1st grade comparing & ordering length worksheets

The kind of problems you'll get

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 each sheet

• Fluency. Compare or order the bars. 6 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

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 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.

Related worksheets

• Kindergarten comparing & ordering length A step easier, same skill
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