3rd Grade Area: Count the Unit Squares Worksheet
Count the unit squares inside each rectangle to find its area in square units.
- Homework
- Centers
- Review
- Intervention
Download the Free Printable PDF
No sign-up required. Clean, low-ink US Letter format.
- Grade
- 3rd Grade
- Subject
- Math
- Skill
- Area & Perimeter
- Topic
- area by counting unit squares
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 12 minutes
- Pages
- 2 (incl. answer key)
- Format
- Printable PDF (US Letter)
- Answer key
- Included
- Best for
- homework, centers, review, intervention
Worksheet details
What This Worksheet Practices
Students will find the area of a rectangle by counting unit squares and connect it to rows times columns.
- Counting unit squares
- Finding area as the number of squares
- Connecting area to rows times columns
Worksheet Preview
Area is the squares that cover a shape
Before the area formula, students learn that area is the number of unit squares that cover a flat shape. Counting the squares inside a rectangle gives the area in square units — and counting row by row reveals why area = rows × columns.
How to use it
Have students count the squares row by row so they don’t double-count, then notice the count equals rows × columns. This is the foundation for the area and perimeter formulas.
👩🏫 Teacher note
Area is the number of unit squares that cover a shape. Have students count by rows, then notice it equals rows x columns — the bridge to the area formula.
🏠 Parent note
Count the squares inside the rectangle. That total is the area, in square units.
Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Counting only the border squares
- Counting some squares twice
Answer Key
Each answer shows the area in square units.
⬇ Download Answer Key (PDF)Related Worksheets
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