Comparing Big and Small

Preschool Math

Is that big or small? Help your students learn to sort big and small items with this hands-on lesson.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to differentiate between big and small. Students will be able to list things that are big and
small. Students will be able to sort big and small circles.

Materials and preparation

Whiteboard
Medium sized posters (1 per group)
Glue
Paper cutouts of big and small circles (50 per
group)
6 Big items
6 Small items
Big vs. Small worksheet

Attachments

Big vs. Small (PDF)

Introduction (5 minutes)

Write the words big and small on the board.

Sing the Big and Small Action song to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with your class: This is big,
and this is small. (Open arms wide, then close together.) This is big, and this is small. (Open arms wide,
then close together.) I can be big like a bear. (Open arms and feet wide.) I can be small, curled into a ball.
(Crouch into ball.) This is big, and this is small. (Open arms wide, then close together.) This is big, and
this is small. (Open arms wide, then close together.)

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling (10 minutes)

Gather students in a circle on the carpet.

Show them a large item, such as a big book, and tell them that is big.
Show students a little item, such as a quarter, and tell them that is small compared to the big book.
Give other items to various students.
Have students place big items in one pile and small items in another.

Guided Practice (10 minutes)

Place students into groups.

Give each group glue, a poster, and a set of paper cutouts.
Instruct students to work together to paste big circles on the right side of the poster and small circles on
the left side.
Monitor students as they conduct the activity.

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Independent working time (15 minutes)

Give each student a Big vs. Small worksheet to complete.

Read the instructions with the class.

Related books and/or media

Big and Small by Britta Teckentrup

GAME: Circus Measurement

Differentiation

Enrichment: Instruct your students to write the words big and small under the corresponding images on
the Big vs. Small worksheet. Have more advanced students write a sentence under the items. For
example: This ball is big. This ball is small.
Support: Monitor your students as they complete the Big vs. Small worksheet. Show more examples of
big and small items in the classroom

Assessment (5 minutes)

Check the students' completed worksheets.

Note if they correctly identified the big and small pictures.

Review and closing (5 minutes)

Have students make a big circle with their hands and a small circle with their fingers.
Sing the song from the beginning of the lesson with the class again.

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 Big S
vs. mall
Preschool
Comparison: Size

Look at the pictures below and answer the questions by circling

the correct picture.

Which is bigger? Which is smaller?

Which is smaller? Which is bigger?

Draw a smaller ice cream. Draw a bigger fish.

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