- Definition
A histogram is a special bar graph that shows how often certain numbers or measurements appear within different ranges, with the bars touching to show that the numbers are connected.
A histogram could show how many plants in a garden are in different height ranges, like 10-19 cm, 20-29 cm, and 30-39 cm.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: A histogram is like sorting a big pile of Lego bricks into bins by length — all the short ones in one bin, medium ones in the next, and long ones in another.
Ask your child: If this bar shows ages 10 to 12, what does the next bar show?
Common mix-up: Kids often confuse histograms with bar graphs because they both use bars. A bar graph compares separate categories, but a histogram shows how often data falls into continuous ranges, so the bars touch.
Examples
- Showing how many video game players scored between 0-1000 points, 1001-2000 points, and so on.
- Graphing the number of people in a town who are in different age groups, like 0-9 years, 10-19 years, and 20-29 years.
histogram is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
