Perimeter Worksheets

Activities for early learners and maths beginners

The set starts with simple boundary-tracing activities for younger children. Your child can use a finger, crayon or pencil to follow the outside edge of a large shape. Older children can count the sides of squares, rectangles, triangles and other familiar figures, then add side lengths to find the perimeter. Some pages use pictures and short prompts, while others give children small maths problems to solve. Pair these pages with Shapes Worksheets when your child needs more practice naming and recognising shapes.

Simple ways to use the worksheets

At home, begin with one shape and ask your child to trace its edge slowly. Use a piece of wool or a strip of paper around a toy block, book or plate, then compare it with the worksheet shape. In class, children can work in pairs, with one child tracing and the other checking each side. For a warm-up, draw a triangle, square and rectangle on the board and invite children to count the sides before they begin. Keep a ruler nearby for children who are ready to measure labelled sides.

Helping children avoid common errors

Children often count the inside of a shape, measure only one side or add the lengths incorrectly. Remind your child that perimeter means the distance all the way around the outside. Let them mark each side with a small tick as it is counted, then add the numbers in a clear line. A corner is part of the boundary, but it is not an extra side. For a rectangle, ask the child to notice that opposite sides are usually the same length before calculating.