🧱 Ages 7 to 14 · Class 3 to 8
Maths foundations, learned by doing
Number sense, fractions, percentages, shapes, counting and sets: the ideas every later topic stands on.
Strong foundations make every later topic easier. These lessons let you change a picture and notice the pattern: why a fraction can have many names, how a number line handles negatives, why area is width times height.
Each lesson takes about five to nine minutes. Afterwards, read the matching notes, try the free worksheets or play a game to make the idea stick.
Interactive learning path
Foundations: 9 lessons to do
Choose a lesson and explore the idea with diagrams, controls and guided questions.
Place Value
Build numbers from hundreds, tens and ones blocks and see how digits get their value.
Start the lesson →Fractions and Equivalent Fractions
Cut a bar into equal parts, shade it, and discover why 1/2 = 2/4.
Start the lesson →Negative Numbers
Add and subtract below zero by jumping along a number line.
Start the lesson →Percentages
Shade a 100 grid and see how percent, fraction and decimal connect.
Start the lesson →Area of Rectangles
See why area is width times height by changing a rectangle of squares.
Start the lesson →Angles in a Triangle
Squash and stretch a triangle and discover its angles always make 180°.
Start the lesson →Doubling and Powers of 2
Watch doubling explode: 1, 2, 4, 8 ... 1,024, and learn what 2 to the power n means.
Start the lesson →The Counting Principle
Multiply the choices to count outfits, meals and PINs.
Start the lesson →Venn Diagrams and Sets
Sort people into two overlapping circles and count the overlap once.
Start the lesson →Covered topics
What this area covers
- Fractions
- Decimals
- Negative numbers
- Percents
- Ratios and proportion
- Order of operations
- HCF and LCM
- Prime numbers
- Square roots
- Exponents
- Perimeter and area
- Volume
- Coordinate plane
- Angles
- Unit conversions
- Times tables
- Simple interest
- Profit and loss
- Cubes and cube roots
- Compound interest
- Mensuration
- Circles
- Direct and inverse proportion
- Venn diagrams
- Counting possibilities
- Logical reasoning
Where to start
- Ages 7 to 9: Start with place value and fractions as parts, then area of rectangles.
- Ages 10 to 12: Try negative numbers, percentages and counting outfits.
- Ages 12 to 14: Move on to powers, angles in a triangle and Venn diagrams.
Practise next
Want a teacher to guide you through foundations? See Online maths tuition, Class 1 to 10. Teachers in our network teach every class and board, and a teacher is matched to the learner before anything is booked. We do not promise marks, grades or results.
FAQ
Foundations: questions people ask
What age are the foundation lessons for?
They start at about age 6 for place value and reach about age 14 for powers and sets. Each lesson lists its suggested starting age.
Are they free?
Yes. Every lesson is free, runs in your browser and needs no sign-up.
How do the lessons connect to school maths?
They cover the ideas taught in CBSE, ICSE and state-board maths. Chapter order differs by board, so use the topic notes alongside your own textbook.
What should I do after a lesson?
Read the matching topic notes, try the free worksheets, or play a related game. If a topic still feels hard, a teacher can help.
Keep exploring
Other areas
Algebra
Equations, slope, systems, quadratics and Pythagoras: algebra made visible with balances, lines and curves.
See the lessons →Probability and Statistics
Probability, averages and correlation: how to measure chance and what a pattern in data can and cannot tell you.
See the lessons →Calculus
Rate of change and area under a curve: the two big ideas of calculus, seen before they are symbolised.
See the lessons →Mind-Bending Maths
Puzzles, counting, binary, clock arithmetic and codes: the playful side of maths that school rarely has time for.
See the lessons →Start a conversation
Want help with foundations?
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- Tell us the learner’s age or grade and goals
- We’ll suggest a suitable class or learning path
- We’ll confirm format, timing and fees with a parent or guardian
Play it, don't just read it
Take a break and play
Free games that need no sign-up. Pick one and play for five minutes.
Pick a game
- Squares, Cubes & Roots TrainerLearn the squares from 1 to 30, the cubes, and square and cube roots,…Play
- Estimation StationEstimate big sums without a calculator and see how close you get.Play
- Coordinate BattleshipsFind hidden ships by naming points as (x, y). Positive grid or all four…Play
- Equation BalanceSolve equations on a balance scale by doing the same thing to both sides.Play