CurriculumGrade 3Mathematics

Count Squares to Find Area

Aligned to 3.MD.C.6 — Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

What this lesson teaches

To find area, count how many unit squares fill a shape. You can count them one by one, or multiply the rows by the number in each row.

Worked example

A rectangle has 4 rows with 5 squares in each row. Instead of counting all, multiply: 4 × 5 = 20 square units.

Practice questions

  1. A rectangle has 3 rows of 6 squares. What is its area?
  2. Count squares to find the area of a shape with 2 rows of 4.
  3. A garden is 5 squares by 5 squares. How many square units is it?

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

▶ Watch this lesson

En español

Contar Cuadrados para Hallar el Área

Para hallar el área, cuenta cuántos cuadrados unitarios llenan una figura. Puedes contarlos uno por uno, o multiplicar las filas por el número que hay en cada fila.

Ejemplo: Un rectángulo tiene 4 filas con 5 cuadrados en cada fila. En vez de contar todos, multiplica: 4 × 5 = 20 unidades cuadradas.

More Measurement & Data lessons

Area3.MD.C.7Time, Mass, Liquid Volume, and Graphs3.MD.A.1Measure Mass and Volume3.MD.A.2Picture Graphs and Bar Graphs3.MD.B.3Measure Lengths and Line Plots3.MD.B.4What Is Area?3.MD.C.5

Teach this lesson today

An AI tutor that guides with questions instead of just giving answers — all K–12 core subjects, every child in the family.

Start free — no card required