RL.E.75 SELECTS LONG AND SHORT

Long and short are assessed, taught and practised in the same way as big and little.

Materials can include lengths of ribbon, pipe-cleaners, sticks, pieces of hose and so on. If you use illustrations, snakes, trains and hair can be added. You will think of more ideas. Whatever you use, encourage your child to feel or trace the different lengths.

Here is an idea for a ‘long’ and ‘short’ toy. Find a solid box with a lid. A plastic food-storage container is ideal if you can spare one. You will also need several pieces of ribbon, some very long (up to a metre or so) and some quite short.

Make small holes in your container. Make them in the base, not the lid. Knot one end of each piece of ribbon, thread it through a hole and knot the other end. Pull all the ribbons inside the container, so that only the knots are showing. Put on the lid, to keep the ribbons inside.

Your child will enjoy pulling the ribbons out through the holes, and you can talk about whether each one is long or short. Once she is selecting colours, you can involve colours in the game as well.