YOUR FREE PLANNING LESSON
Use equal spaces to plan a fit. You lead; your child shows their thinking.
Plan about 15–20 minutes, plus adult preparation. Stop earlier if needed. No account or printer required.
Begin with the materials →Gather: Paper, pencil and a ruler for sketching. A calculator is optional. This is a planning sketch, not a furniture build.
Adult preparation: An adult helps draw one long rectangle to represent a 30 cm-wide space. Label its width 30 cm. The drawing can be any size; labeled dimensions describe the planned space.
All widths in cm · 30 cm altogether · Diagram not to scale
Inside the rectangle, sketch two trays in a row. Label each tray 9 cm wide. Leave a gap at the left edge, a gap between the trays and a gap at the right edge. Ask: “How many gaps need to be equal?”
The two trays use 9 + 9 = 18 cm. The remaining width is 30 − 18 = 12 cm. Share that width between the three gaps: 12 ÷ 3 = 4 cm. Label each gap 4 cm.
Ask: “Why are there three gaps, not two? How can we check the whole width?” Add the parts from left to right: 4 + 9 + 4 + 9 + 4 = 30 cm.
Change the planned space to 36 cm wide. Keep two 9 cm trays and three equal gaps. Ask your child to find each gap and explain the steps.
Each gap is 6 cm: (36 − 18) ÷ 3 = 6. Check: 6 + 9 + 6 + 9 + 6 = 36 cm. A calculator may support the arithmetic; note any hints you gave about the method.
A coached answer is useful practice. It is not the same as explaining independently.
If it felt hard: Use two paper shapes as the trays. Point to the three spaces before calculating. If ruler units or subtraction are unfamiliar, try the measuring starter first.
If it felt comfortable: Another day, keep the 30 cm space but use two 6 cm trays. Each of the three gaps is 6 cm. Then explore the scale-planning guide below.
Write one private note: “Today we tried ___. My child showed ___. I helped by ___.” No upload needed.
Continue with the free desktop-planning guide →Prefer print? Download the longer project guide (PDF). Today’s short lesson is complete on this page; the longer guide is optional.