Comparing length and height

Part of MathsMeasuringYear 1Year 1

A boy is thinking. A thought bubble appears above the boy. In the thought bubble are three pencils with different lengths, as well as three towers with differing heights.

What are length and height?

Length is how long an object is from one end to the other.

You can describe and compare the lengths of objects using the words:

  • short, shorter and shortest
  • long, longer and longest

Height is how tall an object is from the bottom to the top.

You can compare the heights of objects using the words:

  • short, shorter and shortest
  • tall, taller and tallest
A boy is thinking. A thought bubble appears above the boy. In the thought bubble are three pencils with different lengths, as well as three towers with differing heights.
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Activity: How to compare lengths and heights

Complete this interactive activity to understand how to compare lengths and heights. Then put your knowledge to the test.

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Comparing lengths

When you are comparing lengths, you are describing how long or short an object is compared to other objects.

Length is measured sideways or lengthways.

These pencils have been placed sideways, or lengthways, so you can see how long they are.

There are three different pencils with different lengths. The blue pencil at the bottom is the shortest, the word 'long' is next to it. The orange pencil in the middle is the second longest, the word 'longer' is next to it. The green pencil at the bottom is the longest, the word 'longest' is next to it. There are arrows that measure the length which are just above each pencil starting at the tip where you write and ending at the top of the pencil.

It is important to line the objects up at one end so that they can be compared correctly.

The blue pencil is long. The orange one is longer. The green one is the longest pencil.

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Comparing heights

When you are comparing heights, you are describing how tall or short an object is compared to other objects.

The bottom of these buildings are all lined up on the ground.

The orange building is tall. The purple one is taller. The blue building is the tallest.

Three towers made of blocks sit on a dotted line. The green tower on the left is the second tallest, the word 'taller' is written underneath it. The middle blue tower is the tallest, the word 'tallest' is written underneath it. The orange tower on the right is the smallest, the word 'tall' is written underneath it. There are arrows next to each tower, starting at their bottoms and ending at their tops that match the length of each tower.
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Example 1

There are three pencils each of a different length.

What words could you use to compare the lengths of the pencils?

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Example 2

Four children stood in a row. The child on the left is the tallest and is named Amir. The next child over is a little smaller than Amir and is named Lily. The next child to the right is smaller than Lily and is named Lesley. The final child and furthest to the right is smaller than Lesley and is named Fatima.

What words could you use to compare the heights of the children?

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Example 3

There are four children stood on platforms. Each platform is at a different level.

Why is it difficult to compare the heights of the children in this picture?

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