how much carpet we need or children weigh three 'mystery bags' in grams and put them in order of weight.
Before any of this measuring really makes sense to children, they need to understand that length, weight and so on don't change arbitrarily. The child needs to know that they still have just as much pastry whether it is in a lump or rolled flat, and that their height stays the same whether they are in a big house (where they feel small) or in the play house (where they feel big).
KEY IDEAS
The two major ideas that underpin all measurement experiences and activities are conservation and comparison.
Conservation of measurement is based on the notion that the length of a piece of string doesn't change if you curl it into a circle. Similarly, the amount of water there is in a jug doesn't change if you pour it into a much taller or wider container, nor does the weight of a piece of dough change if you alter the shape from a ball to a sausage.
The concept of comparison is, at the beginning, developed through direct comparison. You can find out whether the jumper is bigger or smaller by laying one jumper on top of the other, or who is the taller by standing back to back.
Of course, there will be times when direct comparison is not possible. Therefore the idea of measuring and the need to measure can be introduced. This, in turn, can be linked to the idea of units of measurement and using measuring tools such as rulers, scales and thermometers.
Children will need experience of different units of measurement such as spoonfuls, hand spans or the number of hops across the carpet, as well as songs by which to time things. So for comparison, you can use scales to weigh some eggs and then use scales to weigh out a similar amount of flour and sugar.
APPLYING IDEAS
Children learn about comparing and ordering by playing with and exploring a wide range of materials and objects. They can explore objects in various ways: their length, their weight or mass, their volume or 'size', and their capacity. They can explore various aspects of time.
Through filling, emptying, covering, removing, building, making things fit and taking them apart, children will explore the length, weight or mass, the space inside (capacity) and the space taken up (volume) of objects, spaces and settings around them. At the same time, familiarity with routines and noticing change offer the important beginnings of a sense of 'passage of time'.
Children will repeat their activity using the same or different equipment: they might cover a piece of paper with a random collection of objects, on another occasion cover the paper with bricks, and on yet another occasion they might use the bricks to cover the table top. These repetitions allow children to test out, confirm and consolidate their growing understanding of measure.
Sometimes children will carry out explorations by comparing just two things: 'I can just about fit into this box' or 'My apple is smaller than hers'. At other times they can compare three or more things: putting Goldilocks' three bears in order of size.
On other occasions they will put in order more than two different types of objects or events: 'First, I ate my biscuit, then I had my sandwich and now I'm having my drink.'
Their ability and confidence with ordering will depend on their familiarity with the objects that they are handling and their understanding of the language that they are using.
Children can also compare things according to less formal measures: 'These cups look the same', 'This doll is prettier than that one', 'This book is nicer than that one'. This helps them develop the general idea that comparing things is one of the things you can do in life!
Help children learn about comparing and ordering by providing sets of cups, bears, baby dolls, prams, nesting pots, Russian dolls and hobby horses. You can also give them 'mystery boxes' (or sealed pots) that are the same size but different weights. Using and playing with the same kind of object, but in different sizes and lengths, gives children opportunities to compare just two things, or three or more.
Encourage children to compare things informally too, by doing this yourself: 'That picture is a bit like this one', 'These beads are more sparkly than those ones', 'The monster was the growliest monster that Sharon had ever seen and heard'. And always talk with children using the language of comparison and of order:
* 'Those dinosaurs are nearly the same size.'
* 'Can you find the cup that is bigger than this one?'
* 'The water needs to be deeper if those boats are going to float properly.'
* 'Can you build your tower any higher?'
* 'That bucket holds enough rice to fill both these pots.'
* 'There is just enough time for one more story.'
CONCEPTS OF MEASURE
During the Foundation Stage children should be given opportunities to compare and discuss:
* length (is this person or thing taller/shorter/longer than that one?)
* weight or mass (is this person or thing heavier/lighter than that one?)
* volume or 'size' (is this person or thing bigger/smaller than that one?)
* capacity (does this container hold more/less than that one?)
* time (does this event take a shorter/longer time than that one?)