4th Grade algebra · Ages 9–10
Number Recipes
An expression is a recipe for a number. This year children learn to read recipes, follow them, and get them in the right order.
The one idea
An expression is a recipe: it tells you what to do to a number, and in what order.
Ready?
4th Grade algebra · Number Recipes
An expression is a recipe for a number. This year children learn to read recipes, follow them, and get them in the right order.
Full screen — no distractions
For grown-ups: 4th Grade algebra
The order of operations is not a random rule to memorise — it is how mathematicians agreed to read a recipe so everyone gets the same answer. Keep connecting n back to the box: “3n + 2 when n is 6” just means “put 6 in the box and follow the recipe”.
This page is the right one if they can already…
- Knows the times tables to 10 × 10
- Solves 4 × n = 20
- Finds the rule in a number machine
Not yet? Start at 3rd Grade: Letters Are Boxes — algebra only works one rung at a time.
🏠 Try it at home
Recipe words to symbols
Say “3 more than your age”, “twice your age”, “half your age” — they write each as a recipe and work it out.
Follow the recipe
Use cups: “2 cups for each person, plus 1 extra.” How many cups for 4 people? For 7?
Brackets go first
Give them 2 + 3 × 4 and let them argue for 20. Then show them a calculator says 14. Why?
Two-step rules
Build squares from matchsticks in a row: 1 square uses 4, 2 squares use 7, 3 use 10. How many for 10 squares?
The words, in plain English
- Expression
- A maths recipe with no = sign.
- 3n + 2
- Evaluate
- Put a number in and work it out.
- 3n + 2 when n = 6 is 20.
- Order of operations
- The agreed order: brackets, × and ÷, then + and −.
- 2 + 3 × 4 = 14
- Brackets
- A part you must do first.
- (2 + 3) × 4 = 20
- 3n
- Short for 3 × n.
- If n = 5, 3n = 15.
🌍 Algebra in an ordinary day
- A taxi ride: $3 to get in, plus $2 for every mile
- Party bags: 3 sweets each for n friends, plus 5 spare
- Sticker charts that give 2 stars a day plus a bonus star
🏁 By the end of 4th Grade
- Writes word phrases as expressions, testing with a real number
- Evaluates expressions like 3n + 2
- Uses brackets and the order of operations correctly
- Finds two-step rules and uses them to jump ahead
Where this fits
One idea, twelve rungs. The hiding spot just gets cleverer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What algebra should a 4th Grade child learn?
An expression is a recipe: it tells you what to do to a number, and in what order. By the end of the year they should be able to: writes word phrases as expressions, testing with a real number; evaluates expressions like 3n + 2; uses brackets and the order of operations correctly; finds two-step rules and uses them to jump ahead.
Isn’t 4th Grade too early for algebra?
No — number recipes is standard 4th Grade maths in most curricula. This page breaks it into single moves so it never feels like a jump.
What is the most common 4th Grade algebra mistake?
Gets 24. They add first: 6 + 2 = 8, then 3 × 8. The fix: Multiplication and division come before + and −. Circle the × part and do it first.
What if my child is stuck?
Go down one rung. Every lesson here builds on the 3rd Grade page, and the “ready for this page if” list at the top tells you exactly what they need first. In practice, a wrong answer gives a hint, and a second wrong answer shows the full worked solution.
Is it free?
Yes. All 4 lessons, the pictures, the worked examples, the balance scale and the practice questions are free with no signup. The practice never runs out — every question is generated fresh and checked.