Grade 4 Math: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 4 math in the BC Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Fractions and decimals are types of numbers that can represent quantities.
- Development of computational fluency and multiplicative thinking requires analysis of patterns and relations in multiplication and division.
- Regular changes in patterns can be identified and represented using tools and tables.
- Polygons are closed shapes with similar attributes that can be described, measured, and compared.
- Analyzing and interpreting experiments in data probability develops an understanding of chance.
Easy ways to practise math at home
- Practise math facts in short bursts, such as five minutes while dinner cooks.
- Let your child handle small cash purchases, working out the change in multiples of 5¢.
- Cook together and double or halve a recipe.
- Ask “How do you know?” after an answer, even when it is right.
What each unit covers
Numbers to 10 000
Reading, writing and comparing numbers up to 10 000: place value, expanded form, number lines, ordering and rounding.
Add & Subtract
Adding and subtracting numbers to 10 000 with regrouping, counting up to subtract, estimating by rounding, and solving word problems.
Times Tables
Multiplication and division facts to 100 with arrays, fact families and strategies like doubling, using 10s, and thinking multiplication to divide.
Multiply & Divide
Multiplying and dividing 2- and 3-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers by splitting them by place value, plus remainders, estimating and word problems.
Fractions
Naming fractions from pictures and number lines, comparing fractions with the same top or bottom number, using 1/2 as a benchmark, and finding equal fractions.
Decimals
Tenths and hundredths as decimals, linking them to fractions, placing and comparing them on number lines, and adding and subtracting decimals by lining up the decimal points.
Patterns & Tables
Extending increasing and decreasing number patterns, naming pattern rules, finding rules in input/output tables, and describing how two quantities are related.
Equations
Solving one-step equations with a box or letter for the unknown, using all four operations, and matching equations to word problems.
Telling Time
Reading analog clocks to the minute, switching between 12-hour (a.m./p.m.) and 24-hour time, and working out how long events last.
Polygons & Perimeter
Telling regular polygons (all sides and angles equal) from irregular ones, finding lines of symmetry, and measuring perimeter around regular and irregular shapes.
Graphs & Chance
Reading bar graphs and pictographs where one picture can stand for many, and predicting and interpreting the results of spinner, dice and coin experiments.
Money & Change
Counting bills and coins, making change from up to $100, adding prices, and simple money decisions like comparing deals, budgeting and saving.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Emerging
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Developing
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Proficient
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Extending
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the BC report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Grade 4 child with math?
Practise math facts in short bursts, such as five minutes while dinner cooks. Let your child handle small cash purchases, working out the change in multiples of 5¢. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Grade 4 math in BC?
The BC Curriculum Grade 4 math units include numbers to 10 000, add & subtract, times tables, multiply & divide, fractions, decimals.
Free printable Grade 4 math practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.