Measuring Me

February 07, 2009

by Eliza Clark

It starts sometimes as early as that precious one-candle celebration, often blooms proudly at the hold-up-two-fingers and "i free!" festivities after that.  And it continues for as far as we parents can see from our perch in the early years. 

The joy of announcing how big you are.  How old you are.  How tall you are, how heavy you are.  How old you are going to be on your next birthday.  How much bigger you are than your little brother.

We hope it extends only to measuring the little 'uns in the family.  Moms, dads, we don't love the age/weight announcements quite so much....

But for your preschooler, measure early and often.  Get out a measuring tape -- we like to start with one from a sewing kit for the younger set (watching carefully for tangles around tender necks and never leaving alone, of course).  (If baby brother needs some persuading to get into the measuring swing, how darling is this bib?)

You have a growth chart, right?  Is it one on a door frame or a store-bought version?  We adore both, of course, and we especially like the rather more meaningful measures of growth that we sometimes think of.  Non-traditional measuring brings us to one of our favorite measuring books for older preschoolers (and beyond):  Measuring Penny.  You'll love it -- though you might have to reassure the family pup that this science experimentation won't last forever.

Want to blow a little mind wide open with a sense of scale?  Go find a copy of Actual Size.  Wow.  Even for grown-ups, wow.

If leaving the bathroom scale within reach makes your wee one ask too often if you might get on it, consider this classic balance.  She can weigh all kinds of things and perhaps keep a tally to show what weighs more or less.

Bigger, smaller, heavier, lighter, more, fewer, less.  All math for preschoolers masquerading as outrageous fun!

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