Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Bonfire Night Maths: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 2
- ForYear 2
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Bonfire Night Maths is a free printable addition worksheet for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7). Children add up fireworks in the night sky using numbers within 100, from simple facts like 6 and 7 to tens and ones sums like 25 and 25. It takes about 15 minutes, needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up the answers, help ideas and a stretch task.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
The sheet has eight addition questions. Each one is a short firework story, so children picture what they are adding. The numbers grow as the sheet goes on: children warm up with small totals, then meet tens, then bigger two digit numbers. There is a space under each question to write the answer.
- 6 red and 7 gold fireworks. How many?
- 9 green and 8 blue fireworks. How many?
- 12 and 5 fireworks go up. How many?
- 14 and 6 fireworks go up. How many?
- 20 and 15 fireworks go up. How many?
- 30 and 40 fireworks go up. How many?
- 25 and 25 fireworks go up. How many?
- 18 and 7 fireworks go up. How many?
A worked example
13 red fireworks and 8 gold fireworks go up. How many?
This question is not on the sheet. It shows two ways children can work.
Method 1: make a ten- Start with the bigger number, 13.
- 13 needs 7 more to reach 20. Take 7 from the 8: 13 + 7 = 20.
- There is 1 left over from the 8. 20 + 1 = 21.
- Split 13 into 10 and 3.
- Add the ones first: 3 + 8 = 11.
- Add the ten: 10 + 11 = 21.
How the eight questions build
Questions 1 and 2: small facts
6 and 7, and 9 and 8. These sit inside 20, so children can use fingers, counters or number bonds. Aim for quick, confident answers that build a feeling of success.
Questions 3 and 4: adding a small number
12 and 5, and 14 and 6. Children add ones to a teen number. 14 and 6 is a chance to spot that 4 and 6 make 10, so the answer is a tidy 20.
Questions 5 and 6: tens and ones
20 and 15, and 30 and 40. These are about place value. Children add tens to tens and ones to ones, and see that 3 tens and 4 tens make 7 tens.
Questions 7 and 8: doubles and bridging
25 and 25 is a double, and 18 and 7 crosses a ten. These are the toughest two. Doubles and making a ten are the strategies to practise.
Why use fireworks for addition?
Bonfire Night is celebrated across the UK on 5 November. It remembers the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when a group of men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament and were stopped. Today, families go to organised displays, eat toffee apples and watch fireworks light up the sky. Children in Year 2 see the posters, hear the bangs and talk about it at school, so it is a topic they already care about.
Story problems work best when children can picture the story. Counting red and gold fireworks gives each number a meaning: it is a rocket in the sky, not just a 6 on a page. That makes it easier to choose a method, and easier to check whether an answer makes sense.
Fireworks and sparklers are for adults to handle. Bonfire Night is a good moment to remind children to stand well back from fireworks, and never to touch a sparkler. Sparklers get extremely hot.
Bonfire Night in five facts
- Bonfire Night is on 5 November every year.
- It remembers the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when a plan to blow up Parliament was stopped.
- A man called Guy Fawkes was caught guarding the gunpowder.
- Many families go to organised displays, where trained adults let off the fireworks.
- Some people eat toffee apples, bonfire toffee or jacket potatoes on the night.
Skills and curriculum link
- Addition within 100
- Number sense
- Word problems
- Making a ten
- Checking answers
This sheet supports the area below. It is matched to the published England framework. Please check it against your own school plan.
| Framework | Subject or area | Strand | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Curriculum (England) | Maths | Addition and subtraction | Year 2 |
What children will be able to do
- I can add two numbers within 100.
- I can use a story to work out the sum.
- I can check my answer.
Number facts that help
- Pairs that make 101 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6, 5 and 5. Knowing these helps with every question that crosses a ten.
- DoublesDouble 5 is 10, double 10 is 20, double 25 is 50. Doubles are quick to remember and make good anchors.
- Adding tens3 tens and 4 tens is 7 tens. Children who say the word tens find it easier to see that the answer is 70, not 7.
- Counting onStart with the bigger number and count on the smaller one. Starting with 7 and counting on 6 is quicker than starting with 6.
Key words
- AddPut two amounts together to find the total.
- TotalThe answer when you add. It is also called the sum.
- Tens and onesThe two parts of a two digit number. 25 is 2 tens and 5 ones.
- Number lineA line of numbers in order. Children jump along it to count on.
- Bridge through tenCount up to the next ten, then add what is left.
- DoubleThe same number added to itself. The double of 25 is 25 + 25.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the answers and notes.
- Read the first question aloud. Ask your child to picture the fireworks before they do any sums.
- Let them choose how to work: fingers, a number line, counters or a quick drawing. There is no one right way.
- Check together using page 2. Ask, "How did you work that out?" The reasoning matters as much as the answer.
- Come back another day and redo the questions that felt tricky. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Count on from the bigger number. For 6 and 7, start at 7 and count on six. Use a number line or counters, and say the numbers out loud. Try the first four questions first, and come back to the rest later.
To stretch confident children
Write your own firework story with a total of 100. Swap stories with a friend and solve each other's. Or find three different ways to make 50, such as 30 and 20, or 25 and 25.
Make it a game
Use red and gold counters to show each sum. Or roll two dice, make up a firework story with those numbers, and add them. The first player to reach 50 in total wins.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child says the start number as the first step when counting on, so the answer is one too small.
Try thisSay the start number, then count on with fingers: "seven... eight, nine, ten." Only the new numbers get a finger.
Watch forWith 18 and 7, a child works out 8 + 7 = 15 and writes 15, forgetting the 10 from 18.
Try thisMake a ten first: 18 + 2 = 20, then add the other 5 to make 25.
Watch forFor 30 and 40, a child writes 7 because 3 + 4 = 7.
Try thisSay the units: "three tens plus four tens is seven tens." Draw tens as sticks to see that it is 70.
Talk about it
- Can you see the fireworks in your head? What colours are they?
- Which question was the easiest? Why?
- Which method did you use for 18 and 7? Did anyone use a different one?
- Could you check your answer a different way?
- How do you know the answer to 30 and 40 is bigger than 40?
- Can you make up a new firework question for me to solve?
Take it off the page
Firework pictures
Paint a firework burst using two colours of dots. Count each colour, write the number sentence underneath and find the total.
Pipe cleaner sparklers
Make ten pretend sparklers from pipe cleaners in two colours. Share them into two groups and say how many make 10, then 20. No real sparklers needed.
Countdown to 10
Write a countdown from 10 to 0. For each number, say its partner that makes 10. This builds the number facts that make adding quicker.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first question, then let them lead. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. If they get stuck, ask them to draw the fireworks.
Teachers
Use it in the week of 5 November, as a plenary after teaching addition within 100, or as a supply cover task. The numbers get harder, so it works as a quick check: note who bridges through ten and who counts in ones.
Home educators
Pair it with a library book about Bonfire Night and a talk about firework safety. Reuse it with younger brothers and sisters by covering the biggest numbers, or print it again a few weeks later for revision.
Where it fits in Year 2 maths
In Year 1, children add within 20 and learn number bonds to 10 and 20. In Year 2, they extend this to numbers within 100, adding two digit and one digit numbers and adding tens. This sheet sits in the middle of that journey.
Next, in Year 3, children add three digit numbers and move towards the column method. Strong mental methods now, such as making a ten and adding tens first, are what make written methods make sense later.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- How did you add the tens and the ones?
- What number sentence matches the story?
- How can you check your answer?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- Is the Bonfire Night Maths worksheet free?
Yes. It is free to print for home, classroom and home education use.
- What age is it for?
It is written for Year 2, ages 6 to 7. Confident Year 1 children who know numbers to 20 can try it with support, and Year 3 children can use it as a warm up.
- How long does it take?
About 15 minutes. Children who need more help can do half the questions in one go and finish another day.
- Does it include answers?
Yes. Page 2 has the answers, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea.
- Do children need to know their number bonds first?
Knowing pairs that make 10, such as 6 and 4, makes the sheet quicker. If they do not know them yet, counters or a number line work well.
- Can I use it outside Bonfire Night?
Yes. The maths is the same all year. Fireworks stories also fit New Year and Diwali.
- Which method should my child use?
Any method they can explain. Counting on, making a ten, splitting into tens and ones and using a number line all lead to the right answer. Over time, encourage them to pick the quickest method for each question.
- What if my child gets lots wrong?
Stop and go back to smaller numbers. Do the first two questions with counters, talk through each step, and try the rest another day. Wrong answers show you which idea to practise next, so they are useful.
- Is the sheet safe to talk about with young children?
Yes. It is about counting colours and shapes in the sky, not handling fireworks. The note on this page reminds children to stand well back from fireworks and never to touch sparklers.
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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.