Teaching Capacity, Mass and Area in Kindergarten: Hands-On Measurement Ideas

There is so much for children to discover when they can pour, lift, cover, predict, and test! When I first shared this post in 2014, I showed a few of the measurement activities we had tried in my Kindergarten classroom. I’ve updated it with hands-on lessons and centres for exploring capacity, area and mass in Kindergarten, including new area activities and more ways to investigate what different containers can hold.

If you’re looking for longer and shorter activities, I have a separate post about teaching length in Kindergarten.

What does the 2026 Ontario Kindergarten curriculum say about measurement?

In the 2026 curriculum, A10.1 asks children to describe different ways objects can be measured. A10.2 asks them to compare the length, area, mass, and capacity of objects using concrete materials. For capacity, mass and area, I want children to make predictions, test them with real objects, and explain what they notice. You can read the Kindergarten curriculum here.

The expectations no longer explicitly mention measuring with repeated non-standard units, but I still offer scoops, beans, counting bears, and cubes in some activities. They help children explore how we can measure. When I document their learning for A10, I focus on their ability to describe and compare what containers hold, how heavy objects are, and how much space surfaces cover, rather than the accuracy of a particular count.

Comparing capacity with containers

Capacity is how much a container can hold.

I introduce it with two empty containers and ask, “Which do you think will hold more? Why?” A tall, narrow cup beside a shorter, wider cup can lead to a great discussion because the tallest container doesn’t always hold the most!

Then we test our predictions. Fill the first container to the top with water, then pour it into the empty second container. If there is room left over, the second container holds more. If it overflows, the second container holds less. If the water fills it exactly, the containers have the same capacity.

Some questions to ask:

• “Which container do you think holds more? What makes you think that?”
• “How could we check?”
• “What happened when you poured the water?”
• “Did you change your mind after testing?”

Which holds more water?

For this centre, I leave out a variety of cups and containers at the water table with the invitation: “Pick two containers or cups. Which holds more water?”

Children choose a pair, make a prediction, and test it by filling and pouring. Keeping the invitation simple gives them room to try different combinations and explain their discoveries. I purposely do not put a recording sheet at this centre because a) not every exploration needs a writing extension and b) water and paper do not mix!

Measure and compare capacity

Another way to investigate capacity is to use one small cup or scoop to fill different containers. We explore this with water and then with beans, comparing three cups and ordering them from least to most capacity.

When comparing scoop counts, use the same scoop, filled to the same level, each time. Model filling and pouring carefully so spills don’t affect the comparison.

The unit includes an optional recording page where children can draw the cups they investigated and identify which held the most beans.

For this centre, I label the cups A, B, and C using circle stickers. You can offer more cups and label them D, E etc. if you wish! Children choose two cups, draw them on the optional recording page, and use a mini cup—a plastic shot glass from Dollarama—to investigate how many scoops of beans each holds.

They can complete the sentence stems with their findings: “I measured cups A and C. The cup that held the most beans was cup C.”

Labeling the cups with letters helps simplify the process when they are recording their findings!

You can also use the centre signs (included in the unit) to invite children to order containers by how many scoops of water or sand they hold.

Counting scoops offers practice with counting and one-to-one correspondence. For measurement, I’m especially interested in whether children can explain which container holds more or less and how they know.

Introduce mass with objects children can hold

For mass, I begin with the words heavy and light. We read Heavy or Light by Les Drew and brainstorm familiar objects that might be heavy or light. Then I give children two classroom objects to hold, one at a time, and ask which feels heavier.

In the original classroom activity, we used a full water bottle as a reference point. Students passed it around, then suggested objects they thought would be heavier than or lighter than the bottle. I recorded their ideas on a chart to get a sense of their understanding of mass and the words heavy and light.

Test mass with a balance scale

A balance scale makes the comparison visible. Place one object in each pan and watch what happens. Children can predict which side will go down, then use the scale to check and explain the result. Try a pair that might surprise them: a larger, light object and a smaller, dense one.

The Which Is Heavier? centre in my printable unit gives children cards showing two groups of manipulatives. They build each group in the pans of a balance scale and see which is heavier. There is an optional recording page, but I especially want to hear children say what they predicted, what happened to the scale, and whether they changed their minds.

You can also leave a balance scale and a basket of familiar objects open during centres. For children interested in another way to measure mass, invite them to put one object in a pan and add identical manipulatives to the other until the pans balance. This is an exploration, not a requirement to reach a particular number of bears or cubes.

Explore area: Which covers more space?

Area is how much space a flat shape or surface covers. I begin with a small paper square and a larger paper square (I just cut them out of coloured construction paper. I make sure to use 2 different colours so it’s easy to see when we overlap them) and ask, “Which covers more space? How can we tell?”

We overlap the squares to check. With these shapes, children can see that the smaller square fits inside the larger one. I introduce the words area, covers more, and covers less as we discuss what we notice.

Cover a surface with square tiles

Next, I model covering a flat surface, such as an envelope, with square tiles. We use tiles that are all the same size and place them together without gaps or overlaps.

Children can count the tiles to explore one way of measuring area. When comparing two surfaces, we use the same-sized tiles for both and discuss which needs more tiles to cover it.

Can different shapes have the same area?

In another lesson, we compare two pictures and imagine choosing one to display on a wall. Which would cover more of the wall?

We try overlapping the pictures first. When that doesn’t settle the comparison, we cover each with square tiles. The pictures in this activity have the same area, giving us a chance to discover that differently shaped surfaces can cover the same amount of space!

Area investigation centre

For the area centre, I set out a basket of flat shapes or surfaces, square tiles, and the invitation: “Which do you think has more area? Check with the square tiles!”

Children choose two surfaces, predict which covers more space, and use the tiles to investigate. Start with surfaces that can be covered completely with whole tiles so the comparison is easier to see.

Some items you could fill your basket with are small books with flat covers to compare, envelopes, sticky notes, playing cards and a ruler. I also cut off the front of favourite snack boxes to measure. Using known preferred items/characters is one way to make a centre more engaging!

Ask, “Which covers more space? How do the tiles help you know?” The recording sheet is optional but can be helpful for students who like to record their thinking.

What should I observe and document?

I listen for children identifying what they are comparing and using words such as holds more, holds less, heavier, lighter, covers more, and covers less. I also notice how they test their predictions and explain their results.

A photo of their containers, balance scale, or tile-covered surfaces, paired with a note about what they said, can capture their thinking.

If I haven’t yet observed a child comparing an attribute, I can invite them into a brief investigation with two containers, objects, or flat shapes. “Which holds more?”, “Which is heavier?”, or “Which covers more space?” gives them an opportunity to show their thinking with concrete materials.

Non-standard units remain useful tools for exploration. When documenting measurement learning though, my focus is on children’s ability to describe and compare the attributes they are investigating.

Ready-to-use measurement activities

My printable Kindergarten measurement unit includes the area lessons and tile investigation centre, capacity lessons and centre signs, mass activities, and balance-scale investigations, along with length lessons and centres. Optional recording pages are included, too!

Explore the printable unit, digital measurement activities, and year-long Ontario Kindergarten Math System in the resource cards below.

I hope this helps make planning your measurement unit easy!

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