In Year 4, Fractions focuses on equivalent fractions, finding fractions of amounts, adding and subtracting fractions, decimals and measure and money problems.
This page aims to provide you with all the Year 4 Fraction National Curriculum objectives, along with some guidance for each objective and a range of games and activities that can be used to meet the learning objective in a play-based way.
Teaching Year 4 Fractions:
| National Curriculum Objective | Things to think about … | Playful Learning Games |
| Recognise and show, using diagrams, families of common equivalent fractions. | Children may have used number lines in year 3 to help them find equivalent fractions and they will continue to do this in year 4, extending to numbers beyond 1. When using a number line, children are encouraged to look at fractions that are in line with each other to find equivalent ones. As a result, number lines need to be drawn and labelled correctly to make sure no errors are made. Children may also be taught to use bar models to help them to find equivalent fractions. Again, children will need support to draw their bar models accurately to avoid any errors. | Equivalent Paper Plate Fractions Equivalent Fractions Four In A Row Fraction Tracks |
| Count up and down in hundredths; recognise that hundredths arise when dividing an object by one hundred and dividing tenths by ten. | It’s useful for children to understand that a hundredth is one whole split into 100 equal parts and to be able to link tenths and hundredths, e.g. 1/10 is the same as 10/100. Useful resources to help with this objective are hundred squares, bead strings, Rekenreks, number lines and place value counters. Children may think that 1/100 is greater than 1/10 as one hundred is greater that ten. This is why hands-on resources are essential for children to understand hundredths and tenths. | Climb the Hundredths Ladder Race to One – Hundredths |
| Solve problems involving increasingly harder fractions to calculate quantities, and fractions to divide quantities, including non-unit fractions where the answer is a whole number. | In this objective, children continue to learn how to find fractions of amounts – this involves multiplication and division so children may need support if their times tables are not secure. Lots of manipulatives and pictorial representations should be used to support learning. | Calculate and Find Fractions of Amounts |
| Add and subtract fractions with the same denominator. | In this objective, children continue to build on their learning from year 3 and add and subtract two or more fractions with the same denominator and then progress to adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers. Bar models and number lines are useful tools for visual representations. Children could be encouraged to change mixed numbers to improper fractions to help them add/subtract. Finally, ensure children can turn a whole into a fraction, which will make whole number – fraction questions easier. | Make a Whole Fraction Pile-Up |
| Recognise and write decimal equivalents of any number of tenths or hundredths. | Year 4 is the first time that children will begin to use decimal numbers and the decimal point so they will need lots of opportunities to see and manipulate the numbers. Place value charts are useful here as the tenths and hundredths column can be added. | Decimal Pairs Fractions Count and Match |
| Recognise and write decimal equivalents to 1/4 , 1/2, 3/4. | These fractions are ones that are not easily converted to decimals so it’s important to give children the tools to help them understand and retain these facts. The use of the printable resources provided will help them to visualise the equivalent fractions and decimals. | Decimal Colour |
| Find the effect of dividing a one- or two-digit number by 10 and 100, identifying the value of the digits in the answer as ones, tenths and hundredths. | It is vital that children understand that the decimal point does not move in these calculations, the digits move one or two places to the right. Discuss using zero as a placeholder. Be careful that children don’t move the digits to the left and help them understand that by moving to the right, the number is getting smaller. Place value charts are essential for children to be able to visualise what is happening. | Multiply and Divide by 10, 100 and 1000 Decimal Dash |
| Round decimals with one decimal place to the nearest whole number. | Children will have already been exposed to rounding to the nearest 10, 100 and 1,000 earlier this year and can make links with this learning for decimal numbers. Number lines are a useful tool for this objective and children should be reminded that decimals numbers can be rounded to zero, e.g. 0.1 rounded to the nearest whole number is 0. | Rounding Shove Ha’Penny Rounding Cups |
| Compare numbers with the same number of decimal places up to two decimal places. | For this objective, children should be taught to compare digits in the greatest place value column first, for example in the numbers 5.49 and 1.34, only the ones column needs to be looked at as 5 is great than 1. Again, use of place value charts is vital to help children with this objective. Children may have the misconception that a number like 0.19 is greater than 0.5 as 19 is greater than 5. Also, make sure children compare the whole number, not just the digits after the decimal point. | Place Value Connect 4 |
| Solve simple measure and money problems involving fractions and decimals to two decimal places. | This objective uses all of the skills learnt above to apply to measure and money problems, using fractions and decimals. |