Use the language of measurement.

• Introduce your child to words such as weight, balance, size, full yards, area.
• Ask her to compare: "Which board is widest?" "Whose boots are heavier? Yours or Dad's?"
• Help her ask questions about measurement: "You could ask Grandpa what he measures at work." "Let's find out if your lunchbox holds more stuff than mine."

Show your child how to use measurement in family routines.

• Let your child give pets a set amount of food or water each day.
• He can use teaspoons and measuring cups when you cook together.
• He can learn to check a rain gauge or thermometer and tell you the results.
• She can help fill trash bags and recycle bins. You might help her weigh the trash or recycling each week and use a calendar to keep track of how much your family throws out or recycles.
• He can have a daily schedule for giving garden plants a set amount of water.

Play games together that use measuring skills.

• Join your child in games that involve being aware of distances, such as tag, beanbag toss, and hopscotch. "Pathway" games (for example, Candyland) also involve distances.
• Let her use a timer during games to practice measuring time.

Offer other activities related to measurement.

• Let your child play with nesting toys, interlocking blocks, geoboards, nesting toys, clay, wood scraps, interlocking blocks, stacking toys, and fabric squares.
• Offer your child measuring tools (ruler, eye dropper, balance, clock) for study or play. Provide clear tubes and containers for sand and water play.
• Help your child use nonstandard items (hands, thick string, shoes, floor tiles) to describe the size of things around him. "This table is 5 tiles long."
• Invite your child to guess the weight of pets, family members, or toys, checking them on a scale. You might help her make a chart of her results.
• Make a quilt with your child, or let him help you build a model, a birdhouse, or other small construction project.