Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Giant's Footprint Measure: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 1
- ForYear 1
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Giant's Footprint Measure is a free printable measuring worksheet for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6). Children measure a toy and a giant's footprint with cubes, paper clips and hand spans. They fill in a table, then say which is longer and which is shorter. It needs only a pencil and some small things to measure with, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help, a stretch idea and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children choose a toy and draw it, then draw the giant's footprint. They fill in a table with the thing they measured, the unit they used and how many. The units are cubes, paper clips and hand spans. One question asks how many more cubes long the footprint is than the toy. Another asks children to find something shorter than their hand span and write its name. There are boxes for drawing and notes.
- Draw a toy you will measure
- Draw the giant's footprint
- Thing
- Unit I used
- How many?
- How many more cubes long is the footprint than the toy?
- Find something shorter than your hand span. Write its name.
Why measure with cubes, clips and hand spans?
In Year 1, children begin measuring length with everyday units they can hold and count. Cubes and paper clips are good for this because each one is the same size, so counting them gives a clear number. Children lay them end to end along an object and count. This links measuring to counting, which they already know well, and it makes length something they can see and touch.
A hand span is the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger when the hand is stretched wide. It is a handy unit because children always have it with them. It also leads to a useful idea: hands are different sizes, so one person's hand span is not the same as another's. Later, children meet standard units such as centimetres, which are the same for everyone.
Skills and curriculum link
- Measuring length
- Comparing longer and shorter
- Counting units
- Recording in a table
- Measurement vocabulary
Helping your child measure well
- Start at the edgeLine up the first cube or clip with the very edge of the object. If it starts in the middle, the count will not tell you the true length.
- End to end, no gapsUnits should touch each other in a straight line. Gaps and overlaps change the count, so check the line before counting.
- One unit at a timeUse the same unit for the whole of one measurement. Mixing cubes and clips in one line makes the number hard to read.
- Count aloud and pointTouch each unit as you say its number. This keeps the count steady and stops children skipping or counting one twice.
Key words
- LengthHow long something is from one end to the other.
- UnitThe thing you count to measure, such as a cube or a paper clip.
- LongerHaving more length than something else.
- ShorterHaving less length than something else.
- Hand spanThe distance from your thumb tip to your little finger tip when your hand is stretched wide.
- CompareLook at two things and say how they are the same or different.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Gather some cubes or paper clips. Read the sheet together and talk about what a giant's footprint might look like.
- Lay the units end to end with no gaps, starting at the edge of the object. Let your child count aloud and fill in the table.
- Talk about the longer and shorter questions. Ask your child to show you how they know, using the objects.
- Check with page 2. Come back to the sheet another day, because repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Use big cubes and measure just one object together. Point to each cube as you count, and say the numbers slowly. Let your child lay the cubes themselves. Try the table first, and come back to the comparing questions once measuring feels easy.
To stretch confident children
Measure the same toy with cubes and paper clips. Ask your child to say why the two numbers are different, and which unit gave the bigger number. Then try a hand span and talk about whose hand span would give a different answer.
Make it a game
Cut out a paper giant footprint. Hunt around the house for things that are longer than it and things that are shorter. Lay each find beside the footprint to check, and keep two piles so you can compare them at the end.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forGaps or overlaps appear between the cubes or clips.
Try thisSlide the units together so they touch end to end. Count again and see if the number changes.
Watch forThe first cube starts part way along the object.
Try thisLine up the first unit with the edge of the object. Use a finger to mark the starting point.
Watch forA child mixes units, using cubes and then clips in one line.
Try thisChoose one unit for each measurement. Put the other unit away until the next row of the table.
Watch forThe count skips a unit or counts one twice.
Try thisTouch each unit as you count aloud. Try moving each one to a new pile as you say its number.
Talk about it
- What do you think the giant's footprint would look like in real life?
- How did you know where to start measuring?
- Which unit did you find easiest to use, and why?
- What is longer than your hand span? What is shorter?
- Why do we need to leave no gaps between the cubes?
- If a giant had a longer footprint, what would you expect to change?
Take it off the page
Giant footprint trail
Cut big footprints from scrap paper and lay them across a room. Children walk along the trail and count how many footprints it takes to reach a chair or a door.
Hand span hunt
Use your own hand span to measure things around the house, like a book or a cushion. Count how many spans long each one is.
Paper clip chain
Join paper clips into a chain and use it to measure toys and shoes. Say which things are longer than the chain and which are shorter.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. Gather cubes or paper clips first, and let your child lay them out. Praise careful counting and clear thinking, not only the right answer.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing and collecting cubes or clips. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair it with a walk to find things to compare, or a morning of play with building blocks. Use real objects from around the house. The sheet can be printed again for brothers and sisters or for revision later.
Where this fits
Before this, children compare things by eye and use words like long, short, tall and taller in play. They also learn to count objects reliably, which is the skill they use when counting units along a length.
After this, children move on to measuring with standard units such as centimetres and metres, using rulers and tape measures. The ideas of starting at the edge, leaving no gaps and comparing lengths carry straight over.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Giant's Footprint Measure for?
It is written for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. Children in Reception who enjoy measuring, or Year 2 children who need more practice with units, may also find it useful.
- What will children practise?
Children practise measuring length with everyday units and comparing longer and shorter. They count units, record what they find in a table and use measuring words in context.
- What do I need besides the sheet?
You need a pencil, and cubes or paper clips to measure with. Children also use their own hand spans. Any small, equal sized cubes or clips will do, and nothing needs to be bought specially.
- What if it feels too hard?
Slow it down. Use big cubes and measure one object together, pointing to each cube as you count. Let your child lay the units themselves and come back to the harder questions on another day.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or to revisit the skill a few weeks later.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed groups.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It is a screen free printable that needs only paper, a pencil and some small things to measure with. It suits quiet time, rainy days, school holidays and home education.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.