Area and Perimeter Song

During my student teaching (6 years ago...yikes!) I noticed my students were really struggling with area and perimeter.  When the skills were isolated, they did fine. However, when the skills were mixed they had trouble remembering the difference.  

My solution was the following piggy-back song: 

The lyrics are sung to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman"

Perimeter and area

can be tough to figure out.

Perimeter is the fence around

so add the sides you found.

Permeter and area

can be tough to figure out.

Area is the squares inside

so you have to multiply.

 My 5th graders loved the song and memorized it right away.  It seemed to really help them differentiate between area and perimeter. Since then it has been successfully taught to my class every year (3rd, 4th, and 5th graders) and to many of my colleagues classes as well.  

  I always smile when see them sitting at their seat humming while they do their math.  The kids love it,  it really helps, and they won't forget.  In fact, I recently received an email from a past student (now in 7th grade) who informed me that she used the song that week in math class. Clearly, it has stuck with them.

So, if your kids are struggling to remember when to add and when to multiply with area and perimeter, it might be time for a sing-a-long.