Today's Tip for Families

[En español]

2026-04-12

Have Your Child Keep a Measurement Diary

Children learn math more readily when it’s concrete and personal. A measurement diary makes it both.

Start by gathering the earliest health records you have for your child. Together, review your child's weight and height. Then, weigh and measure your elementary schooler today. What’s the difference? How much has your child grown?

Next, give your student a small notebook to record the current measurements. Have your child include weight and height, as well as:

• Arm length from shoulder to tip of middle finger.
• Neck circumference.
• Waist circumference.
• Head circumference.

Help your child measure and record these statistics in the notebook once a month. Then, challenge your child to compare one month to another. Or, to compare statistics for every third month.

At the end of a year, help your child make a graph of the statistics. As well as good math practice, this will be a visual reminder of your child's growth.

Source: Kathy A. Zahler, 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Raise a Child Who Loves Math, Arco Publishing.

Brought to you by:

West Point Consolidated School District

© 2026 The Parent Institute, a Division of PaperClip Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.