Many people think that measurement is just for seamstresses and carpenters. However, measurement is actually a part of everyday life, and you can start early with your child in helping him appreciate the friendly role that it has in our lives. Here's how to begin:• Take a short piece of string (somewhere between 6 and 16 inches long) and suggest to your child that he give it a funny name, like "donzel". Then use the length of string to help your child measure things. His height, the length of an arm, the height of your dog, the length of your child's bed, and so forth. All measurements need to be given in "donzels" or whatever term your child has created. • Go to the library and check out a book telling the story of our system of measurement. Then, acquaint your child with some of the standard units of measurement, showing him a ruler, a measuring tape, a yardstick, and so on. Don't expect him to memorize units of measurement or to be accurate in measuring to start out with. But by focusing on the value of measurement in our lives, you can instill a beginning appreciation of its value and practical use.

Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. is an award-winning author and speaker with twenty-eight years of teaching experience from the primary through the doctoral level, and over one million copies of his books in print on issues related to learning and human development. He is the author of nine books including Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, In Their Own Way, Awakening Your Child’s Natural Genius, 7 Kinds of Smart, The Myth of the A.D.D. Child, ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom, and Awakening Genius in the Classroom. His books have been translated into sixteen languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Danish, and Russian.