Learn about Volume and Capacity
In the classroom, your child will hear terms such as ‘volume’ and ‘capacity’.
Volume is the amount of space taken up by a container, a solid object or the contents of a container. The amount a container is capable of holding is its capacity.
While your child does not need to know the difference between these terms in the early years of schooling, here are a few ways you can help improve your child’s understanding of volume and capacity:
- gather some empty containers, plastic if possible, of different shapes and sizes and give your child opportunities to pour water and sand into the containers.
- ask questions to get your child talking about what they are doing and discovering. You can encourage this by asking questions such as ”which container will hold more?” and asking them to predict the outcome.
- encourage your child to compare the volume of containers, using a variety of objects e.g. spoons, lids and cups. You can ask your child to estimate "how many cups it will take to fill this container” and "will it take more cups or more spoons to fill this container?”
Experimenting and talking about volume and capacity will help your child’s literacy and numeracy skills. For more information, visit: www.education.qld.gov.au/parents/map/
