Baking with kids - a good way to explore numbers

National_Numeracy

We don't need to tell you how important maths is in understanding money and spending - and what parents do with their kids outside of school is hugely important in helping them to feel confident with numbers.

Baking is a great way to explore numbers without feeling like you're doing maths homework. A while back, National Numeracy spoke to 2015 Bake Off finalist Ian Cumming.

"When you think about it there is everyday maths behind so many of the tasks," he said. "From working out how long to leave something in the proving drawer to making sure that you produce ten sponges of the right proportions. At one stage I had to use Pi in the final showstopper to calculate the area of the cakes. There is more maths involved in baking than you might expect."

If you and your kids bake regularly, you're probably doing a lot of number work without even thinking about it. From keeping track of time to measuring ingredients, and from calculating portion sizes and ratios to working out the budget you need for your bake.

And if your bakes never turn out quite as intended, it could be maths that's holding you back. As Ian told us: "When you look at some of the things which went wrong for me, you could definitely put that down to a lapse in maths."

You may already be confident in your own maths skills, but if you'd like to improve your own numeracy skills as an adult, the National Numeracy Challenge could help.*

Whatever your maths level, getting your kids involved in baking is a great way to help them feel confident with numbers.


*You can register for free online and take the Challenge Check-Up to find out which areas you need to work on. The Check-Up takes around half an hour, and if you score less than 80 you'll be given a target to work towards. You'll also be directed to learning resources that are relevant to you, which you can take at your own pace.

If you try the Challenge, let us know what your target is and keep us updated as you progress towards it and reach it. You never know, you might find your baking improves as a result!

Former_MSE_Andrea

Thank you NN!

My eldest really loves baking (she makes an amazing Victoria sponge!). I love that it's helping her with her maths at the same time, especially now she's in her Sats year!