Year 4 numbers grow to 10,000. The same rule that worked for tens and ones still holds: each place is worth ten times the place to its right. Once children trust that rule, big numbers stop being scary.
What your child will learn
- Say the value of each digit in a four-digit number
- Read and write four-digit numbers in words
- Find 10, 100 or 1,000 more or less than a number
- Round a number to the nearest 10 or 100
Thousands, hundreds, tens and ones
In 4,372 the 4 is worth 4,000, the 3 is worth 300, the 7 is worth 70 and the 2 is worth 2. Adding 100 only changes the hundreds digit: 4,372 becomes 4,472.
Rounding
To round to the nearest 100, look at the tens digit. If it is 5 or more, round up; if it is 4 or less, round down. So 4,372 rounds to 4,400, and 4,349 rounds to 4,300.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. What is the value of the 4 in 6354?
- 40
- 400
- 4
- 4000
Show answer
Answer: 4. The 4 is in the ones place, so it is worth 4.
2. What is the value of the 4 in 1694?
Show answer
Answer: 4. The 4 is in the ones place, so it is worth 4.
3. Which digit is in the thousands place in 6143?
Show answer
Answer: 6. 6143 is made of 6 thousands, 1 hundreds, 4 tens, 3 ones.
Tips for grown-ups
- Read big numbers aloud wherever you see them: prices, distances, populations.
- Round a shopping bill to the nearest 10 to estimate the total.