2nd Grade Meters and Centimeters Word Problems Worksheet: Longer, Shorter, Taller

Hand a seven-year-old a ruler and they will measure everything in reach, from a crayon to the cat's tail. This 2nd grade meters and centimeters word problems worksheet gives those numbers a purpose. Seven stories use metric units: meters for driveways and trees, centimeters for rulers, chocolate bars and ribbons. Jamil buys three rulers and wonders which will fit in his pen case. Rita, Angel and Alice compare chocolate bars, while an orchard holds an apple tree, a pear tree and a guava tree. Linda measures three ribbons. Your child adds or subtracts to answer each question. A second page gives the answer key.

Why the unit tells you the size

A meter is about the length of a big step, while a centimeter is about the width of a fingernail. Choosing the unit already says something about the object: a driveway in meters, a ruler in centimeters.

Every story then compares two or three lengths. So the words matter as much as the numbers: "shorter than" means take away, "longer than" or "taller than" means add. For example, the pear tree is 3 meters shorter than the apple tree, so its height comes from a subtraction.

The Jamil story adds a real-life question. A ruler fits in a pen case only if it is shorter, so your child must compare, not just calculate. That is measurement with a reason.

At the table: the rulers and the orchard

Start with story a, the driveways. Ask, "Is Wes's driveway longer or shorter? So do we add or take away?" Then let your child write the answer with "meters" after it.

The Jamil story has three parts, and part c trips many children. They stop at the first ruler that fits. Instead of correcting, ask, "Did you check every ruler against the pen case?"

Story f is a chain: the guava tree depends on the pear tree, which depends on the apple tree. However, many children add 8 to the apple tree by mistake. Suggest, "Draw the three trees side by side and write each height." Also, finishing each answer with its unit keeps meters and centimeters apart.

Measuring at home and outside

Metric lengths are easy to explore. Measure a few kitchen items in centimeters with a school ruler, then pace out the hallway in big meter steps. Compare: which is how much taller, the table or the chair?

In a chalk game of Hopscotch, measure each jump with a tape measure and write it in centimeters next to the square.

Also, gift wrapping is a perfect moment: cut a ribbon and ask how many centimeters are left on the roll.

Once you finish the page, praise the units: "You wrote meters or centimeters after every answer. That made each one clear."