Ordering Objects by Length Worksheets for 1st Grade

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

Skill: Putting three objects in order from shortest to longest or longest to shortest

Preview of the Ordering Objects by Length printable worksheet
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Teaching tips and what to try next

Suits first graders who can already pick the longer of two things and are ready to compare three. When the direction flips in the last two sets, many children keep numbering from shortest, so ask them to read each set's rule out loud first. Measuring with a ruler is the next step in Measuring Length in Inches With a Ruler, and Measuring Length in Centimeters uses metric units.

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

Once children can compare two objects, the next step is putting three in order. First graders are expected to order three objects by length, and to see that if the blue ribbon is longer than the red one, and the red one is longer than the green one, the blue one must be longer than the green one too. This first grade worksheet practices that ordering.

The page has six sets of three ribbons, labeled A, B and C. All the ribbons in a set start at the same line, and their lengths are different enough to see. In the first four sets, children write 1 on the shortest ribbon, 2 on the middle one and 3 on the longest. In the last two sets, the order flips: 1 goes on the longest ribbon and 3 on the shortest, so children must read the direction carefully. Each of the ten versions has new ribbon lengths and its own answer key.

How to use it: try it with real things first. Gather three strips of paper, three spoons or three shoes, line them up at one end and ask your child to put them in order. Then ask comparison questions, such as "Is A longer or shorter than C?" On the sheet, suggest finding the shortest ribbon first, then the longest, so the middle one is easy.

The answer key shows the number for every ribbon. When your child is ready to measure with units, try our Measuring Length in Inches With a Ruler worksheet or our Measuring Length in Centimeters worksheet.