Metric Conversion Game

What You Need:

• 1 sheet white paper
• 1 black marker
• 1 friend or parent to play with the student
• Metric Units Place Value Chart (Meters) optional

What You Do:

1. Let your child draw a standard nine-square tic-tac-toe grid on the sheet of white paper using the black marker.

2. Have your kid use the left side of the following chart and the black marker to fill each of the squares in the grid randomly. This chart can also be the gamekeeper's cheat sheet during gameplay. You could also use the Metric Units Place Value Chart (Meters) to help players make the correct conversions.

1 millimeter = 0.001 meter

1 centimeter = 0.01 meter

1 decimeter = 0.1 meter

1 decameter = 10 meters

1 hectometer = 100 meters

1 kilometer = 1000 meters

You'll want to fill it out in such a way that each square contains a single figure. For example, you could write millimeter in the top left square, decameter in the top center square, centimeter in the top right square, 100 meters in the center square, and so on. Try to be as random as possible.

3. To play the game, your child and a friend should decide who will go first.

4. The player who goes first should pick a random square and then try and convert it to or from meters. For example, if the first player picks a square that contains the term hectometer, they need to correctly convert the hectometer to meters. If players need help, have them use the Metric Units Place Value Chart (Meters) for assistance.

5. If the first player correctly converts the hectometer, they get to write an X or an O in the square.

6. Then, the next player gets a turn.

7. The game continues until someone gets three squares in a row. Whoever gets three squares in a row first—wins!

8. The best part is that this game could easily be converted to other metric measurements (liters, grams) instead of meters for more gameplay.

Math Review:

Here are some more conversions in case you want to mix it up a little:

• 1 m = 10 dm (For example, 4 m x 10 = 40 dm)
• 1 m = 100 cm (For example, 4 m x 100 = 400 cm)
• 1 m = 1000 mm (For example, 4 m x 1000 = 4000 mm)
• 100 m = 1 hm (For example, 4 m / 100 = .04 hm)
• 1000 m = 1 km (For example, 4 m / 1000 = .004 km)