Numbers
Class 4 · Mathematics
5 ideas in Class 4 Mathematics, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Multiplication Facts
Part of: Multiplication
Multiplication facts are the times tables (like 6 × 7 = 42) that children should recall quickly.
Why it matters. Fast recall frees up thinking for harder problems — division, fractions and area all use these facts.
Try it in two minutes
- Skip-count together: 6, 12, 18, 24 …
- Spot patterns: the 9s digits always add to 9 (18, 27, 36).
- Turn it around: if 6 × 7 = 42 then 7 × 6 = 42.
Try at home. Play 'table ping-pong' in the car: you say 7 ×, they answer.
Division Basics
Part of: Division
Division is sharing equally or making equal groups. 56 ÷ 7 asks: 56 shared into 7 groups — how many in each?
Why it matters. It connects directly to multiplication (8 × 7 = 56), and it's used in fractions, time and money.
Try it in two minutes
- Think of a 'fact family': 7 × 8 = 56, 8 × 7 = 56, 56 ÷ 7 = 8, 56 ÷ 8 = 7.
- If there's something left over, that's the remainder: 17 ÷ 5 = 3 remainder 2.
Try at home. Share 20 sweets between 4 friends — then 22 sweets. What's left over?
Equivalent Fractions
Part of: Fractions
Equivalent fractions are different-looking fractions that mean the same amount. Half a pizza is 1/2, and it's also 2/4 or 4/8 — same pizza, cut into more slices.
Why it matters. It's the key to adding, subtracting and comparing fractions later. If a child can see that 1/2 and 2/4 are the same, fractions stop feeling like random numbers.
Try it in two minutes
- Draw a rectangle and shade half of it. That's 1/2.
- Cut the same rectangle into 4 equal parts. The shaded part is now 2 of 4 pieces: 2/4.
- The amount didn't change — only the number of pieces. So 1/2 = 2/4.
- Rule of thumb: multiply (or divide) the top and bottom by the same number and you get an equivalent fraction.
Try at home. Cut a piece of paper in half, then fold it again. Ask: how many quarters make a half?
Comparing Fractions
Part of: Fractions
Comparing fractions means deciding which of two fractions is bigger. With the same bottom number, the bigger top number wins (5/8 > 3/8). With different bottoms, change them to the same bottom first.
Why it matters. Comparing is how children learn that fractions are real numbers with a size — it supports measurement, money and sharing problems.
Try it in two minutes
- Same bottom number? Just compare the tops: 3/8 is less than 5/8.
- Same top number? The one with the smaller bottom is bigger: 3/5 is more than 3/7 (fifths are bigger slices than sevenths).
- Different tops and bottoms? Make the bottoms match: 2/3 = 8/12 and 3/4 = 9/12, so 3/4 is bigger.
Try at home. Share a chapati or sandwich in different ways and ask which share is larger.
Comparing Two Quantities as a Ratio
Part of: Ratios
A ratio compares two amounts by showing how many there are of one for each of the other. If a recipe uses 2 cups of flour for every 1 cup of sugar, the ratio of flour to sugar is 2 to 1, written 2 : 1.
Why it matters. Ratios are used in cooking, maps, mixing paints and sharing. Looking at two amounts side by side, not just one at a time, is a first step towards fractions and proportional thinking.
Try it in two minutes
- Pick two things to compare, such as 2 boys and 3 girls in a group.
- Say the first amount, then the second, in the same order: boys to girls is 2 : 3.
- Swap the order and the meaning changes: girls to boys is 3 : 2.
- Check by counting: for every 2 boys there are 3 girls.
Try at home. Ask your child to compare two things at home, like spoons and forks in the drawer, and say the ratio out loud.
What your child will practise
- Fraction Orbit (Collect the Answer)
- Kingdom Builder (Kingdom Builder)
- Riverside Colony (Planet Builder)
- Space Colony: First Night (Space Colony)
- Times Table Treasure (Match It Up)
- Quiz: Division Basics Check (5 questions)
- Quiz: Comparing Fractions (5 questions)
- Quiz: Equivalent Fractions (5 questions)
- Quiz: Times Tables Sprint (6 questions)