Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Capital Cities Rail Tour: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 4
- ForYear 4
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Capital Cities Rail Tour is a free printable geography worksheet for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9). Children read a rail timetable, fill in the gaps and answer questions about the capital cities of the United Kingdom. It 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 study a timetable with four columns: Journey, Leaves, Arrives and Time taken. They fill in the gaps by counting on from the leaving time to find how long each journey takes. Then they answer numbered questions about UK capital cities and compare the journeys in the timetable. There is space to write each answer. The sheet also gives practice with compass directions.
- Journey
- Leaves
- Arrives
- Time taken
- Cardiff is the capital of which country?
- Edinburgh is the capital of which country?
- Which journey in the timetable takes the longest?
- Name the capital city of Northern Ireland.
Worked example: finding the time taken
A pretend train leaves at 10:20 and arrives at 13:50. How long is the journey?
This is a made up journey, so it does not give away any answer on the sheet. It shows two ways to count on.
Method 1: hours first, then minutes- Start at the leaving time, 10:20.
- Count on whole hours: 11:20 is 1 hour, 12:20 is 2 hours, 13:20 is 3 hours.
- From 13:20 to 13:50 is 30 more minutes.
- Put the parts together: 3 hours and 30 minutes.
- From 10:20 to 11:00 is 40 minutes.
- From 11:00 to 13:00 is 2 hours.
- From 13:00 to 13:50 is 50 minutes.
- Add the minutes: 40 + 50 = 90 minutes, which is 1 hour 30 minutes. Add the 2 hours to make 3 hours 30 minutes.
Ways to build on the sheet
Make a wall map
Draw a simple outline map of the United Kingdom on a large sheet of paper. Add the capital cities as you meet them and join them with pretend train lines.
Read a real timetable
Look at a printed or paper rail timetable together. Find the column for leaving times and the column for arriving times, and talk about how they match the sheet.
Compass walk
Use a compass or a compass app on an adult's phone outdoors. Take turns to say which way you are facing, then name something that lies north, east, south or west of you.
Plan a pretend trip
Choose a city and plan how a family might travel there by train. Decide when to leave, when to arrive and what to pack.
Capital cities and rail journeys
A capital city is the city where a country's government usually meets and where many important decisions are made. The United Kingdom is made up of four countries, and each one has its own capital. London is the capital of England and of the whole United Kingdom. Learning these cities helps children build a mental map of where places are and how they relate to each other.
Trains are a good way to explore distance and time together. A timetable is a table that lists when a train leaves and when it arrives. To find the time taken, children count on from the leaving time to the arriving time. This mixes geography with telling the time, so children practise two useful skills in one task.
Quick facts for curious children
- A capital city is usually where a country's government meets.
- The United Kingdom is made up of four countries, and each has a capital city.
- London is the capital of England and of the whole United Kingdom.
- A compass has four main points: north, east, south and west.
- Many rail timetables in Britain use the 24 hour clock, so 14:00 means 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
Skills and curriculum link
- Reading a timetable
- Compass directions
- UK capital cities
- Counting on in time
- Comparing journeys
- Explaining your thinking
Helpful facts for grown ups
- Hours and minutesThere are 60 minutes in an hour, so counting on in time is not like counting on in tens. Children often need to stop at the next o'clock.
- Counting onTo find how long something takes, start at the leaving time and count on until you reach the arriving time. This is often easier than taking one time away from the other.
- 24 hour clockRail timetables may write afternoon times as 13:00, 14:00 and so on. Subtract 12 from these to get the afternoon time on a normal clock.
- Compass pointsThe four main points go in order around a circle: north, east, south, west. A short phrase can help children remember the order.
Key words
- TimetableA table that shows when trains or buses leave and arrive.
- JourneyA trip from one place to another.
- Capital cityThe main city of a country, where its government usually meets.
- CompassA tool that shows which way is north. It also helps us name other directions.
- Time takenHow long a journey lasts, from leaving to arriving.
- ArriveTo get to the place you were travelling to.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the first row of the timetable together. Ask your child what each column tells them.
- Let your child count on from the leaving time to find the time taken. A toy clock or a number line can help.
- Work through the questions together the first time, and talk about each choice they make.
- Check with the answers on page 2, then come back another day. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Use a toy clock or a number line. Count the whole hours first, then the extra minutes. Say each step out loud, such as leaving at one time, then one hour later, then two hours later. Try one row at a time and take a break between rows.
To stretch confident children
Make up a new timetable row for a journey from London to a city of your choice. Choose a leaving time and an arriving time, then work out the time taken. Swap rows with a friend and check each other's sums.
Make it a game
Play ticket office. One child is the passenger and asks for a journey. The other is the ticket seller and reads out the leaving and arriving times. The passenger works out the time taken. Swap roles after each journey.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child treats minutes like normal numbers and writes 70 minutes as part of an answer.
Try thisRemind them there are only 60 minutes in an hour. Count up to the next o'clock first, then count the rest.
Watch forA child mixes up the Leaves and Arrives columns and counts the wrong way.
Try thisAsk them to point to the leaving time first. Say, "The train leaves here and arrives there," then count on from the leaving time.
Watch forA child forgets to include the hours or the minutes and gives only one part of the answer.
Try thisWrite two boxes, one for hours and one for minutes. Fill in each box separately, then read the answer aloud.
Talk about it
- Which capital city would you most like to visit, and why?
- How can a timetable help a family plan a day out?
- Why is it useful to know which way is north?
- Which journey in the timetable would you find hardest to sit through, and why?
- What would you pack for a long train journey?
- How did you work out the time taken? Can you show me another way?
Take it off the page
Draw a rail map
Draw a simple map with four or five cities and join them with train lines. Label each city and add a compass in one corner.
Make a mini timetable
Write a timetable for a pretend train that visits places in your home or garden. Choose leaving and arriving times and work out each time taken.
Capital city cards
Write the name of a city on one card and its country on another. Turn them face down and play pairs, matching each city to its country.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first row, then let them lead. Praise careful thinking as well as right answers. If they get stuck, a toy clock or a number line often helps more than explaining.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups, so you can match it to your geography and time work.
Home educators
Pair the sheet with an atlas, a map of the United Kingdom or a real rail timetable. It prints again easily for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later. Use it alongside outdoor play and everyday talk about travel.
Where this fits in learning
Before this sheet, children usually learn to tell the time to the hour, half hour and quarter hour. They also begin to name the countries of the United Kingdom and to find them on a simple map. Both skills feed into this sheet.
After this sheet, children can move on to reading more complex timetables, working with the 24 hour clock and using maps with more detail. At Key Stage 2 they widen their knowledge of the places that make up the United Kingdom and use maps and compass directions with more confidence.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Capital Cities Rail Tour for?
It is written for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9) in Key Stage 2. Younger children can try it with help, and older children can use the stretch idea on page 2 to make it more challenging.
- What will children practise?
They practise reading a timetable, using compass directions and naming the capital cities of the United Kingdom. They also work out how long journeys take by counting on from the leaving time.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages and give page 1 to your child. Read the first row together, then let them count on from the leaving time to find the time taken. Check with the notes and answers on page 2.
- What if it feels too hard?
Use a toy clock or a number line to count the hours and then the minutes. Work on one row at a time, and come back to the rest on another day.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision whenever you need to.
- Is it suitable for teachers to use in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has help and stretch ideas for mixed groups.
- Do I need to print it in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children only need a pencil to complete it, so there is no need for colouring pens or a screen.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.