Electricity — Year 4 Science

Year 4 electricity: what pupils learn

Year 4 is the first time pupils study electricity in science. They find out which everyday things run on electricity, build simple circuits, and work out why a bulb lights in one circuit but not another.

By the end of Year 4, the National Curriculum expects pupils to:

• identify common appliances that run on electricity
• build a simple series circuit and name its parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers
• predict whether a bulb will light, based on whether it is part of a complete loop with a battery
• understand that a switch opens and closes a circuit, and link this to whether a bulb lights
• recognise common conductors and insulators, and know that metals are good conductors

Key vocabulary

electricity, appliance, circuit, series circuit, cell, battery, wire, bulb, switch, buzzer, complete circuit, conductor, insulator, mains

How it builds

In Year 6, pupils return to electricity: they explore how the number and voltage of cells affects how bright a bulb is or how loud a buzzer sounds, and draw circuits using standard symbols.

Frequently asked questions

Why won’t the bulb light up?
Usually because the circuit isn’t a complete loop: a wire is loose, the switch is open, or the cell is flat. Electricity can only flow when there is a complete path from one end of the cell back to the other.

What is the difference between a conductor and an insulator?
Conductors, such as copper, steel and aluminium, let electricity flow through them. Insulators, such as plastic, rubber, wood and glass, do not, which is why wires are coated in plastic.

Is it safe for children to do circuit experiments?
Yes, with small batteries (cells), bulbs and wires. Children should never experiment with mains electricity from plug sockets.

Start with our free resources, or get every Year 4 science lesson with a membership.