Science · Year 4

Electrical circuits: Year 4 science for parents

By Dave Allen · Updated 5 October 2026 · 5 min read

Drafted and fact-checked with AI help, against the sources below. Not yet reviewed by a teacher. How we write our guides

What it is

Circuit: A complete loop that electricity can flow around, from the battery, through the wires and parts, and back to the battery.
Cell and battery: A single battery is properly called a cell. Scientists use battery for two or more cells joined together, though children will hear both words.
Component: Any part in a circuit, such as a bulb, buzzer, motor or switch.
Conductor and insulator: A conductor lets electricity flow through it easily, like copper or steel. An insulator doesn't, like plastic, wood, glass or rubber.

The big idea is the complete loop. Electricity flows from one end of the cell, around the circuit and back to the other end. If there's a gap anywhere, nothing works.

A switch is a neat way to make and break that gap. When a switch is open (off), there's a gap and the bulb stays dark. When it's closed (on), the loop is complete and the bulb lights.

Conductors and insulators usually work together to keep us safe. The metal inside a wire carries the electricity, and the plastic or rubber coating around it stops it going anywhere else.

How it's taught at school

Electricity is a Year 4 topic in the national curriculum for England. Children are taught to:

identify common appliances that run on electricity
build a simple series circuit (one where everything is joined in a single loop) and name its parts: cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers
say whether a bulb will light, based on whether it's part of a complete loop with a battery
explain that a switch opens and closes a circuit
recognise some common conductors and insulators, and know that metals are good conductors

Lessons are hands-on, with real cells, wires and bulbs. In Year 4, children draw their circuits as simple pictures. Proper circuit symbols come in Year 6, so don't worry if your child's drawings look like real bulbs and batteries.

Words like current and voltage may come up, but the curriculum says they aren't formally taught yet. Children might notice that a bulb gets brighter with more cells, and that it gets dimmer when more components share the same circuit.

Tip
Mains electricity is dangerous. The electricity from plug sockets and the wires in the walls can give a serious electric shock. Circuit experiments are only ever done with small batteries. Never use plugs, sockets, mains wires or anything plugged in.

The curriculum also asks for children to be taught how to stay safe with electricity. The usual rules for home are simple: ask a grown-up before using electrical appliances, never put anything into a plug socket, keep drinks and water away from anything electrical, dry your hands before touching switches or plugs, and don't use anything that looks broken.

From Pipkin

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Common mistakes (and how to help)

Joining a bulb to only one end of the battery: It seems as if one wire should be enough to carry the electricity. Trace the path with your finger together: it has to go out of one end of the cell, through the bulb and back into the other end. No loop, no light.
Thinking a switch that's open means on: It's the opposite of a door. An open switch leaves a gap, so the circuit is off. A closed switch closes the gap, so the circuit is on.
Expecting more bulbs to make more light: In a single loop, the components share the power from the cells, so each bulb gets dimmer. Adding another cell is what makes a bulb brighter.
Thinking anything hard or shiny is a conductor: It's the material that matters. Metals such as copper, iron and steel conduct well. Plastic, wood, glass and rubber are insulators, however hard or shiny they look.

Three quick activities at home

Electricity hunt

About 10 minutes

Walk around your home together and spot things that run on electricity.
For each one, ask: does it plug in, or does it use batteries?
Remind your child that anything that plugs in uses mains electricity, which is dangerous, so it's only ever used with a grown-up's say-so. We look, we don't touch.

Torch detective

About 10 minutes · You need: A battery torch (not one that plugs in to charge)

With the torch switched off, a grown-up opens the battery compartment so you can look inside together.
Find the cells, the bulb and the switch. Where are the metal parts that join them?
Put it back together and switch it on and off. Ask your child to explain what the switch is doing to the loop.

Conductor or insulator?

About 5 minutes

Gather a few safe objects: a metal spoon, a plastic spoon, a wooden spoon, a coin, a rubber band and a plastic cup.
Your child sorts them into two groups: things that would let electricity through, and things that wouldn't.
Talk about why the cables on your appliances are covered in plastic or rubber.

Try it with your child

Free Pipkin puzzles on this topic. No sign-up. They open on the children's side of Pipkin.

Questions parents ask

Can we build a circuit at home?

Only with small batteries, never with anything that plugs in. You don't need a kit, though. Year 4 children draw circuits as simple pictures, so drawing a complete loop of cell, wires, switch and bulb is a perfectly good way to practise.

Are button batteries safe for experiments?

It's best to keep them out of it. Button batteries, the small flat round ones in remote controls and toys, can badly hurt a young child if swallowed, so keep them up high and out of reach. If you think a child has swallowed one, go straight to A&E or call an ambulance.