Area and perimeter worksheets
Aligned with Common Core 3.MD.C.7
Printable third-grade area and perimeter worksheets: count square units, multiply rows and columns, find area from side lengths, break apart L shapes, add sides for perimeter, find missing sides, and compare rectangles with the same area.
The worksheets
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Area and Perimeter Chart
The same rectangle showing area (squares inside) and perimeter (sides around), with a tip for each.
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Area and Perimeter Strategies
Breaking shapes apart for area, finding a missing side from the area or perimeter, and same area with different perimeters.
Count the Square Units
Shapes on grid paper. Count the shaded squares to find the area.
Area with Multiplication
Rectangles on grid paper. Rows × squares in each row = area.
Area from Side Lengths
Rectangles with only the side lengths labeled, like 6 cm by 4 cm. Multiply to find the area.
Break Apart to Find Area
L-shaped figures split into two rectangles. Find each area, then add.
Find the Perimeter
Rectangles, triangles and L shapes with every side labeled. Add them for the perimeter.
Missing Side Length
Rectangles with the perimeter or area given and one side missing.
Same Area, Different Perimeter
Draw two rectangles with the same area on grid paper and compare their perimeters.
Print the whole packet
One copy of every sheet above, in order. Tap + for more copies (up to 10).
For the parent or teacher
What it is
Area is the amount of space inside a flat shape, measured in square units. Perimeter is the distance all the way around a shape, measured in units of length. Third graders find area by counting squares and then by multiplying length × width. They find perimeter by adding the side lengths, and learn that two shapes can have the same area but different perimeters.
What comes next
Quadrilaterals, and more area and perimeter work in 4th grade.
How to teach it
- Tile a shape with square sticky notes or crackers and count them for area.
- Walk a finger around the edge of a shape for perimeter, saying each side length.
- Show that counting rows of squares is the same as multiplying.
- Split an L shape into two rectangles and add the two areas.
- Build rectangles with 12 square tiles in different ways and compare the perimeters.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up area and perimeter. Area is inside; perimeter is around.
- Adding only the two labeled sides of a rectangle instead of all four.
- Writing area in plain units instead of square units.