How is this different from the area and perimeter sheet?

That sheet labels a rectangle's sides and expects length times width. This one draws the unit squares and asks your child to count them. Nothing is multiplied. It is the earlier step, the one that shows what the formula is counting, and it matches 3.MD.C.6.

Why does the answer need to say square units?

Because the count is of squares, not of a length. The sheet's instruction says to include square units, and the answer key writes it that way, so 6 square units is the full answer and a plain 6 is not quite finished. Getting the words in now saves confusion when perimeter arrives with plain units.

How many problems are on a sheet?

Eight, each one a region drawn with its unit squares showing. You can print the easier or the default version, and every print draws a fresh set of regions, so a second child or a redo gets a different sheet with the same skill on it.

3rd grade area by counting unit squares

3rd grade area by counting unit squares worksheets

Area by counting unit squares worksheets for 3rd grade draw a region tiled with unit squares for each of the 8 problems. There are no side lengths to multiply. Your child counts the squares inside, writes the number, and adds the words square units. Two settings are offered, easier and default. This is the counting step that comes before the area formula.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 3.MD.C.6.

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

Count the unit squares to find each area. Include square units.

A region contains two rows of three unit squares. Find its area.
Answer: 6 square units.

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 each sheet

Area by counting unit squares. Count the unit squares to find each area. Include square units. 8 problems per page.

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

This sheet is one of the versions on the 3rd grade area & perimeter page, with its own difficulty choices and its own answer key.

How to teach this

Have your child touch each square as they count it and say the numbers out loud. Skipping a square or counting one twice is the usual slip, and a finger on the paper fixes most of it. Once a region is counted, ask whether it could have been counted faster. Two rows of three is six, and noticing that is the start of the area formula, but there is no need to push it yet. The sheet asks for square units with every answer, so check that the words are there and not only the number. If 6 comes out as a bare 6, that is the moment to talk about what a unit square is: one square, one unit on each side. The worked example on the sheet, a region of two rows of three, is a good one to redo together before the first problem.

Watch for: Kids count the edges of the region or the lines between tiles instead of the squares inside it. Area is the number of whole squares covering the surface, so count the tiles, not the lines around them. Kids write the count without the unit, so 6 square units becomes a bare 6. The answer key expects square units every time, and the habit matters once perimeter shows up with plain units.

Common questions about 3rd grade area by counting unit squares

How is this different from the area and perimeter sheet?: That sheet labels a rectangle's sides and expects length times width. This one draws the unit squares and asks your child to count them. Nothing is multiplied. It is the earlier step, the one that shows what the formula is counting, and it matches 3.MD.C.6.
Why does the answer need to say square units?: Because the count is of squares, not of a length. The sheet's instruction says to include square units, and the answer key writes it that way, so 6 square units is the full answer and a plain 6 is not quite finished. Getting the words in now saves confusion when perimeter arrives with plain units.
How many problems are on a sheet?: Eight, each one a region drawn with its unit squares showing. You can print the easier or the default version, and every print draws a fresh set of regions, so a second child or a redo gets a different sheet with the same skill on it.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of problems? Print another copy. The difficulty you picked above stays.

Aligned to Common Core 3.MD.C.6. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets