Measuring
Year 6 · Maths
Explore numbers, spot patterns and explain how you worked it out.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Area of triangles and parallelograms
Work out the areas of triangles and parallelograms and put them in order.
Play Area of triangles and parallelogramsVolume of cubes and cuboids
Multiply length, width and height to find the volume of cubes and cuboids in cm³.
Play Volume of cubes and cuboids
Learning about measuring
These Year 6 Maths games practise Area of triangles and parallelograms, Volume of cubes and cuboids. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Use counters, a drawing or a number line before moving to a mental method. Ask your child to explain a choice, then change one number and try the method again.
Ask: “How could you show the same answer another way?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Area of triangles and parallelograms
Year 6 pupils learn when it is possible to use formulae for area, and calculate the area of parallelograms and triangles. A parallelogram can be cut and rearranged into a rectangle, and a triangle is half of a parallelogram.
Try an example: What is the area of a triangle with base 6 cm and height 4 cm?
6 × 4 = 24, and half of 24 is 12.
Show the answer
12 cm²
What to look out for
Forgetting to halve for a triangle. Draw the matching triangle to make a parallelogram. The triangle is half of it.
Volume of cubes and cuboids
Volume is the amount of space a 3-D shape takes up, measured in cubic units such as cubic centimetres (cm³). Year 6 pupils calculate the volume of cubes and cuboids using the formula length × width × height.
Try an example: What is the volume of a cube with 4 cm edges?
4 × 4 × 4 = 64.
Show the answer
64 cm³
What to look out for
Adding the lengths instead of multiplying. Volume counts the cubes inside, so multiply. Build the cuboid from cubes to check.
Practise away from the screen
- Cut a parallelogram out of paper and rearrange it into a rectangle.
- Measure a cereal box or shoebox and work out its volume.
Curriculum connections
These games support selected practice connected to Measurement in the National Curriculum in England. Use your school’s sequence to decide when to introduce and revisit each skill. A game covers selected examples, rather than assessing every requirement.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with measuring?
Start with Area of triangles and parallelograms. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. This page brings together the games currently available for this topic. It supports selected skills and does not replace the full programme of study or practical teaching.