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  • 4th Grade
  • Math
  • About 10 minutes

Area and Perimeter Word Problems

Read each story. Decide if it asks for area or perimeter, then solve.

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Area and Perimeter Word ProblemsName:Date:Read each story. Decide if it asks for area or perimeter, then solve.Eli's garden is a rectangle 16 ft long and 12 ft wide. How muchfence does Eli need to go all the way around it?WORK SPACEANSWERfeetAna put ribbon around a rectangle poster 8 in long. The ribbon was28 in long. How wide is the poster?WORK SPACEANSWERinchesA square picture frame has sides that are 14 in long. What is theperimeter of the frame?WORK SPACEANSWERinchesAva tiles a square patio with sides of 7 ft. Each tile covers 1square foot. How many tiles does Ava need?WORK SPACEANSWERtilesk5printables.com · Sheet #146224601 · Aligned with Common Core 4.MD.A.3

This is sheet #146224601.

How to do it

  1. Decide if the story asks for area or perimeter.
  2. Use the formula.
  3. Write the answer with its unit.

Teaching tip

Fence, border and trim mean perimeter. Cover, carpet and tile mean area. This sheet is aligned with Common Core 4.MD.A.3.

Area and Perimeter Word Problems worksheet for 4th grade, free printable
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About this worksheet

Stories about fences, carpet, frames, rugs, posters, parking lots and tiles.

What kids practice

Perimeter is the distance around a shape, and area is the space inside it. Fourth graders use formulas for rectangles. Perimeter is P = 2 × l + 2 × w, or 4 × s for a square. Area is A = l × w, measured in square units. They also work backward to find a missing side, like a rug with an area of 48 square feet and a width of 6 feet, which is 8 feet long.

Watch for

  • Mixing up area and perimeter, especially in word problems.
  • Adding only two sides for perimeter, like 8 + 5 = 13 instead of 26.
  • Writing perimeter in square units or area in plain units.
  • Dividing the perimeter by 4 to find the length of a rectangle that is not a square.

It's free to print, with Fewer, Standard or More on the page and an answer key. See the full area and perimeter guide for 4th grade.

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