Measuring mass and weight (age 4+)
Compare two objects directly by mass or weight and describe the difference using language such as heavy, light, heavier than, lighter than
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Teaching Table · Reviewed guide
Set out your lesson
“Weight tells how heavy something is. We can heft two objects in our hands or use a balance. The heavier side goes down. We say heavier than and lighter than.”
Bring to the table
- One heavy book
- One light object such as a feather, crumpled paper, or empty cardboard piece
- Optional: a simple kitchen or toy balance scale
Full guide and materials
- One heavy book
- One light object such as a feather, crumpled paper, or empty cardboard piece
- Optional: a simple kitchen or toy balance scale
- Step 1. Have your child hold the book in one hand and the light object in the other. Ask which is heavier and which is lighter.
- Step 2. Practice the sentence frame: “The book is heavier than the feather.”
- Step 3. If a balance is available, place one object in each pan and watch which side goes down. Connect that side to heavier than.
- Step 4. If no balance is available, repeat hefting with a second pair, such as a full water bottle and an empty cup.
- Step 5. Ask your child to choose any two safe objects and describe them with heavier than or lighter than.
- Quick check. Success means your child correctly names which of two objects is heavier and uses “heavier than” or “lighter than” in a sentence.
Worked example. On a balance, the book side goes down and the feather side goes up, so the book is heavier than the feather.
Optional challenge. Compare two same-size bags or boxes with different fillings so size does not give the answer away, then explain the heft difference.
What to notice. Save a parent note quoting the heavier-than sentence and whether heft, balance, or both were used.
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Weight tells how heavy something is. We can heft two objects in our hands or use a balance. The heavier side goes down. We say heavier than and lighter than.
Spend about 10 minutes comparing a heavy book and a light object by heft and optional balance.
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Learning resources
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Check understanding
- Heft two objects and say which is heavier/lighter
- Use a simple balance to compare the weight of two objects
- Describe one object as 'heavier than' another
“If your child holds a bag of apples in one hand and a feather in the other, can they tell you which is heavier and use words like "much heavier than" to describe the difference?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Measurement
- Age range
- Ages 4–6
Standards