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Reading a Timetable: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 4

  • ForYear 4
  • StageKey Stage 2
  • CostFree
  • FormatPrintable PDF
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Reading a Timetable is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9). Children read a table of bus times, find the right stop and bus, and work out how long journeys take. 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 look at a bus timetable with stops down the side and Bus 1, Bus 2 and Bus 3 across the top. They read a time from the right place, match a bus to an arrival time, and decide which bus they could catch. They also work out how many minutes a journey takes between two stops. There is space to write each answer.

  • Stop
  • Bus 1
  • Bus 2
  • Bus 3
  • What time does Bus 2 leave the Library?
  • How many minutes does Bus 1 take from Library to School?
  • Which bus reaches the Station at 09:10?
  • You get to the Park at 08:35. Which bus can you catch?
  • How long is Bus 3 from Library to Station?

A worked example with a tram

A tram leaves the Market at 14:20 and reaches the Harbour at 14:47. How many minutes is the journey?

This is a different question from the sheet, with different stops and times. It shows two ways to work out a journey time.

Method 1: count on
  1. Start at the leaving time, 14:20.
  2. Count on 10 minutes to reach 14:30.
  3. Count on the rest of the way to 14:47. That is 17 more minutes.
  4. Add the jumps: 10 + 17 = 27.
Method 2: take away the minutes
  1. Check that both times are in the same hour. Both start with 14.
  2. Look at the minutes only: 20 and 47.
  3. 47 take away 20 is 27.
27 minutes

How to tackle a timetable

Find the stop

Run a finger along the row for the stop you need. Keep your finger there so you do not slip into the next row.

Find the bus

Now move down the column for the bus you want. The time is where the row and column meet.

Leaving and arriving

Each time in the table is when that bus is at that stop. A journey has a start time at one stop and an end time at another.

Work out the gap

To find how long a journey takes, find the time at each stop. Then count on from the earlier time to the later one.

Why timetables matter

Timetables turn lots of information into a small, neat grid. Buses, trains, school days and TV listings all use them. To read one, children need to look along a row and down a column at the same time, then put the two together. That is a useful skill for reading any table, chart or spreadsheet, not just transport.

Working out how long a journey takes uses time as a measure. Children count on in minutes, and sometimes across the hour. Hours have 60 minutes, so the numbers do not behave like ordinary tens. Real timetables give children a reason to care about getting it right, because a mistake means missing the bus.

Quick facts about timetables

  • An hour has 60 minutes, and a day has 24 hours.
  • Many timetables use the 24 hour clock. On it, 15:00 means 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
  • A timetable lists times in rows and columns so you can find what you need quickly.
  • Bus stops often show a timetable so passengers can plan when to arrive.
  • Travel times are measured in minutes and hours, so counting on across the hour is a useful skill.

Skills and curriculum link

  • Reading tables
  • Telling the time
  • Journey times
  • Counting on in minutes
  • Problem solving

This sheet supports the area below. It is matched to the published England framework. Please check it against your own school plan.

Framework Subject or area Strand Year
National Curriculum (England) Maths Measurement Year 4

What children will be able to do

  • I can read a timetable.
  • I can find when a journey starts and ends.
  • I can work out how long a journey takes.

Ideas that help with timetables

  • Rows and columnsRows run across. Columns run down. Say which one you are following as you go.
  • Minutes in an hourThere are 60 minutes in an hour. Counting on past the hour means going past 60 minutes, not 100.
  • Count on to the next hourTo find a gap, jump to the next whole hour first. Then add the minutes that are left.
  • Check it makes senseA journey time should be a sensible length for a bus ride. Ask whether your answer is too long or too short.

Key words

  • TimetableA table that shows when things happen, such as when buses leave.
  • RowA line of boxes going across a table.
  • ColumnA line of boxes going down a table.
  • DepartTo leave a place.
  • ArriveTo reach a place.
  • 24 hour clockA way of writing the time with 00:00 to 23:59. Afternoon times use numbers over 12, so 14:00 is 2 o'clock.

How to use it

  1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
  2. Look at the timetable together. Ask your child to point to a stop and a bus before they start any questions.
  3. Let them work alone for about 15 minutes. Encourage them to use a finger to follow each row.
  4. Check against page 2. Ask, "How did you work out the time between two stops?" The reasoning matters as much as the answer.
  5. Come back another day and redo any questions that felt tricky. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

If it feels too hard

Cover the other rows so only one is visible. Use a ruler or a piece of paper to keep the place. For journey times, write the two times down first, then count on in small steps. Try the reading questions before the timing questions.

To stretch confident children

Ask your child to write two new questions about the timetable for you to answer. One should ask for a journey time. The other should ask which bus to catch. Then check each other's answers using the table.

Make it a game

Make your own timetable for a train. Choose four stops and three trains. Swap with a friend and ask each other questions about leaving times and journey lengths.

Mistakes to watch for

Watch forA child reads the time from the wrong row or bus column.

Try thisUse a finger or a ruler. Say the stop and bus out loud, such as "this stop, that bus", before reading the time.

Watch forA child treats an hour as 100 minutes. For 14:50 to 15:10 they write 60.

Try thisCount on in steps: 10 minutes to 15:00, then 10 more to 15:10. That makes 20. Remind them an hour has 60 minutes.

Watch forA child writes the arrival time when asked how long the journey takes.

Try thisUnderline the question word. "What time" asks for a time on the clock. "How long" asks for a number of minutes.

Talk about it

  • How do you find the time for a stop and a bus?
  • Which part of the timetable did you look at first?
  • How did you work out how long a journey takes?
  • What would you do if the journey went past the hour?
  • When might you use a real timetable?
  • How could you check your answer another way?

Take it off the page

Real timetable hunt

Find a bus or train timetable at home or at a stop. Ask your child to pick a stop and read one time from it.

Family day timetable

Write a timetable for a weekend day with times for meals, walks and games. Ask how long between each activity.

Clock jumps

Pick a start time on a clock. Count on in 10 minute jumps and say each new time out loud.

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, cover the other rows so only one is visible.

Teachers

Use it as a starter after teaching time, as a plenary, or as an early finisher task. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.

Home educators

Print it as part of a wider maths plan. It pairs well with a real bus or train timetable and everyday talk about journeys. You can print it again for brothers and sisters or for revision.

Where this fits

Before this, children learn to tell the time to the minute and to read both analogue and digital clocks. They also meet simple tables and tally charts, so they know how to read information in rows and columns.

After this, children can tackle longer journeys that cross the hour and timetables with more stops. They can also practise changing between 12 hour and 24 hour times, and solve measures problems that use minutes and hours.

Check it worked

Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.

  1. When does this train leave?
  2. How long does the journey take?
  3. How did you work out the time between two stops?

Questions parents and teachers ask

What age is Reading a Timetable for?

It is written for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9), in Key Stage 2. Some Year 3 children may manage it with help, and Year 5 children can use it as revision.

What will children practise?

They read a bus timetable and work out how long journeys take. They match buses to times and decide which bus they can catch. It practises reading tables, time and problem solving.

How long does it take?

It takes about 15 minutes. Children can work alone and use a finger to follow each row. Work through it together the first time if your child is new to timetables.

What if it feels too hard?

Cover the other rows so only one is visible. This helps children focus on one stop at a time. Do the reading questions first, then come back to the questions about journey times.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later.

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.

Is it a screen free activity?

Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil. It works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Black and white printing on plain A4 paper is fine.

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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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