--- title: "Measuring Perimeters" description: "Measure the perimeter of simple 2-D shapes" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/measuring-perimeters-mt_wE7-Gs9ENL source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/measuring-perimeters-mt_wE7-Gs9ENL.md retrieved: 2026-10-19 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Measuring Perimeters Measure the perimeter of simple 2-D shapes Subject: Mathematics · Area: Measurement · Ages 7 to 8 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/measuring-perimeters-mt_wE7-Gs9ENL ## Ready when they can - Measure each side of a rectangle and add the lengths to find the perimeter - Calculate the perimeter of a regular shape given the side length - Explain that perimeter is the total distance around a shape ## Lesson: Measuring Perimeters The perimeter of a shape is the total distance all the way around its outside edge. Imagine walking along every side of a shape, from your starting corner back to the same spot. The distance you walk is the perimeter. *(drawing: Walk it: 5 + 3 + 5 + 3 = 16 cm all the way round.)* **Example.** Leo measures a small garden bed. Two sides are 6 m long and two sides are 4 m long. He adds 6 + 4 + 6 + 4 and gets 20 m. That is the perimeter of his garden bed. **Tip.** If a shape is regular, all its sides are the same length. To find its perimeter fast, multiply the side length by the number of sides. A square with 4 cm sides has a perimeter of 4 x 4 = 16 cm. **Recap.** Perimeter is the distance all the way around a shape: add up every side to find it. ## Practice 19 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Calculating with measurements](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/calculating-with-measurements-mt_6oxQPNLHNv) - [2-D shapes (age 6+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/2-d-shapes-age-6-mt_sBcRdUfAzV) ## Opens up - [Perimeters of polygons](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/perimeters-of-polygons-mt_WtcFrxGOgw)