Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Step Across Britain Pass: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 4
- ForYear 4
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Step Across Britain Pass is a free printable geography worksheet for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9). Children fill in a journey ticket, then use it to answer questions about UK cities, countries, compass directions and miles. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up the 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 start by filling in a ticket table with four columns: stop, leg miles, country and total miles. Then they answer numbered questions about the journey. They compare two cities, name countries, add miles together, work out how many more miles are needed and choose a compass direction. There is space under each question to write an answer, so children can show their thinking.
- Stop
- Leg miles
- Country
- Total miles
- Which city is further north, Manchester or Edinburgh?
- Which two countries meet between Manchester and Edinburgh?
- Your class logs 120 miles, then 95 miles. How many miles is that?
- You need 350 miles to reach Manchester. You have 215. How many more?
- Which compass direction do you mostly travel in?
Worked example: adding miles
A school cycling club logs 145 miles in May, then 38 miles in June. How many miles is that altogether?
This example uses different numbers from the sheet. It shows two ways to add miles.
Method 1: split the smaller number- Keep 145 whole and split 38 into 30 and 8.
- Add the tens first: 145 + 30 = 175.
- Add the ones: 175 + 8 = 183.
- Round 38 up to 40, because 40 is easier to add.
- Add: 145 + 40 = 185.
- 40 is 2 more than 38, so take 2 away: 185 - 2 = 183.
Getting the most from the pass
Fill in the ticket slowly
Let children complete the table before they touch the questions. Ask them to say what each column heading means in their own words. A clear table makes every later answer easier.
Keep a map beside you
An atlas or a UK map turns names into places. Ask children to find each city with a finger, then say which way they moved to get from one place to the next.
Say the sum before solving it
Before adding or subtracting, ask whether the answer should be bigger or smaller than the numbers in the question. This helps children spot answers that cannot be right.
Check with a different method
After solving a miles question, try a second method, such as counting on, then compare the two answers. If they match, confidence grows.
Why use a journey to practise geography?
A journey gives geography a story. Children are not just learning the names of places. They are moving from one stop to the next, noticing which way they go and keeping track of how far they have travelled. That makes map words such as north, south, east and west useful, because they answer a real question about the route.
Distances in the UK are often given in miles, so adding and subtracting them is a practical skill. A journey table also teaches children to read information from rows and columns. Each leg is one part of the trip, and the totals show how the parts build up. These habits help in maths and geography.
Handy facts about Britain and maps
- The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Great Britain is the name of the large island that holds England, Scotland and Wales.
- Most maps are drawn with north at the top.
- A compass needle points towards magnetic north.
- One mile is 1,760 yards.
Skills and curriculum link
- Locating UK cities
- Using compass directions
- Adding miles
- Subtracting miles
- Reading a journey table
- Naming UK countries
Ideas for helping with geography and distance
- Start with a mapLook at a UK map together before writing anything. Find where you live first, then find other places children know. Familiar places make unfamiliar ones easier to find.
- Learn the four pointsNorth, east, south and west are the main compass points. Many children remember them in clockwise order from the top, starting with north.
- Think about distanceA mile is a measure of how far apart two places are. Talk about journeys the family has made, and whether they felt short or long.
- Use a running totalWhen a journey has several parts, keep a total as you go. Each new part is added to what is already there.
Key words
- CompassA tool that shows direction. It helps you know which way is north.
- DirectionThe way you are facing or travelling, such as north or west.
- LegOne part of a longer journey.
- TotalThe amount you get when you add things together.
- CountryA land with its own name and borders. England is one.
- CityA very large town with many people, homes and buildings.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Fill in the ticket table first. Ask your child to say what each column heading means before they write in it.
- Read each question aloud. Let your child use an atlas or a UK map to find cities and directions.
- For the miles questions, let them choose a method, such as a number line, counters or splitting numbers. Ask how they worked it out.
- Check together using page 2. Come back another day and try the questions that felt tricky.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Point to each city on a map before answering. Use a number line or counters for the miles, and say each number aloud. Take the table first, then do one question at a time. Cover the later questions so the page feels smaller.
To stretch confident children
Invent your own five stop route. Choose real UK cities, give each leg a number of miles and name the country for each stop. Then work out the total miles. Swap routes with a friend and check each other's sums.
Make it a game
Log real family walks as pass miles. Add each walk to a running total. Each time you pass a target you have set, stamp a new city on your pass. Adults plan the walks and keep everyone safe near roads.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child adds when the question asks how many more miles are needed.
Try thisAsk, what do I have and what do I need? Count on from the smaller number to the larger one, or subtract. Draw a number line to show the gap, for example from 380 to 500.
Watch forA child mixes up leg miles and total miles in the table.
Try thisPoint to the column heading before writing each number. Say what it measures. Leg miles are for one part of the journey. Total miles are for more than one part.
Watch forA child mixes up east and west on the map.
Try thisFind north first, usually at the top. Then say the points clockwise: north, east, south, west. East is on the right and west is on the left when north is at the top.
Talk about it
- Which city on the sheet have you heard of before, and what do you know about it?
- How would you describe where you live on a map, using compass directions?
- Why is it useful to know which way you are travelling?
- How did you work out the miles? Is there another way?
- Would you like to travel by train, car, bike or on foot for a long journey? Why?
- What would you put on your own pass, and which stops would you choose?
Take it off the page
Make a pass
Fold a piece of card into a ticket. Draw a border, add your name and leave boxes for stamps. Use it to log real family outings or walks.
Compass hunt
Use a real compass or a compass app on a parent's phone, with an adult. Stand in your garden or a park and find north. Name three things you can see to the east or south.
Draw a map of your journey
Draw a simple map of the route from home to school or to a shop. Add a compass rose in the corner and label the places you pass.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. Keep an atlas or a UK map handy. Praise the thinking as well as the answer, and ask how they worked it out.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs only printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups, so it fits alongside map work and addition and subtraction practice.
Home educators
Pair the sheet with an atlas, library books and real journeys. Use it for brothers and sisters, or return to it a few weeks later for revision. Let children invent their own routes as a follow up.
Where this fits in learning
Before this sheet, children usually meet maps of their local area and the UK, and learn the four points of the compass. In maths, they add and subtract three digit numbers, using methods such as counting on or splitting numbers into hundreds, tens and ones.
After this sheet, children can move on to using eight compass points, finding places in an atlas index and reading map scales. They can also use grid references. In maths, they carry on with addition and subtraction of larger numbers and with reading information from tables.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Step Across Britain Pass for?
It is written for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9), in Key Stage 2. Children in nearby year groups can try it too, with more support for younger children or a stretch task for older ones.
- What will children practise?
Children practise reading a journey table, naming UK countries and cities, using compass directions, and adding and subtracting miles. It joins geography and maths in one short activity.
- Do children need an atlas?
An atlas or a UK map is not required, but it helps a lot. It lets children find the cities and check the directions for themselves, rather than guessing.
- What if it feels too hard?
Let children use a number line or counters for the miles and point to each city on a map. Work on one question at a time, and use the help ideas on page 2.
- Does the sheet include answers?
Yes. Page 2 is for the grown-up. It has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, a stretch idea and the answers.
- Is it free, and do I need colour?
Yes, it is free to print for home and classroom use. No colour is needed. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.
- Can teachers and home educators use it?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. Home educators and tutors can use it alone or as part of a wider plan, and print it again for revision.
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.