Big and Small: Comparing Sizes
A warm early-years math lesson on comparing sizes: learn big and small, tall and short, long and short, and more than and less than with fun picture examples.
Key takeaways
- Big and small tell us about size
- Tall and short, long and short are ways to compare
- More means a bigger amount, less means a smaller amount
Big and small
Some things are big. Some things are small.
🐘 The elephant is big.
🐭 The mouse is small.
When we look at two things, we can say which one is bigger and which one is smaller.
Tall and short
We use tall and short for how high something is.
- A tree is tall. 🌳
- A flower is short. 🌼
Stand up next to a grown-up. Who is taller? Who is shorter?
Long and short
We use long and short for how far something goes.
- A train is long. 🚂
- A toy car is short. 🚗
More and less
We can also compare how many.
🍎🍎🍎 — this plate has more apples.
🍎 — this plate has less.
| Look at | Word to use |
|---|---|
| 🐘 next to 🐭 | bigger / smaller |
| 🌳 next to 🌼 | taller / shorter |
| 🍪🍪🍪 next to 🍪 | more / less |
To find out which has more, you can count each side. The bigger number is more.
Try it at home
- Find the biggest toy and the smallest toy.
- Who is the tallest person in your family?
- Which cup has more water?
Great job!
Now you can compare sizes and amounts. These words help you in math every day.
When you are ready, try Counting to 20 or look at Shapes All Around Us.
Quick quiz
Test yourself and earn XP
Which animal is bigger? 🐘 or 🐭
An elephant is much bigger than a tiny mouse.
Which is taller? A tree or a flower?
A tree grows much taller than a small flower.
Which plate has more cookies? 🍪🍪🍪 or 🍪
Three cookies is more than one cookie.
Which snake is longer? A short worm or a long snake?
A snake is longer than a tiny worm.
FAQ
Comparing big and small or more and less builds the words and thinking children need for measuring and number work later.
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