🔢 KG 2 · Numbers & shapes · Ages 5–6 · about 3 weeks Dates: to

Heavier and Lighter: A Hanger Balance

Goal: Compare two objects on a simple balance, say which is heavier and which is lighter, and order three objects from heaviest to lightest.

For parents: A balance shows which thing is heavier: that side goes down. An adult holds a plastic coat hanger by its hook throughout, with a clothes peg clipped to each end. Use light things only; no wire hangers, glass, string or bags. If the hanger stays level, the two things are about the same.

Do together

  1. Which side goes down?

    You need: A plastic coat hanger, two clothes pegs, a sock and a large metal spoon

    Hold the hanger by its hook with a peg at each end, and check that it hangs level. Your child pegs the sock to one end and the spoon to the other. Which side went down? That side holds the heavier thing. Swap them over to check, then try other pairs.

  2. Big but light

    You need: The hanger balance, a paper plate and the metal spoon

    Ask your child to guess which is heavier: the big plate or the smaller spoon. Peg one to each end and watch. Talk about what happened: bigger things are not always heavier. Look around the room for another big, light thing and a small, heavier one to test.

  3. Heaviest of three

    You need: The hanger balance, a crayon, a sock and a slipper

    Ask your child to guess which of the three is heaviest. Compare two of them on the balance, then compare the heavier one with the third. Line all three up from heaviest to lightest, and check any pair again. Let your child choose three new things and explain their order.

Talk about it

  • Which side went down, and what does that tell us?
  • Can a big thing be lighter than a small thing?
  • How can we find the heaviest of three things?

Words to use

  • heavy
  • heavier
  • heaviest
  • light
  • lighter
  • lightest
  • balance
  • level

Play (optional)

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wasilearn.com/learn/kg-2/heavier-and-lighter · free home learning, ages 2–7