It may also help them to be reminded that you find the area by multiplying the base times the height, and the perimeter by adding up all the sides. Yet in this example, because the rods are not overlapping, the child has made a rectangle that is 5 by 4:ĭepending on the needs of your kiddos, you may want to start off with the very basics. In this example, the child has made a rectangle that is 4 by 3: It is important to state here that you can actually get different areas and perimeters, even while using the same rods. Next, the children need some time to explore area and perimeter with the rods. It may even be helpful to create a chart as a “cheat” sheet. Now it is easy to see that the white equals one, the red two, the light green three and so on. Now it is time for some math, and a good place to start is with the value of each rod.īegin by having them line up the rods in order from shortest to tallest. Second, even if they are just playing with them, they are making observations and connections that will help them when it is time to get to work. Allowing them to just “play” with them first has benefits.įirst, they are more likely to pay attention to you when they aren’t thinking about how long before they can get their hands on the manipulatives. Most children love new materials, and they can’t wait to see what they can do with them. One of the best ways to start with new manipulatives is to let the children explore.

If your children have not played with Cuisenaire Rods before, a little intro will help them be successful with the game. This is a guest post from Rachel of You’ve Got This Math. * Please Note: This post contains affiliate links which help support the work of this site. There are so many hands-on ways for children to explore and create with this topic.īut like all math concepts, practice is needed….and this fun, STEM inspired Area and Perimeter Game is a great way to get some practice in. Teaching area and the perimeter of shapes isn’t any different. It is easy to pull out the manipulatives and let children explore, build, and be creative.

Fun perimeter worksheets