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Adding Four Digit Numbers: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 4

  • ForYear 4
  • StageKey Stage 2
  • CostFree
  • FormatPrintable PDF
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Adding Four Digit Numbers is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9). Children add two four digit numbers using the column method and carry when they need to. It takes about 15 minutes, needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.

It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

Children work through numbered addition questions, each with two four digit numbers and space to write the answer. They set each sum out in columns, line up thousands, hundreds, tens and ones, and add from the right. Carrying is part of the practice, so children meet the moment when a column makes ten or more and has to move on to the next one.

  • 2,345 + 1,678
  • 3,586 + 2,947
  • 4,729 + 3,184
  • 5,268 + 1,975
  • 6,478 + 2,359
  • 1,899 + 4,236
  • 3,654 + 4,768
  • 7,205 + 1,896

Worked example

2,468 + 1,757

This question is not on the sheet. It shows two ways children can work.

Method 1: column method
  1. Write 2,468 above 1,757. Line up the ones under the ones, the tens under the tens, and so on.
  2. Ones: 8 + 7 = 15. Write 5 and carry 1 into the tens column.
  3. Tens: 6 + 5 + 1 = 12. Write 2 and carry 1 into the hundreds column.
  4. Hundreds: 4 + 7 + 1 = 12. Write 2 and carry 1 into the thousands column.
  5. Thousands: 2 + 1 + 1 = 4. Write 4.
Method 2: add the parts
  1. Add the thousands: 2,000 + 1,000 = 3,000.
  2. Add the hundreds: 400 + 700 = 1,100.
  3. Add the tens: 60 + 50 = 110. Add the ones: 8 + 7 = 15.
  4. Put the parts together: 3,000 + 1,100 = 4,100. Then 4,100 + 110 = 4,210. Then 4,210 + 15 = 4,225.
4,225

How the column method works

Line up the digits

Write one number under the other so that each digit sits above a digit of the same value. Ones go under ones, tens under tens. Squared paper helps, with one digit in each square.

Start on the right

Always begin with the ones column and move left. Say the total out loud each time before writing anything down.

Carry when a column reaches ten

If a column adds up to ten or more, write the ones digit in the answer and carry the tens digit to the next column. Write a small carried digit under that column so it is not forgotten.

Check with an estimate

Round each number to the nearest thousand and add the rounded numbers. The real answer should be close to that. If it is far away, look for a slip.

Why place value matters in column addition

Our number system is built on place value. A digit means something different depending on where it sits. In a four digit number, the first digit shows thousands, then hundreds, then tens, then ones. The same digit 4 can mean four ones or four thousand. Column addition works because it keeps each place separate while children add.

Carrying is a trade. When ten ones are made, they are swapped for one ten and moved to the tens column. The same swap happens from tens to hundreds and from hundreds to thousands. Children who understand this see carrying as sensible, not as a trick to memorise, and they make fewer slips.

Skills and curriculum link

  • Column addition
  • Place value
  • Carrying
  • Four digit numbers
  • Estimating to check

Ideas that help with four digit addition

  • Place valueEach column is worth ten times the one on its right. Knowing this helps children see why digits must be lined up carefully.
  • Carrying is exchangingTen ones make one ten. Ten tens make one hundred. Ten hundreds make one thousand. Carrying is that exchange written down.
  • EstimatingRounding gives a quick idea of the size of the answer. It is a good way to spot a mistake before moving on.
  • Adding in any orderTwo numbers can be added in either order and the total is the same. Children can choose whichever order feels easier.

Key words

  • DigitOne of the symbols 0 to 9 used to write numbers. The number 3,052 has four digits.
  • Place valueThe value of a digit depending on its position in a number.
  • Column methodA written way to add by lining numbers up and adding one column at a time.
  • CarryMove a ten, hundred or thousand into the next column when a column adds up to ten or more.
  • EstimateA sensible guess that is close to the real answer.
  • TotalThe answer when you add. It is also called the sum.

How to use it

  1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
  2. Give your child a pencil and squared paper, or use the lines on the sheet. Ask them to line up thousands, hundreds, tens and ones carefully.
  3. Do the first question together. Ask your child to say each column total out loud and to write the carried digit small under the next column.
  4. Let them try the rest alone. Then check against the answers on page 2 and ask, "How did you work that out?"
  5. Come back another day and redo any that felt tricky. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

If it feels too hard

Cover all but the ones column with a piece of paper and add just that column. Say the total out loud. Write the ones digit, put a small 1 under the next column when you carry, then move left one column at a time.

To stretch confident children

Before adding, round each number to the nearest thousand and write an estimate. Then do the column method and compare. Ask, "Is my answer close to my estimate?" Children can also write their own four digit sums for a friend to solve.

Make it a game

Roll four dice and make a four digit number. Roll four more and make a second number. Each player adds their two numbers using the column method. The highest total wins the round. Play five rounds and keep a tally.

Mistakes to watch for

Watch forDigits are not lined up, so thousands are added to hundreds.

Try thisUse squared paper with one digit in each square. Draw faint lines between the columns, or label them Th, H, T and O.

Watch forThe carried digit is forgotten in the next column.

Try thisWrite the carried digit small under the next column straight away. Add it first, then add the two digits above it.

Watch forTwo digits are written in one column, such as 15 in the ones column.

Try thisRemind the child that each column holds one digit. Write the ones digit and carry the tens digit into the next column.

Watch forThe child starts adding from the thousands column.

Try thisSay, "We start at the ones." Put an arrow under the sum pointing from right to left as a reminder.

Talk about it

  • How do you know which digits to line up?
  • What happens when a column adds up to ten or more?
  • Why do we start with the ones column?
  • How could you check your answer in a different way?
  • Can you estimate the answer before you start? How close was it?
  • Which question felt trickiest, and why?

Take it off the page

Digit card sums

Make ten cards from scrap paper, numbered 0 to 9. Pick four to make a four digit number, then pick four more. Add them on paper and see who can make the larger total.

Exchange mat

Draw four columns on paper labelled thousands, hundreds, tens and ones. Use small counters. When a column reaches ten, swap the ten counters for one in the next column. This shows what carrying really means.

Big number shop

Make price tags with four digit numbers for pretend items. Choose two items and add their prices. Talk about which total is bigger and by roughly how much.

Who it is for

Parents

Sit beside your child for the first question, then let them lead. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. If they get stuck, go back to the ones column and say each total aloud. Praise careful thinking as well as right answers.

Teachers

Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or homework after teaching column addition. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups, and the answers make marking quick.

Home educators

Print it as part of a wider maths plan and keep sessions short. Use squared paper or counters for children who want something to touch. It works well for revision a few weeks later, or again for a younger brother or sister once they are ready.

Where this fits in maths

Before this, children add numbers with up to three digits and learn how place value works to 1,000. They practise carrying with smaller numbers, and they learn to line up digits in columns. Confidence there makes four digit sums much easier.

In Year 4, the National Curriculum for England asks children to add and subtract numbers with up to four digits using formal written methods. After this skill, children move on to column subtraction, solving problems with more than one step, and in Year 5 to adding whole numbers with more than four digits.

Questions parents and teachers ask

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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.

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