Measuring Length in Centimeters Worksheets for 2nd Grade

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Prints on one US Letter page; the answer key is a separate page. Print at 100% / "Actual size" on US Letter paper. Free for personal and classroom use. Version 1 of 10. Choose another version.

Grade 2MathMeasurement & GeometryCCSS 2.MD.A.1

Skill: Measuring bars to the nearest whole centimeter with a printed ruler

Preview of the Measuring Length in Centimeters printable worksheet
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Teaching tips and what to try next

Aimed at second graders who have measured with an inch ruler in Measuring Length in Inches With a Ruler. Comparing the two rulers side by side shows why the same pencil has a bigger number in centimeters than in inches, which is a key second-grade idea. Turn a set of measurements into a chart afterwards with Reading Bar Graphs.

10 versions, each with its own answer key

Same skill and layout, a fresh set of problems in every version, so children can keep practicing without repeating a page. Problems are not repeated between versions unless a skill has only a small number of possible problems (for example, the addition facts within 10).

Download all 10 versions (one PDF)All 10 answer keys (PDF)

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About this worksheet

Second graders learn to measure with more than one unit, and centimeters are the unit used in science and in most of the world. Because a centimeter is small, measuring in centimeters also takes more careful lining up than measuring in inches. Second graders are expected to measure length with rulers and other tools, and this second-grade worksheet gives that practice with a metric ruler.

The page shows six gray bars, labeled A to F, and every bar has its own 15-centimeter ruler printed right below it. Each bar starts at the 0 mark, so children read where the bar ends and write the length in centimeters. Every bar is a whole number of centimeters long, from 2 to 14, and the six bars on a page are all different lengths. The ruler has long marks for whole centimeters and short marks for half centimeters. Print the page at 100 percent, or actual size, so the ruler is true to size.

How to use it: show your child that measuring starts at 0, not at 1, which is the most common mistake. Ask them to put a finger on the end of the bar, then slide straight down to the ruler and read the number. After the sheet is done, let your child measure a few small things with a real centimeter ruler, such as a crayon, an eraser or a spoon, and compare the lengths.

The answer key gives every length. For customary units, try our Measuring Length in Inches With a Ruler worksheet. To use the data, try our Reading Bar Graphs worksheet.