Fourth-grade students should understand basic computations including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Basic card games help students practice math facts. Multiplication War divides a deck of cards evenly between two players. Assign a value of one or 11 to aces and 10 to face cards. Each player turns up two cards and multiplies the numbers. The student with the highest number wins all four cards. If the totals equal the same value, the war is on! Pull out four cards and choose two. The highest total takes all the cards. Set a time limit of 10 to 15 minutes.
Fourth graders should also be able to determine the perimeter and area of basic shapes, such as squares and rectangles. By filling in pictures of shapes drawn on paper with unit blocks, children can visually match perimeter and area to the number of blocks.
Fourth grade marks an introduction to geometry principles and properties. Tans, or hands-on puzzle pieces, fit together to make different geometric shapes. Students can experiment and work together to create their own designs in structured activity or free play as they explore this interactive challenge.
During fourth grade, children begin introductory graphing, probability and data analysis. Dice help children learn about probability. They can figure the probabilities of rolling one through six with one die, then one through 12 with two dice. Dice games such as Yahtzee provide an enjoyable way for children to learn probability along with basic math skills. As they roll the dice, add and multiply numbers and fill in each section, they can predict basic scores.
Fourth-grade students begin to look at mathematical relationships in basic algebra equations, such as x + 2 = 4. Use story word problems with visual aids to help students grasp these concepts. For example, Suzy started with "x" number of cats, got two more and now has four cats. Students can solve for "x." By using concrete objects, children can more easily understand abstracts.