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Area and Perimeter: Plan a Garden with Hattie the Hedgehog

Area and Perimeter: Plan a Garden with Hattie the Hedgehog

Learn area and perimeter by counting squares and adding sides in cm and m. Lay turf, build fences and measure with a ruler in a garden game.

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What you'll learn

  • Area is the space inside a shape, found by counting squares
  • Perimeter is the distance all the way around a shape
  • Count edges, not squares, to find perimeter on a grid
  • Measure sides with a ruler from 0 and add all four
  • Find missing sides of rectilinear shapes before working out perimeter
  • Choose whether a job needs area or perimeter

Chapter by chapter

  1. Area: counting the squares inside a shape Free to try

    Year 4 maths · 1

  2. Area of rectilinear shapes: count, compare and make

    Year 4 maths · 1

  3. Perimeter: the distance around a shape on a grid

    Year 4 maths · 2

  4. Perimeter of rectangles and squares: measure and add in cm and m

    Year 4 maths · 2

  5. Perimeter of rectilinear shapes: find missing sides in cm and m

    Year 4 maths · 2

  6. Area or perimeter? Choosing and finding both

    Year 4 maths · 2 Year 4 maths · 1

  7. Grand Garden Challenge (10 questions) (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 4 maths: Find the area of rectilinear shapes by counting squares
  2. Year 4 maths: Measure and calculate the perimeter of a rectilinear figure (including squares) in centimetres and metres

About this adventure

Area and Perimeter is an interactive maths game that teaches children aged 7–10 how to find the area of rectilinear shapes by counting squares and how to measure and calculate perimeter in centimetres and metres. It matches the Year 4 maths curriculum in England.

Hattie the hedgehog is planning a community garden, and every step is read aloud with captions. Players lay turf tiles to see that area is the space inside a shape, then tap each outside edge to build a fence and discover that perimeter is the distance all the way around. Rectilinear shapes have straight sides and square corners, like the L-shaped pond deck where two side lengths go missing.

Children type answers on a number keypad, drag a ruler so its 0 lines up with a corner, and learn to avoid common slips such as counting corner squares once.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between area and perimeter?

Area is the amount of space inside a shape, and perimeter is the distance all the way around its edge. On a grid you find area by counting the squares inside, and perimeter by counting the edges around the outside.

How do you find the perimeter of a rectangle?

Add the lengths of all four sides. Opposite sides of a rectangle are the same length, so a rectangle 6 cm long and 3 cm wide has a perimeter of 6 + 3 + 6 + 3 = 18 cm.

What is a rectilinear shape?

A rectilinear shape is a flat shape whose straight sides all meet at right angles, such as a rectangle or an L-shape. To find a missing side, remember that the short sides on one side add up to the long side opposite.

What age is this area and perimeter game for?

The game is for children aged 7 to 10 and follows the Year 4 maths curriculum in England, where area by counting squares and the perimeter of rectilinear shapes are taught. Every line is read aloud and shown as a caption.

What does the area and perimeter game include and how long does it take?

It has six chapters with animated introductions and hands-on activities, an optional ruler warm-up and a 10-question Grand Garden Challenge. Playing everything takes about an hour, and children can pick any chapter from the garden map.

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