What kinds of problems are on the first grade sheet?

Three kinds take turns: comparing two bars, ordering three bars from shortest to longest, and counting how many unit cubes long a bar is.

My child says the bar that sticks out farthest is longest. Is that wrong?

Sometimes. A few items start one bar farther to the right on purpose, so the eye-catching finish line lies. Length runs from where a bar starts to where it ends.

1st grade comparing & ordering length

1st grade comparing & ordering length worksheets

First grade sheets rotate three kinds of items: compare two bars, order three bars from shortest to longest, and count how many unit cubes long a bar is. Together they build the two ideas that make a ruler make sense next year.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 1.MD.A.1, 1.MD.A.2.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of problems you'll get

Compare and measure the bars. Follow each direction.

A ribbon is longer than a crayon. Which is shorter?
Answer: The crayon is shorter.

Most problems on this sheet sit beside a picture, model or diagram, so this is the worked example the sheet itself prints. The answer key on page two prints the answer under every problem.

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

The sample sheet above has 6 problems. The kindergarten sample has 8. This sheet is aligned to 1.MD.A.1, 1.MD.A.2. The kindergarten sheet is aligned to K.MD.A.2.

Comparing and ordering length. Compare and measure the bars. Follow each direction. 6 problems per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

How to teach this

For the ordering items, find the shortest bar first, cross it off, then find the shortest of what is left. On the cube bars, have your child touch each cube while counting so the lines between cubes stay out of the count. Watch the sneaky compares where one bar starts farther right. Ask where it starts and where it ends, not which one sticks out.

Watch for: Kids judge by where a bar ends, even when it starts farther right. Length runs from start to end, so a bar can finish ahead and still be shorter. Kids count the lines between the cubes instead of the cubes themselves. Six cubes have only five lines inside, so count the boxes, not the marks.

Common questions about 1st grade comparing & ordering length

What kinds of problems are on the first grade sheet?: Three kinds take turns: comparing two bars, ordering three bars from shortest to longest, and counting how many unit cubes long a bar is.
My child says the bar that sticks out farthest is longest. Is that wrong?: Sometimes. A few items start one bar farther to the right on purpose, so the eye-catching finish line lies. Length runs from where a bar starts to where it ends.

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Aligned to Common Core 1.MD.A.1, 1.MD.A.2. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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