Ages 7–8 · England · Parent guide
Year 3 maths: addition strategies, multiplication and fractions
By Mathsonaut Team · Reviewed
In Year 3, children work with hundreds, tens and ones and develop more calculation strategies. Choosing a method is part of the learning: a number line may help with one calculation, while a written method suits another. Asking why a method works can be more revealing than asking your child to finish a page of sums.
What children explore in Year 3
- Read, compare and partition numbers up to 1,000.
- Add and subtract three-digit numbers using mental and written methods.
- Recall the 3, 4 and 8 times tables and related division facts.
- Work with tenths and simple equivalent fractions; measure perimeter and interpret charts.
Selected topics from the mathematics programme of study for England. This is an overview, not the full curriculum or a test of readiness. Your school may teach topics in a different order.
Split an addition into useful jumps
What is 38 + 29?
- Split 29 into 20 and 9, keeping both parts to add.
- Start at 38. Add 20 to reach 58, then add 9 to reach 67.
- Check a different way: adding 30 would give 68. Since 29 is one less than 30, the answer is one less: 67.
A common mix-up: forgetting part of the number
Stopping at 58 leaves out the nine ones. Write 29 = 20 + 9 above the calculation and tick off each part as it is added. If your child uses a different valid method, ask them to show how it includes the whole of 29.
Away from the screen
Plan a miniature walking route
Draw a map with two paths: one marked 38 metres and the next 29 metres. Ask for an estimate before finding the exact combined distance. Change one path to 30 metres and discuss why the new total is only one metre longer. The drawing can be a made-up park or a space station.
Ask together: “Should the total be nearer 60 or 70 metres? How could you check?”
Choose the next small step
If crossing a ten is difficult, practise a smaller jump such as 8 + 9 with counters. If this example is comfortable, let your child choose between adding 20 then 9 and adding 30 then subtracting 1, and explain their preference.