Maths Blog - Free Maths Worksheets, Resources and Reviews

Coming soon: 4x table, addition investigation and square numbers

Our Four Rules section of the site is developing into a very useful resource for those looking to improve calculating skills. Next week we add to it with a 4x table page. The four times table has a number of characteristics which can be pointed out to help children. Firstly, all the answers are even, so must end in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8. Secondly it is double the two times tables.

We also have a maths investigation on addition, suitable for year 2. There are four numbers shown. The task is to choose any three numbers and add them up. great for developing a well organised, systematic approach.

Another excellent addition to the site will be the third in our mini series on square numbers, ideal for year 5 children.

Year 6 maths worksheet: Reading decimal fractions (2)

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This is a follow up page from one published earlier, reinforcing reading decimal fractions.

It is important that children reading decimals correctly. With a decimal such as 0.345 probably the best way to read it is: ‘nought point three, four, five and not nought point three hundred and forty five.

This is also good revision of place value and the use of thousandths. Probably children will come across thousandths only in terms of measurement such as litres and ml, or kilometres and metres.

Reading decimal fractions (2)

Resource of the Week: Booster page for Year 6 SATs.

Don’t forget that we have some excellent ‘booster’ pages for children who will be doing their SATs this summer. Here we have some examples of the type of arithmetic questions that come up. An interesting example is the question which asks to put the digits 7, 3 and 4 into the boxes to make the total of 41.

Sometimes there is more than one way to do this type of question and it is a matter of using ‘trial and improvement’ to solve it.

One good way to tackle it is to look at the units (in this case 1) and see which two digits added together will put a 1 in the units. The only option here is is to add the digits 7 and 4 (which make 11), put these in the units boxes and it is easy from there on.

Thanks to MathSphere for letting us use this worksheet.

Booster maths worksheet 3

Maths worksheet: Divide by 10 with remainders

This maths worksheet contains a straightforward set of questions on dividing 2-digit numbers by ten, with remainders. It is aimed at children in Year 2 who are just getting to grips with division and know their ten times table.

The best way to do these is to go through the ten times table until the nearest whole ten below the number is found, then add on to reach the remainder. When dividing by ten the remainder can never be greater than ten.

Further division worksheets can be found both in the Four Rules section under Division or in the separate year groups under Calculating.

Divide by 10 with remainders

Times tables: More 3x tables

This is a slightly harder worksheet than the last one published on the three times table. This page does not have a number line to help and the questions are asked in different order eg 6 x 3 or 3 x 6. This could be used as a timed challenge for those who are gaining confidence in learning the table.

Interestingly, when I whizzed through this page mentally I suddenly realised that I did not necessarily work out the answer in the order shown on the page. For example I thought of 2 x 3 as 2 x 3 = 6, but when it cam to 3 x 5 I thought of it as 5 x 3 = 15. I saw the two numbers which needed multiplying and automatically chose the easier way to do them. However, this would not be the case for children who do not know all their tables.

3 times table (2)

Coming soon: 3x table, division and decimal fractions

Next week we will have a slightly harder worksheet than the last one published on the three times table. This page does not have a number line to help and the questions are asked in different order eg 6 x 3 or 3 x 6. This could be used as a timed challenge for those who are gaining confidence in learning the table.

Also coming up soon a straightforward set of questions on dividing 2-digit numbers by ten, with remainders. It is aimed at children in Year 2 who are just getting to grips with division and know their ten times table. We will also be publishing a good revision worksheet on place value and the use of thousandths.

Year 2 Maths worksheet: Lines of symmetry

Folding to create symmetrical patterns is a popular past-time in schools. These maths worksheets for year 2 are quite tricky as they ask children to colour the correct spots on the other side of the line of symmetry to make sure that the shape is symmetrical.

Pegboards are a useful aid to this work, as is a mirror, which can be laid along the line, or axis of symmetry to see how the pattern continues.

Lines of symmetry (1)

Resource of the Week: Measuring using the metric system

Thanks to MathSphere and Mathsgogo for these two worksheets which show how much easier the metric system is than the old Imperial system. Take length for example: no 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard or 1760 yards in a mile. It’s all tens, hundreds and thousands! By Year 4 (8/9 yrs old) children should know the standard units of measurement for length, including the abbreviations.

mm (millimetres) cm (centimetres) m (metres) and km (kilometres) .

They should also know that:

1 kilometre = 1 000 metres

1 metre = 100 centimetres or 1 000 millimetres

1 centimetre = 10 millimetres

These facts really do have to be learned, but it is not too difficult as they are all multiples of 10, unlike the old Imperial system!

They should also be developing their understanding of what is the best unit to use: eg what is the most suitable unit to measure the length of the garden?

It is not so easy to find real life situations where kilometres are used – certainly in athletics, cycling races etc, but unfortunately our roads are still signposted in miles – but that issue is for another whole series of blogs!

Why standard units?

Using kilometres and millimetres

Year 5 Maths Worksheet: Square Numbers (2)

This is the second in our series of square number maths worksheets for Year 5. It is an interesting and worthwhile exercise asking children to see if they can make a square out of 10 or 12 smaller squares (not overlapping etc) using plastic or card squares. Rectangles are possible, but not squares.

They can then be asked to find which numbers can be made into a square. This can be done either with smaller squares or as dots in an array.

There are several ways that questions involving square numbers can be phrased, including:

What is 4 squared?

What is the square of 4?

What number multiplied by itself makes 16?

Square numbers 2

Year 1 Investigation: Snowflake numbers

Still chilly outside so a little ‘snowflake’ number investigation suitable for Year 1 children (5-6 yrs old). Given the numbers 1, 3 5 and 7 what addition sums can be made? Encourage working in a logical way.

The second question asks how many different answers can be made when subtracting. There are less possible different subtraction answers than addition.

Snowflake number investigation