Estimating and Measuring with Tools Worksheet

Before a student can measure anything well, they have to know which unit and which tool the job calls for, and this estimating and measuring with tools worksheet gives second graders five quick chances to practise exactly that. Each sentence names a familiar object at a familiar size, and the student picks the word from the box that makes the sentence true. A school bus is measured in meters, a paper clip in centimeters, a classroom door in feet, a new pencil in inches, and a math book with a ruler.

The five sentences work like a warm-up for real measuring. Choosing between inches, feet, centimeters, and meters forces a student to picture the object first and then judge its size, which is the estimating half of the skill; naming the ruler as the tool is the measuring half. Every word in the box is used exactly once, so a student who is sure of four answers can reason out the fifth, and the sentences are ordered so the answers do not run down the box in order. Print one copy per student for a measurement unit, a morning warm-up, or a math centre, then hand out real rulers and let the class check the pencil and the book for themselves. The answer key on page two makes checking the set quick.

What’s Included

• One printable worksheet page with a five-word word box
• Five fill-in-the-blank sentences on units and measuring tools
• Original crayon and colored-pencil artwork of a student measuring a book
• A full answer key on the final page

Three Reasons This Helps Kids

• Choosing a unit means picturing the real object first, which is the habit that makes estimates reasonable instead of random.
• Seeing inches and feet beside centimeters and meters in one activity keeps customary and metric units from blurring together.
• Every sentence names an object a second grader can go and measure, so the page leads straight into hands-on work with a ruler.

Teacher and Parent Ideas

• Read the word box aloud and sort the words into units and tools before anyone writes.
• After checking the page, give each student a ruler and have them measure the pencil and the book from items three and five.
• Ask students to write one new sentence of their own using a unit from the box.
• Use this 2nd grade estimation worksheet as a quick pre-test at the start of a measurement unit.

Related Resources

• Which is the Best Measuring Tool Worksheet
• Estimating Measurement in Inches Worksheet
• Measuring Objects by Length Worksheet
• Greater Than Less Than Inequalities Song

This estimating and measuring with tools worksheet was rebuilt from the ground up with fresh sentences, fresh artwork, and a clean, roomy layout a second grader can work through without help. From Have Fun Teaching.