Conversation Heart Measurement Activity

Conversation hearts aren’t just a sweet Valentine’s Day treat – they are an irresistibly fun math manipulative,, too! One of our favorite activities is using conversation hearts to introduce measurement. They are the perfect size for little hands and are easy to manipulate. Plus, what kid wouldn’t love playing with candy during math time?!

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab even more STEM challenges kids will LOVE with our Epic STEM Challenge Bundle!

Getting Started

To get started, we first gathered a few supplies:

• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Conversation candy hearts
• Valentine measuring cards & record sheet

We printed the Valentine measuring cards (below) on cardstock to make them sturdy enough to hold up to plenty of use. (If you plan on using these cards in a center, laminate them for even more durability.)

We cut along the dashed lines to separate each piece and placed them next to a container filled with conversation hearts.

Then, we printed one record sheet for each student.

Conversation Heart Measurement Activity

This activity focuses on measuring objects using non-standard units so it was important to go over some rules of measurement before getting started.

Since the cards in the activity measured length, we first showed students how to trace the lines next to each picture as a guide.

Then, we stressed how important it was not to leave gaps, overlap or stack the units as kids measured. We modeled how to measure an object from “tip to tip” – forming a line of conversation hearts that stretched from one end of the guide line to the other.

Once students were ready to measure on their own, they began grabbing one card at a time and lining the conversation hearts up next to each object.

They counted how many hearts (units) long each object was and recorded their answers on the “Candy Hearts Measurement” sheet.

Measurement Extension Activity

Once your students have measured with candy hearts, have them explore measuring these cards using other candy or small objects that are the same size: paper clips, counting cubes and pom poms work great!

You can compare and discuss why the results were the same or different when using non-standard units of measurement.

Grab Your Set

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab even more STEM challenges kids will LOVE with our Epic STEM Challenge Bundle!