Get your students moving along a path of discovery with the engaging and hands-on Measure My Journey activity! This resource encourages young learners to explore informal units of measurement while promoting counting, spatial awareness and fine motor skills. It’s a fun and interactive way to build foundational maths understanding in a low-prep format.

Students will follow a designated path and measure its length using a variety of manipulatives. Whether it’s Lego bricks, blocks, beads or counters, this activity is flexible enough to suit any classroom’s materials and student interests. As students build their way along the journey, they will count the number of items used to cover the distance and record their results on the included worksheet.

For added challenge and depth, students can repeat the activity using a different manipulative and compare how the measurement outcome changes depending on the size of the units used. This comparison fosters deeper understanding of measurement concepts and unit size. With opportunities to explore, count, compare and reason, Measure My Journey makes measurement meaningful and fun!

Key Learning Outcomes

• ✅ Use informal units to measure length
• ✅ Count and record units used to measure a path
• ✅ Compare results when using different sized units
• ✅ Strengthen fine motor coordination through hands-on engagement

What’s Included

• 1 journey-themed worksheet with a pre-drawn path
• Space for students to build directly along the path
• Recording box for students to write or draw the number of units used
• Extension prompts to remeasure with a different item

Materials Needed

• Printed worksheets (one per student or pair)
• Manipulatives for measuring, such as:
  • Lego bricks
  • Unifix cubes
  • Beads or counters
  • Dominoes, popsticks or small blocks
• Pencils or markers for recording answers
• Optional: clipboards for students to work around the room

How to Use

1. Print and distribute the journey worksheet to each student or group.
2. Choose a manipulative based on available classroom resources or student interest.
3. Students place their chosen item along the journey path, carefully lining them up without overlapping or gaps.
4. Once the full path is measured, students count the total and record the number on the worksheet.
5. For extension, repeat using a different sized unit and compare which required more or fewer pieces.

Ideas for Classroom Use

• 💡 Include in a measurement maths rotation to build hands-on skills
• 💡 Use as a fine motor station with beads or small blocks for added coordination
• 💡 Pair with discussion prompts about why different units give different totals
• 💡 Turn it into a collaborative activity with small groups using different materials and comparing outcomes

Top Teacher Tips

• 💛 Laminate the worksheet for reuse with dry-erase markers and manipulatives
• 💛 Offer manipulatives of varied sizes to help students reason about unit length
• 💛 Display students’ completed worksheets to celebrate their measurement achievements
• 💛 Encourage students to predict the number of units before measuring for added estimation practice

This interactive and flexible activity is the perfect blend of maths, movement and fun. With a focus on real-world measurement using informal units, Measure My Journey is a wonderful way to build early maths skills in an engaging and memorable format for young learners.