Kids Growth Ruler

4 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Easy

We used to mark how tall the kids are inside the closet wall, now we have a Kid’s Growth Ruler! This is a much better option to keep record of kid’s growth. Also they have a lot of fun measuring how tall they are. It’s amazing to see how fast kids grow.

This is a very simple project to do for a beginner. You just need 1x6 board, stain, sharpie and adhesive numbers.

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Step-1 Cut 1x6 Board

Take 1x6 board and cut it to 84” long. You could make this any length you want. I cut it at 84” because I wanted the board to be same elevation as the door. Than using a random orbital sander, sand the board on all sides.

Step-2 Pre-Stain and Stain

On a small project like this, instead of using a brush for staining, I just use Shop Paper Towels. I don’t have to clean the brushes. So first, Pre-stain the boards, then after 10 minutes, apply the Stain. Follow instruction on the can for both Pre-stain and Stain for best results.

Step-3 Measure and Mark

Next, pull a measuring tape and mark every inch on the board with a pencil. Then draw thick lines using oil based black sharpie over the pencil marks. To draw the lines straight I used a Construction Square as a guide. To make this look like an ruler, I made the lines three different lengths. Starting from 0 up, numbers 0, 12 have 2” long lines. Numbers 3, 6, and 9 have 1 ½” long lines. Numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 have 1” long lines.

Step-4 Apply Matte Polyurethane

Once you’re done with drawings the ruler lines, apply a coat of matte Polyurethane. Let it dry for few hours, then with a fine grit sand paper (300 and up) sand the board lightly. Wipe off the dust and then apply a second coat of Polyurethane.

Step-5 Tape on Adhesive Numbers

For the actual feet numbers I used 1" Self Stick Numbers that I had left over from cornhole scoreboard project.

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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Cindy Rubin Cindy Rubin on Oct 15, 2019

    Are you able to write on this? The child's name, age for example.

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  • Eva Eva on Sep 28, 2020

    Wow this is a very nice project, specially when are kids in the house

  • Trudi Trudi on Sep 28, 2020

    Made one of these many years ago for a friend with 4 kids in a rental. She let each of the kids pick a marker color to use on charting their growth. I got the idea from another friend who had hers that her dad had made in the 1950's. She put it up in her sons room to compare their growth. I think they are so cool. Great job.

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