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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Office of Weights and Measures

Metric Children’s Activity Card

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Black and White graphic. Left side has black images of scales, rulers, SI logo. Right side has white images on black background of same items. The middle of image has a gray cirle with EDUCATION in black letters.
Keywords:Celsius, height, International System of Units, kilogram, length, mass, meter, metric system, ruler, temperature
Audience:Students, educators, parents, public, technology coordinators, outreach ambassadors, formal, informal
Grade Level:3rd to 8th
Subjects:Art, biology, chemistry, life science, Earth science, engineering, environmental science, mathematics, physical science, physics, STEM, technology
Printable metric card with NIST logo, and fill in the blank paragraph, contact information for NIST Metric Program, 8 cm ruler image
Credit: NIST

 

Metric Children's Activity Card PDF
Edition: 2001

Summary

This resource provides a printable card, designed with blank spaces to be completed by the learner. Each card also contains an 8 cm ruler. This resource is to be printed on Tabloid/Ledger paper of size 279.4 mm x 431.8 mm (11 in x 17 in), which will provide seven cards to be cut out and distributed. This resource is an interactive method to engage students in metric units experienced in daily life. Caution: The ruler edge will not be accurate if other paper sizes are used.

Did you know that you can obtain a free set of metric education resources for use in your classroom? Contact the NIST Metric Program at TheSI [at] nist.gov (TheSI[at]nist[dot]gov) and include your name, school, subject, grade level, phone number, and U.S. mailing address. Publication requests may also be made using the OWM Contacts System. The NIST SI Teacher Kit contains a curated collection of instructional measurement resources. A metric ruler is a valuable tool for science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) classrooms.

  • Become familiar with SI measurement reference points used in daily life.
  • Apply SI units of length, mass, and temperature.
  • Use the metric ruler to measure small objects. Accurately read and interpret SI length scales.
  • Develop skills in measuring and estimating using the metric system.

  • Digital file.
  • Tabloid/Ledger paper of size 279.4 mm x 431.8 mm (11 in x 17 in). Caution: The ruler edge will not be accurate if other paper sizes are used.
  • Printer.
  • Scissors.

Use caution when handling paper edges and scissors to prevent injury.

  • Use the Top 10 Tips for Teaching the Metric System.
    • Make measurements with metric tools. Measurement concepts are meaningfully established through hands-on activities. Application, not memorization, is the key to success! The SI is easy to learn when taught using metric tools.
    • Practice building proficiency and confidence in making measurements. Measurement involves doing.
    • Develop reference points. How long? How big? How small? How hot? How cold? It’s important for students to gradually develop an intuitive feeling for the magnitude of commonly used metric units.
    • Use an interdisciplinary approach. Bring the SI into classrooms at every opportunity, including during instruction in language arts, fine arts, social sciences, industrial arts, vocational technologies, consumer studies, and physical fitness.
  • Explain the SI units of measure on each card: centimeter (cm), kilogram (kg), and degree Celsius (°C).
  • Facilitate each student's completion of the card by determining their height, weight, and temperature. This may be completed at home.

EXPLORE THE METRIC PROGRAM

Becoming Familiar with SI | Everyday Estimation | Metrication FAQs | Prefixes | Metric Kitchen | SI Education and Training | SI Publications | Understanding Metric | Writing with Metric Units | National Metric Week | NEST-R (STEM Registry) | NIST Education Resources

Metrology, Metric and Weights and measures

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Created July 13, 2022, Updated December 22, 2025
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