Make a Step Map

What You Need:

• Grid paper
• Plain paper
• Pencil

What You Do:

1. Get your plain paper and pencil and let your child pick a room to start in. How many steps long does he think the room is?
2. After he guesses, find out the answer! Have him walk across the room and count the steps, then write down the result on a piece of paper.
3. Use steps to measure other parts of your house. How many steps long is the hallway? How many steps long is the bathtub? How many stairs on the front of the house? Keep the totals on your list.
4. When he's all done measuring, take out the grid paper. Using each square to equal a step, help your child draw a line that is as many squares long as it was steps across. Then label it “living room.” Below it, turn your other number results into lines on the grid paper.
5. When you’re done, talk about the results. “Roughly how many bathtubs would fit end to end in the living room?” Or, “Look! The bathtub is longer than the front stairs!”

If the sun comes out, you can take this activity outside! See how long your house is. How many steps from the front door to the mailbox? How many steps long is the car in the driveway?