Calculating perimeters
To find the perimeter of a shape you must add up the lengths of each of the sides. Can your child calculate the perimeters of these common shapes?
How can you explain perimeter to a KS2 child?
Perimeter is the total distance around the edge of a shape.
You could ask your child to imagine they are taking a walk around a park. The distance they walk to go all the way around the park is like the perimeter of the park.
To find the perimeter, they just add up the lengths of all the sides of the shape. So, if you have a rectangle, you add the lengths of all four sides together.
What is the difference between area and perimeter?
- Perimeter: The perimeter is the total distance around the edge of a shape.
- Area: The area is the amount of space inside a shape.
So, perimeter measures the outside, and area measures the inside!
How will this KS2 perimeter worksheet help your child?
This teacher-created resources is designed to help your child understand how to calculate perimeter and practise what they have been learning at school. They will need to work out the perimeter of several shapes, and then check their answers.
For more help with space and shape, check out our hub page, or try a new challenge such as our Area and perimeter calculations.
