Year 4 Maths: what your child should know
Year 4 is when the building blocks of maths really lock in — times tables, fractions and place value. Get these solid now and the years ahead are far smoother. Here’s what your child covers, how to spot gaps early, and simple ways to help at home.
Year 4 maths covers Number & Algebra, Measurement & Geometry and Statistics & Probability. The make-or-break skills are multiplication/division facts and early fractions — getting these automatic now is the best gift you can give your child for the years ahead.
In this guide
What Year 4 maths covers
Number & Algebra 12
The core of the year — whole numbers, the four operations, and the first real work with fractions and decimals.
- Place value & whole numbers
- Addition & subtraction
- Multiplication
- Division
- Factors & multiples
- Fractions & equivalent fractions
- Add & subtract fractions
- Decimals
- Percentages (intro)
- Number patterns
- Number sentences
- Comparing & ordering numbers
Measurement & Geometry 10
The visual, hands-on side — shapes, measuring, and finding your way around a grid.
- 2D shapes & 3D objects
- Angles
- Length & perimeter
- Area
- Capacity & volume
- Mass
- Time
- Symmetry
- Unit conversions
- Coordinates & Cartesian plane
Statistics & Probability 6
First steps in collecting data, reading graphs and thinking about chance.
- Data collection
- Tables & graphs
- Mean, median & mode
- Range
- Probability
Money & problem-solving 4
- Financial maths
- Worded problems
- Logical reasoning
- Mathematical investigations
The topics most Year 4 kids struggle with
If your child is finding maths hard this year, it’s very often one of these — and they’re all fixable with targeted practice:
- Times tables — quick recall of multiplication facts. Slow recall here makes everything later harder.
- Fractions — understanding that 1/2, 2/4 and 0.5 describe the same amount.
- Place value — really understanding what each digit means in larger numbers.
How to tell if your child has gaps
Report cards and “they seem fine” aren’t always reliable — kids can keep up in class while quietly missing foundations. Warning signs:
- Still counting on fingers for basic facts, or very slow with times tables.
- Guesses at fraction questions rather than reasoning them out.
- Homework takes much longer than it should, or comes with frustration.
- Can copy a worked example but can’t start a similar question alone.
The fastest way to know for sure is a short placement check that tests across all the Year 4 topics and shows you exactly where the gaps are — strand by strand.
A free 10-minute check across the Year 4 topics. You get a clear gap report: what’s strong, what to focus on. No credit card. Start the free check →
How to help at home
- Times tables, little and often. Five minutes a day in the car beats a weekend cram — aim for instant recall.
- Make maths real. Cooking (fractions), shopping (money), and clocks (time) turn abstract ideas concrete.
- Fix foundations first. If place value or times tables are shaky, start there before anything new.
- Keep it positive. Year 4 is where maths confidence is built — praise effort, not just right answers.
This is exactly how Summit Learn works: we place your child precisely, then build a daily plan around their gaps — at the right level, with worked solutions on every question, and progress you can see.
Every Year 4 maths topic, step by step
Free step-by-step guides — the method, a worked example and practice for each topic. No sign-up needed.
Measurement 4
Number 5
Operations 6
Statistics & probability 5
Build solid foundations in Year 4
Free placement check first — then a personalised weekly plan. Both subjects, all of Years 4–10. From $24/mo, cancel anytime.
See where my child is — free →This guide is a general overview for parents and reflects the broad scope of Year 4 maths in the Australian curriculum. Exact content can vary by state and school.