Metric System Conversions Song | Elementary Grades

Numberock's Metric System Song showcases real life examples of the most common units of metric length. Learn about metric conversions such as a millimeter is about the length of a grain of sand, a staple from side to side is about a centimeter, and so much more!

Metric System Song Lyrics:

A millimeter you can understand,
Is about as long as a grain of sand.
When you buy food at lunchtime,
It's about the thickness of a dime.
A staple from side to side
Is about a centimeter wide.
A fingernail on a girl or guy
Is about a centimeter high.

10 Millimeters = 1 Centimeter
100 Centimeters = 1 Meter
1000 Meters = 1 Kilometer
And it's the same for grams and liters.

A schoolbus' diameter
Is about 1 meter.
And a meter is about as far,
As the length of a guitar.
10 soccer (football) fields in a row
About a kilometer you'll go.
It's about how far you walk
If you cross 12 city blocks.

Imagine holding a grain of sand
About a Millimeter
Or a marble in your hand
About a Centimeter
A door handle from the floor
About a Meter
A 10-minute walk on the shore
About a Kilometer

Learn More

This song targets TEKS and Common Core learning standards from both 3rd Grade to 5th Grade. Look into the relevant standards here, or dig deeper into the metric system here.

If you are interested in getting ideas on how to plan a robust standards-aligned telling time lesson, we recommend checking out Instructure's recommendations for common core standards 4.MD.1, and 5.MD.1 . These pages help break down standard language, lay out the grade-appropriate level of rigor for each concept, and offer a variety of suggestions for activities (lesson seeds) that help students achieve their learning targets.

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