Perimeter and area are important concepts when it comes to understanding squares. Let’s break them down in a simple way.
Perimeter is the distance around a shape. Imagine you’re walking around the edge of a garden. The perimeter tells you how much distance you would cover. The word “perimeter” comes from Greek words that mean “measure” and “around.”
Area, on the other hand, refers to the space inside a shape. It’s like the floor space inside a garden. The word “area” comes from a Latin word that means “open space.”
This teaching guide aims at simplifying the concept of the perimeter and area of a square shape and helping educators further by providing teaching resources like animated stories, and impressive posters along with hands-on activities.
Square :
Now, let’s focus specifically on squares. A square is a special shape with four equal sides and four equal angles. It’s like a closed box with all sides being the same length.
Perimeter of a square :
To find the perimeter of a square, you simply add up the lengths of all four sides. Since all sides of a square are equal, you can calculate the perimeter by multiplying the length of one side by four.
If ‘a’ denotes the side of the square, then the length of each side of a square is ‘a’ units
Perimeter of the square = PQ+ QR + RS + SP
= (a + a + a + a) units = 4a units
The perimeter of the square = 4a units
Area of a square :
When it comes to the area of a square, it tells you how much space is inside the square. It’s like the total floor space it covers.
- By counting the unit squares covered by the square :
To calculate the area of a two-dimensional shape, we can break it down into smaller squares. These squares are called unit squares, and each one takes up one square unit of space.
By counting the total number of unit squares in the shape, we can determine its area. The area of a shape is measured using square units. In the case of a square, we can find its area by using unit squares.
Here, the area of the square PQRS = 9 square units.
- By using the formula :
To find the area, you multiply the length of one side by itself. In other words, you square the length of a side.
In mathematical terms, we can represent the area of a square as “A = side × side” or “A = side².” Here, “A” represents the area, and “side” represents the length of one side.
Area = side × side
Here, in the figure side = 3 units
A = 3 x 3 square units
A = 9 square units
So, whether you want to calculate the distance around a square (perimeter) or find out how much space it covers (area), understanding these concepts can help you work with squares more effectively.
Teaching area and perimeter of a square with kid-friendly, clear, and easy-to-understand posters from Uncle Math School by Fun2Do Labs :
Ignite kids’ curiosity with engaging stories for role play and skits, making the learning of this concept an exciting and effective experience. Teaching area and perimeter of a square through stories from Uncle Math School by Fun2Do Labs :
Learning the area and perimeter of a square can be made enjoyable by incorporating interactive games and activities.
Draw And Determine!
This is a simple activity to help children practise areas and perimeters in an easy way. The activity can be carried out in the following steps :
- Instruct kids to grab 2 square-shaped objects, like a table coaster and a handkerchief.
- Let them measure the sides of both square-shaped objects using a measuring tape or ruler and record them.
- Next, determine the area and perimeter of these objects by using the formula :
- Area = s x s
- Perimeter = 4 x side
Help your kids practise the area and perimeter of a square with interesting and engaging fun worksheets and solutions from Uncle Math by Fun2Do Labs.
