Maths in Year 4: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 4 of Swedish school (around age 10), Lärkompis practises 26 skills in maths, linked to 14 of 27 items in the core content of Lgr22, the Swedish national curriculum, for Years 4–6. The areas are algebra; geometry; problem solving; probability and statistics; and understanding and using numbers. Each skill has five difficulty levels, and the skills are practised in 11 mini-games, including Rätta roboten (Fix the Robot), Bråkpizzan (Fraction Pizza) and Butiken (The Shop).
Lgr22 sets out core content for each stage (Years 4–6), not for each year. So Lärkompis spreads the skills across the years using its own time windows, and these are estimates. For Year 4, this means that 22 skills start this year and 4 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 14 of 27 counts the items in the core content from Skolverket (the Swedish National Agency for Education) that at least one skill links to; it does not mean the whole item is covered.
What Lärkompis practises in Year 4
The 26 skills in maths in Year 4 are grouped into 5 areas following Skolverket's syllabus. Under each skill you can see the first and the last difficulty level, so you know how far the exercises go.
Algebra
- Patterns in number sequences and geometric patterns Level 1: The next number in an increasing sequence. Level 5: Choose the rule: 3 · n + 2.
- Programming in visual environments, and algorithms Level 1: Three to four cards on a grid. Level 5: Repeat and if-obstacle cards, the shortest possible program.
Geometry
- Area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes Level 1: Rectangle in cm². Level 5: Triangle with base and height, or a missing side from the area.
- Perimeter of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes Level 1: Rectangle with given sides. Level 5: Corner cut out: the perimeter stays the same.
- Lines of symmetry and reflection Level 1: Lines of symmetry in letters. Level 5: Reflect a corner of a shape.
Problem solving
- Solving problems with logical reasoning and a table Level 1: Three people: clues with “not” and “has”. Level 5: All kinds of clue, where the answer depends on several clues together.
Probability and statistics
- Reading and interpreting tables and bar charts Level 1: The largest value in a small table. Level 5: The mean from a table with five categories.
Understanding and using numbers
- Rounding whole numbers and decimals Level 1: Numbers under 100 to the nearest ten (with a number line); decimals with one decimal place to the nearest whole number. Level 5: Mixed, where rounding crosses a boundary (3,996 → 4,000, 0.998 → 1), and choosing the unit.
- Fractions of a quantity Level 1: 1/2 of 4. Level 5: Word problems and the whole amount: 2/3 of Nils’s cards is 14, how many does Nils have.
- Equivalent fractions and simplifying Level 1: Expanding: 1/2 = 2/□. Level 5: Mixed: expanding, simplifying and spotting fractions that are equal.
- Fractions as part of a whole and part of a quantity Level 1: A half and half a piece, the coloured part of a bar. Level 5: Fractions in real situations: how much of the chocolate bar has Nils eaten.
- Comparing and ordering fractions Level 1: Same denominator: which of 3/4, 2/4 and 1/4 is smallest. Level 5: Ordering fractions, including ones greater than 1, and placing 6/4 on the number line.
- Adding and subtracting decimals Level 1: Tenths below 1: 0.3 + 0.4 and 0.9 − 0.4, with a number line. Level 5: Three numbers, thousandths and 10 − 3.85.
- Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1,000 Level 1: Times 10 with tenths: 3.4 · 10. Level 5: Mixed, with thousandths: 0.035 · 1,000 and 12.5 ÷ 1,000.
- Comparing and ordering decimals Level 1: Tenths (0.3, 0.7, 0.5): which is biggest, ordering four numbers, counting 0.8 – 0.9 – 1.0. Level 5: Numbers that start the same way (0.5, 0.45, 0.405, 0.54), descending order and counting in hundredths past whole numbers.
- Decimals, tenths and hundredths (place value after the decimal point) Level 1: Tenths 0.1–0.9: how much is coloured, how many tenths, placing them on the number line 0–1. Level 5: Thousandths (0.125) and mixed; a zoomed-in number line where each mark is a hundredth.
- Mental arithmetic with division Level 1: Division within the times tables: 42 ÷ 6. Level 5: Dividing by tens (480 ÷ 60) and the 11 and 12 times tables (144 ÷ 12).
- Division with remainders, and what the remainder means Level 1: Remainders when dividing within the times tables: 22 ÷ 3 = 7 remainder 1. Level 5: Numbers up to 999 divided by 6–12, and what the remainder means in a real situation.
- Written division (the bus stop method) Level 1: Two-digit by one-digit, no remainder: 96 ÷ 4. Level 5: Dividing by a two-digit number, no remainder: 504 ÷ 12.
- Mental arithmetic with multiplication Level 1: Tens times ones (30 · 4), and times 10 and 100. Level 5: Clever tricks: 11 · n, 99 · n, 15 · an even number and 25 · n.
- Multiplication using the column method Level 1: Two-digit times one-digit without carrying: 23 · 3. Level 5: Three-digit times two-digit: 253 · 34.
- The times tables 2–12 (knowing them by heart) Level 1: The 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables (revision) with pictures of rows and columns. Level 5: Times tables up to 12, and a missing factor.
- Money with öre (hundredths of a krona), change and price per kilo (decimals in everyday life) Level 1: Adding two prices in whole kronor and fifty öre; price times 2–4. Level 5: Several items with change, price per 100 g with half kilos, splitting the bill between several people.
- Place value and large numbers (up to millions) Level 1: Numbers up to 9,999: the value of a digit, comparing, one, ten or a hundred more. Level 5: Mixed: whole thousands, ten, a hundred and a thousand times as big, a hundred thousand and a million more or less.
- Number systems through history: Roman numerals Level 1: Reading Roman numerals up to 39. Level 5: Years such as MMXXVI, and fixing the robot’s mistakes.
- Rough estimates and checking whether answers are reasonable Level 1: Rough estimate with tens: 38 + 52 ≈ 40 + 50; a reasonable answer in addition and subtraction. Level 5: Four- and five-digit numbers, division and everyday problems where the answer should be reasonable.
What the syllabus says, in short
The Lgr22 core content for Years 4–6 in maths, summarised in our own words for the parts Lärkompis practises in Year 4. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- Rational numbers, which means negative numbers, fractions and decimals too, and how they are connected.
- Percentages and how they relate to fractions and decimals.
- Methods for calculating in your head, with rough estimates and on paper, including with simple fractions and decimals. Checking answers: is the answer reasonable?
- Perimeter, area, angles, converting between units, and scale.
- Mean, mode and median, tables and charts, and simple combinatorics (counting possible combinations).
- Programming in visual programming environments, and solving problems using different strategies.
How to help at home with maths in Year 4
Year 4 starts the middle stage (Years 4–6). A new stage often means a new pace and more concepts in a short time, so give your child time and ask how the new things feel, rather than how many they got right. Ask “how did you work it out?” more often than “what did you get?”, and use the same models and written methods as the teacher, so your child does not have two different methods to keep track of.
- Double or halve the recipe. Cook something where you make a double or half batch. Let your child work out the fractions and decimals (3/4 dl, where a decilitre is 100 ml, becomes how much?). Ask whether the answer is reasonable before you pour it in. Works in everyday life: about 15 minutes.
- Card games with fractions and numbers. Play with an ordinary pack of cards: draw two cards and make a number from them (tens and ones); the biggest number wins. Vary it: draw three cards, or work out the difference. The game practises place value without feeling like homework. As a game: about 10 minutes.
- Ask your child to teach you. Say: “I don’t know this particular method. Can you show me how you do it at school?” Explaining forces understanding, and you avoid teaching a different method from the school’s. Ask questions instead of giving answers. When it is hard going: about 10 minutes.
- Sale prices in a shop. Look at a price tag with 25% off. Ask: roughly how much cheaper is it, and what does it cost now? Explain why 25% is a quarter. Let your child estimate before reaching for the calculator. Works in everyday life: about 10 minutes.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 4
- Lines of symmetry and reflection: Your child folds or mirrors the shape in their head and checks whether the halves match.
- Solving problems with logical reasoning and a table: Your child checks the answer against every clue.
- Reading and interpreting tables and bar charts: Your child reads the title first and knows what the numbers stand for.
- Rounding whole numbers and decimals: Your child says ‘it’s five or more, so round up’ and rounds 4,500 to 5,000 without hesitating.
Common pitfalls in Year 4
- Fractions of a quantity: Thinks that a fraction of a number is always smaller than the number.
- Fractions as part of a whole and part of a quantity: Reads 3/4 as three and four, two completely separate numbers.
- Comparing and ordering fractions: Thinks 1/8 is bigger than 1/4 because 8 is bigger than 4.
- Comparing and ordering decimals: Thinks 0.25 is bigger than 0.3 because 25 is bigger than 3.
If maths practice in Year 4 often ends in tears or takes far too long, stop for the day and write a few lines to the teacher about what was hard. That is useful information for the school, not a failure.
Games that practise it
In Year 4 maths, Lärkompis uses 11 mini-games. In these games, playing is the practice, so your child learns while they play. There are no points or streaks, and no ads.
Rätta roboten (Fix the Robot)
Knut has made a mistake and your child teaches him the right way. Explaining the mistake is the skill. In Year 4, the game practises 12 skills: area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes; perimeter of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes; equivalent fractions and simplifying; adding and subtracting decimals; and more.
Bråkpizzan (Fraction Pizza)
A pizza is cut into slices and the slices are the fractions: your child cuts, compares and adds them up. In Year 4, the game practises 4 skills: fractions of a quantity; equivalent fractions and simplifying; fractions as part of a whole and part of a quantity; and comparing and ordering fractions.
Butiken (The Shop)
Your child pays, gets change and compares prices with real coins. In Year 4, the game practises 4 skills: rounding whole numbers and decimals; comparing and ordering decimals; money with öre (hundredths of a krona), change and price per kilo (decimals in everyday life); and rough estimates and checking whether answers are reasonable.
Flodhoppet (River Hop)
Pix hops across the river on stepping stones that sit on a number line. In Year 4, the game practises 3 skills: comparing and ordering fractions; adding and subtracting decimals; and decimals, tenths and hundredths (place value after the decimal point).
Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt)
A quiz show in a TV studio, where Vera leads the questions up a ladder. There are lifelines but no points: the ladder fills up with the questions your child has worked through. In Year 4, the game practises 3 skills: lines of symmetry and reflection; reading and interpreting tables and bar charts; and number systems through history: Roman numerals.
Tidslinjen (The Timeline)
Your child puts cards on a line in the right order, for example events, steps or numbers. A card in the right place turns over and shows the answer. In Year 4, the game practises 3 skills: comparing and ordering fractions; comparing and ordering decimals; and place value and large numbers (up to millions).
Formpusslet (Shape Puzzle)
A shape puzzle where the pieces are the skill: from pictures made of simple shapes to areas and Pythagoras’ theorem. In Year 4, the game practises 2 skills: area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes; and lines of symmetry and reflection.
Detektiven (The Detective)
A short logic case each round: your child reads the clues, fills in a grid with crosses and ticks, and points out the answer. In Year 4, the game practises 1 skill: solving problems with logical reasoning and a table.
Kodaren (The Coder)
Knut the robot wants to reach the star, and your child builds the program from big cards. In Year 4, the game practises 1 skill: programming in visual environments, and algorithms.
Mönstermakaren (The Pattern Maker)
Patterns roll along a conveyor belt and your child fills the gaps so the pattern works. In Year 4, the game practises 1 skill: patterns in number sequences and geometric patterns.
Sorteringsbandet (The Sorting Belt)
A calm conveyor belt of things that your child puts in the right box by following a rule. In Year 4, the game practises 1 skill: the times tables 2–12 (knowing them by heart).
Questions about maths in Year 4
What does Lärkompis practise in maths in Year 4?
Lärkompis has 26 skills in maths in Year 4, for example “Patterns in number sequences and geometric patterns”; “Programming in visual environments, and algorithms”; “Area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes”; “Perimeter of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes”; and “Lines of symmetry and reflection”. Each skill has five levels. In “Patterns in number sequences and geometric patterns”, for example, level 1 is “The next number in an increasing sequence” and level 5 is “Choose the rule: 3 · n + 2”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What comes after Year 4 in maths?
In Year 5, Lärkompis practises 39 skills in maths, and new that year are “Variables in simple algebraic expressions”; “Converting units of length, mass, volume and time”; and “Types of angle and angle sums”. Most of it builds on what your child practised in Year 4.
Which mistakes are common in maths in Year 4?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Thinks that a fraction of a number is always smaller than the number” in “Fractions of a quantity” and “Reads 3/4 as three and four, two completely separate numbers” in “Fractions as part of a whole and part of a quantity”. When an answer is wrong, the app shows how to think it through instead of just marking it wrong, and the parent panel shows what your child is practising right now.
Does Lärkompis follow Lgr22 in maths in Year 4?
Yes. Every exercise in maths in Year 4 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 4–6; 14 of 27 items in maths have at least one linked skill. Lärkompis is a complement at home and does not replace teaching.
How much does it cost to practise maths in Year 4 with Lärkompis?
Lärkompis costs SEK 49, once, for all subjects and every child in the family, with future updates included. You can try maths in Year 4 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
