CONTENTSWhat your child will learn in maths#
Your child is learning to:
- solve different types of maths problems, including word problems and using tables, graphs, and diagrams
- connect their knowledge of whole numbers to fractions and decimals
- use their maths skills to understand angles, perimeter, area, and explore patterns, shapes, and data.
Good maths skills and a positive view of themselves as maths learners will help your child in the future. Maths is important for solving problems and creative thinking.
Encourage your child to use the maths vocabulary they learn in class.
Number#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- count forwards and backwards (starting with numbers like 998, 999, 1,000, 1,001 and 1,002, then back again)
- count forwards and backwards in different steps (e.g. 2s, 5s, 25s, 50s) while walking, clapping, or jumping
- practice rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000 using real-life examples like prices or distances.
- use a thermometer, measuring jug, or scale to explore rounding tenths to whole numbers
- use food or toys to show tenths as fractions and decimals (for example cut a chocolate bar into 10 pieces)
- cut sandwiches into halves, quarters and eights and compare the pieces – for example, 3/4 is the same as 6/8
- double or halve recipes together to practice scaling quantities
- add up the cost of several items while shopping and calculate change
- use play money to make different combinations of the same amount (for example “Make $5.80 in two ways”).
- round money amounts to the nearest dollar when budgeting or shopping.
Your child is learning to:
- read, write, order and compare whole numbers up to 10,000 and add and subtract 2, 3 and 4-digit numbers
- use rounding and words like ‘about’, ‘more or less’, and ‘close to’ to estimate and check their answers
- know the 2 to 10-times tables
- practise multiplication and division, like 23 x 5 or 44 ÷ 4, using methods such as the ‘family of facts’ (4 x 5 = 20, 20 ÷ 4 = 5)
- start learning about decimal tenths and connect simple fractions to decimal numbers, for example, 3/10 is the same as 0.3
- add and subtract numbers with 1 decimal place, such as 1.3 + 0.2 = 1.5
- add and subtract simple fractions with the same denominator including answers more than 1 whole
- find fractions of whole amounts – for example, "if you eat 1/5 of 40 strawberries, how many did you eat?"
- find the whole set when given a fraction of it – for example, ¼ of a set is 5, what is the whole set?
- make amounts of money using dollars and cents, calculate amounts, and work out change using whole-dollar amounts
- round money to the nearest dollar.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- approximate
- convert
- decimal
- decimal place
- decimal point
- infinite
- inverse operation
- improper fraction
- mixed number
- multiple
- rename
- scale
- simplest form
- tenth.
Algebra#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- make growing patterns with objects, drawings, or numbers (e.g. “5, 7, 9…” or “3, 6, 12…”)
- ask your child to continue a pattern and explain how it grows
- use claps, steps, or movements to show growing patterns physically
- build block towers or make bead bracelets that use increasingly complicated patterns
- see patterns in the numbers in their times tables.
Your child is learning to
- check if number sentences are true or false, like “Is 8205 – 4721 = 3484?” or “Is 11 × 7 = 78?”
- fill in missing numbers in maths problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Example: “4200 – ___ = 4001” or “___ ÷ 10 = 12”
- recognise and continue patterns that grow, using numbers or objects that increase by adding, subtracting, or multiplying by the same amount. Like “5, 7, 9, 11…” or “3, 6, 12, 24…”
- understand variables, and collect data that can be counted, like the number of skips in 30 seconds, or class members’ heights
- use dot plots or bar graphs to show all the answers collected and how many people gave each answer
- identify and describe patterns, trends, and differences in the data shown in the graph.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- conjecture
- equation
- relationship.
Measurement#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- when buying fruits or veggies, choose items to weigh – how many apples or bananas weigh a kilo?
- weigh ingredients while cooking using grams and kilograms
- use a ruler or tape measure to measure items in metres and centimetres around the house
- measure the perimeter of books, tables, or rooms using a ruler or tape measure
- use square tiles or paper squares to estimate and compare areas of surfaces
- practice telling the time on an analogue clock to the nearest 5 minutes or minute using phrases like “minutes past” and “minutes to”
- talk about how time units relate (e.g. “There are 60 minutes in an hour” or “3 weeks is 21 days”).
Your child is learning to:
- use familiar objects and experiences to estimate measurements of other objects
- use metres and centimetres for length, kilograms and grams for weight, and litres for capacity
- measure temperature in degrees celsius
- tell time in hours and minutes
- measure the perimeter of shapes and think about area and volume using squares and cubes
- look for angles around them, learn about turning and degrees, and find and approximate angles inside shapes by comparing to 90, 180 and 360 degrees
- read an analogue clock to the nearest minute and use phrases like ‘minutes past’ and ‘minutes to’ the hour
- find equivalent durations of time using different units, for example three weeks equal 21 days.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- angle
- benchmark
- centi-, kilo-
- degree
- degree Celsius
- kilogram
- irregular
- minutes past, minutes to
- right angle
- temperature.
Geometry#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- use paper or drawing tools to explore shapes with up to 12 sides and describe them
- make origami, or fold and cut paper snowflakes, and talk about the designs you have made, looking to find lines of symmetry
- play treasure hunt games using grid references and directions (e.g. “Go to square B2, then move one space right”)
- use board games with grids (like Battleship or coordinate games) to practise using letters and numbers to find locations.
Your child is learning to:
- identify and describe shapes up to 12 sides using sides and angles.
- identify lines of symmetry in 2D shapes
- practise flipping (reflecting), turning (rotating), and sliding (translating) shapes and visualise 3D shapes from different perspectives
- use maps and give directions using grid references (letters and numbers on a map.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- diagonal, horizontal, vertical
- grid reference
- parallel line
- perspective
- quadrilateral
- rotation
- transformation.
Statistics#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- measure your child's height monthly and plot the measurements on a simple line graph to visualise growth over time.
Your child is learning to:
- understand that a variable is something you can measure or describe about people or things
- know that some variables sort things into groups (like hair colour), some are counted (like number of pets), and some are measured (like height)
- make graphs or charts that show all the answers collected and how many people gave each answer
- use graphs to spot patterns, trends, and differences in the data
- use dot plots or bar graphs to show number data
- include important parts in a graph, like a title, labels, the group being studied, units (like cm or kg), categories or values, and how many people chose each one
- make sure the scale on a graph starts at zero.
Words your child will be learning
Words include:
- discrete numerical, continuous numerical
- interpreting
- spread
- trends
- variation.
