What's on the fourth grade sheet?

Five rectangle stories with bigger sides, area and perimeter mixed so the question has to be read, each with room to sketch and an answer line. The key gives the formula line for every problem.

Why do some answers use square units and others don't?

Area counts the squares that fill the inside, so it's in square units, like sq m. Perimeter is a distance around the edge, so it stays in plain units. A wrong unit is often the first sign of a swapped formula.

4th grade area & perimeter word problems

4th grade area & perimeter word problems worksheets

Word problems for grade 4 stay with rectangles and raise the numbers, mixing area and perimeter questions on one sheet, the way 4.MD.A.3 frames them. Reading which measure the story wants is half the work. Some teachers call these story problems, and the story is where the thinking happens: the arithmetic itself stays friendly.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 4.MD.A.3.

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The kind of problems you'll get

Solve each problem. Show your work and include units.

Rectangle: length 8 cm; width 3 cm.
Answer: Area: 8 × 3 = 24 cm². Perimeter: 8 + 3 + 8 + 3 = 22 cm.

Most problems on this sheet sit beside a picture, model or diagram, so this is the worked example the sheet itself prints. The answer key on page two prints the answer under every problem.

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on each sheet

Area and perimeter word problems. Solve each problem. Show your work and include units. 4 problems per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

How to teach this

The arithmetic is rarely the problem here; answering the wrong question is. Ask your child to say area or perimeter out loud before touching the numbers, then to check the unit at the end: square units mean they found area, whether or not the story wanted it. End each sheet by redoing one problem from scratch. Swapped formulas rarely survive a second pass.

Watch for: Kids run the right formula on the wrong question, multiplying the sides of a fence problem. Sort the story words together first: fence, frame, ribbon, and walk around mean perimeter; tile, carpet, paint, and cover mean area. Kids add just the two labeled sides for perimeter, getting 13 instead of 26. A rectangle has four sides; the story only mentions two because the other two match. Kids write area answers in plain units. Space inside is measured in squares, so area answers need square units, like 18 sq ft.

Common questions about area & perimeter word problems

What's on the fourth grade sheet?: Five rectangle stories with bigger sides, area and perimeter mixed so the question has to be read, each with room to sketch and an answer line. The key gives the formula line for every problem.
Why do some answers use square units and others don't?: Area counts the squares that fill the inside, so it's in square units, like sq m. Perimeter is a distance around the edge, so it stays in plain units. A wrong unit is often the first sign of a swapped formula.

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Aligned to Common Core 4.MD.A.3. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 240, updated September 2026.

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