3rd Grade Customary Units of Weight Worksheet: Ounces, Pounds, Tons

Children hear about ounces, pounds and tons all the time, but few of them can feel how big each unit is. This 3rd grade customary units of weight worksheet turns that feeling into six quick choices. Each item names a real object, such as a refrigerator, a newborn baby, a lollipop, a truck, a cow and a book. Under each object, there are two boxes, and your child ticks the weight that makes sense. The numbers often stay the same, so only the unit changes. For example, a cow is 1,400 pounds, not 1,400 ounces. That is why your child has to think about the size of the unit, not just the number. The page sits on light grid paper, so it is easy to read. Page two is the answer key, and it adds a short reason under almost every answer.

Six answers to check

The answers are 300 pounds, 8 pounds, 1 ounce, 3 tons, 1,400 pounds and 12 ounces. All six ticks in the key are right. Items 1 to 5 also give a reason, such as "300 tons is too much." Item 6 has no reason line, so you can ask your child to say one out loud.

The key has a few small slips. It writes "to much" instead of "too much" and "3pounds" without a space. In item 5, it also writes "weigh" where it means "weight." These do not change any answer. Note that US schools often meet ounces and pounds in grade 4, so this page is a gentle stretch.

At the table: think of a bag of sugar

Before your child ticks a box, give them three anchors. A slice of bread weighs about 1 ounce, and a loaf of bread weighs about 1 pound. A small car weighs about 1 ton. Then ask which anchor the object is closest to. If it is much lighter than a loaf, ounces are the right unit, and if it is heavier than a car, tons are better.

Next, read the two numbers together. Because they are the same in most items, the unit is the only clue, so the choice becomes a real reasoning step rather than a guess.

After the page: a kitchen scale hunt

Find a kitchen scale and pick five small things, such as an apple, a spoon and a can of beans. Ask your child to guess each weight in ounces first, and then weigh it together. After that, hold a 1-pound bag of rice in one hand and the apple in the other. This simple test makes the jump from ounces to pounds easy to feel, and it gives the page a real meaning.