Looking for an engaging way to teach or practise area and perimeter? This personalised name challenge gives students the opportunity to apply their maths skills to something that is uniquely theirs — and it can easily double as a back-to-school activity.

Featured: Area and Perimeter Name Challenge

Simple to set up, purposeful and personalised, it’s an easy activity to add to your maths plans.

A great suggestion? Use It for Back-to-School Maths

Names are a natural fit for the beginning of the school year, making this activity a great way to bring meaningful maths into your back-to-school plans.

Students work with their own name as they practise key measurement skills, giving the activity an immediate personal connection. It also provides an opportunity to see students’ mathematical thinking in action as they calculate, record their working and explain their reasoning.

Completed names can even become part of a classroom display, combining student identity, creativity and maths in those first few weeks together.

Three Differentiated Options: With three differentiated task options, the Area and Perimeter Name Challenge makes it easy to cater for a range of learners while keeping everyone focused on the same mathematical concepts.

An alphabet reference sheet provides students with the letter designs they need, while additional grid strips accommodate names longer than seven letters.

Teacher samples and completed examples are also included, making it easy to explicitly model the activity before students create their own.

Take it a step further! Ask questions such as:

• Which letter in your name has the greatest area?
• Which has the greatest perimeter?
• What is the total area of your name?
• What is the total perimeter?
• Which names in the class have the greatest area?
• Do longer names always have a greater area or perimeter?
• Can two names have the same area but different perimeters?

Students can compare with a partner, small group or the whole class, encouraging them to communicate their reasoning and use mathematical language.

Use it to kick off the school year with maths, add it to your area and perimeter lessons, include it in maths rotations, set it as an early finisher challenge or use it to see how students apply their understanding independently.

Whenever you choose to use it, putting students’ own names at the centre makes practising area and perimeter personal, purposeful and engaging.