Addition and Subtraction
In Year 4, children add and subtract numbers with up to four digits using the formal column methods, lining up hundreds, tens and units and carrying or borrowing where needed. They also learn to estimate an answer first by rounding, and to use the inverse operation to check their working. This is the year written arithmetic becomes secure, and it sits under almost everything that follows, from money and measures to the longer word problems they meet later in school.
Practise Addition and Subtraction
Have a guess, even if you're not sure. Get one wrong and we'll show you why, so every miss is a chance to learn.
Timed practice
The same practice, just with a gentle clock. Pick a length and see how many you can answer.
The quizzes work through these ideas in small steps, starting with single calculations before moving on to problems that take two steps to solve. Numbers are clear and questions are short, so your child can focus on the method rather than the reading. If they pick the wrong answer, a gentle hint points them back to what to check, such as a missed carry or a rounding slip, so a mistake becomes a chance to try again rather than a dead end.
BrightWren is free, with no account and no sign-up. There is nothing to install and nothing to pay for. It works on any phone, tablet or computer, so your child can practise at the kitchen table or on the way to school, wherever suits you.
See an example
A real question from this topic. Have a go, then reveal the answer.
What is in this topic
- Adding and subtracting numbers with up to four digits using the column method
- Estimating an answer by rounding before working it out
- Using the inverse to check an answer is right
- Finding the missing number in a calculation
- Two-step addition and subtraction word problems set in everyday situations