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Inch by Inch Printable Measuring Activity

Call me a lightweight (I know I am) but I simply can’t handle several of Leo Lionni’s books. They are just too sad! But his Inch by Inch is certainly one of my favorites, and I love how smart that little inchworm is. Like Lionni’s other books, the nature-based images in this gem are lovely and fully deserving of the Caldecott honor.

Download the printable measuring sheet and get measuring with the book Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

When I saw Rainy Day Mum was again hosting Storybook Summer and the first theme was bugs, I knew not only that I wanted in but that I wanted to make Inch by Inch printable measuring activities!

A couple weeks later I realized the reality of it all…I chose a book about inches for my favorite UK-based blog. That made me reflect, how many children’s books are out there about the metric system? In any case, I did decide to stick with my planned Inch by Inch printable measuring activities but wanted to note that I have acknowledged this irony.

Anyway, I asked my preschooler first for an idea of an activity to make related to the wonderful Inch by Inch book. Appropriately, he suggested measuring.

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Most of the printables we use in our preschool homeschool are of the free variety, and I’ve always liked the festive measuring activities that come with a printable ruler. Sometimes they are accurate in the measure, and sometimes not; I surely want a ruler based on a book called Inch by Inch to be exactly that!

So with the boy’s help, I created a relatively simple but adaptable activity here. Print the first page in color (or black and white is fine, too) to make as long of a ruler as you want. Be sure to print at 100% so the measurements are accurate! Use cardstock to make it stronger and/or laminate it. Either glue it at the tabs (check for accuracy) or trim the tabs off if you prefer before laminating.

I opted to print mine in color on cardstock, trim and attach to the gray tabs, then fold for easy storage.

The next three pages can be printed in black and white (or color) and used as you wish. The first two recording sheets make it a sort of scavenger hunt; look outside (page 2) and inside (page 3) to find things to measure! The fourth page is like the rest, but without any specific items to find, and we see at least two ways to use it:

Download the printable measuring sheet and get measuring with the book Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
You (Parent/Caregiver) can find some items to measure and draw them on the sheet.
Kids can take care of finding things to measure AND drawing a picture along with their estimation! Or, the learner can find items to draw and measure on their own!

Download the printable measuring sheet and get measuring with the book Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

We were stuck in a majorly rainy pattern for a long while, so measuring items indoors was best for us. But thankfully Spring has turned to Spring as of late and we could head outside for this.

Download the printable measuring sheet and get measuring with the book Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

I hope you enjoy reading and learning with these free Leo Lionni Inch by Inch printable activities!

Download the printable measuring sheet and get measuring with the book Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni


smarteparteHi! I am Kristin and I blog over at smartEpartE.com. When our son, E was 2 I jokingly called him a “smarty party,” hence the name of the blog!

It served as the inspiration to keep up with weekly tot school and preschool themes, and perhaps, share some ideas with others!

Thank you for visiting over at smartEpartE.com, on Pinterest or Twitter!


Pin the Inch by Inch Measuring Activity to download and try later

Download the printable measuring sheet and get measuring with the book Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

Ideal size for sharing on Facebook

Download the printable measuring sheet and get measuring with the book Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

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