How to Teach a Child to Measure Angles

There is nothing better than an illustrative example. And if you start to teach your children the basics of geometry, this method will make your task much easier.

At 5-Minute Crafts, we really loved this method, and we hope that thanks to it, your child will become interested in math.

First, explain to them what “a degree” is and what “an angle” is.

• A degree is a generally accepted unit for measuring plane angles. It is indicated by the ° sign.
• An angle is a geometric figure formed by 2 rays (sides of the angle) that share a common endpoint (the vertex of the angle).

• Example 1: Right angle. It’s equal to 90°. The sides of a right angle are perpendicular to each other.
• Example 2: Acute angle (a), obtuse angle (b), and straight angle ©. Acute and obtuse angles are also known as oblique angles that are not equal to 0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°.
• Example 3: Reflex angle. It’s between 180° and 360°.

How to measure angle degrees without a protractor

• Draw an angle on a piece of paper.
• Ask your child to stretch out their palm in front of them, as shown in the picture above.
• Explain to them that they need to spread their fingers as wide as possible. The thumb should be perpendicular to the little finger, which should be placed on the lower side of the angle. The little finger stands for 0°, and the angles between the other fingers will be 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°, respectively.
• Ask the child to put their palm on the angle and see how many degrees they get.

Remember that this method is not absolutely accurate: it just roughly helps you measure angle degrees.

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