Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Giant's Feast Converter: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 5
- ForYear 5
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Giant's Feast Converter is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10). Children multiply each recipe by 10 to feed a giant, then change the units into kilograms or litres. They finish by checking whether the feast fits in the cauldron. Page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
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
Children start with a table of ingredients. For each one they write the amount for a giant, which is ten times one portion, then show it in kilograms or litres. They then use the table to answer problems about the giant's milk, juice, flour, cheese and cauldron. Each problem has space for the answer.
- Ingredient
- One portion
- Giant (times 10)
- Giant in kg or litres
- Add the giant's milk and juice. How many litres is that altogether?
- The cauldron holds 9 litres. How many millilitres must he take out?
- How many kilograms do the giant's flour and cheese weigh together?
Worked example: oats for a hungry giant
One portion of porridge uses 270 g of oats. How many kilograms of oats does the giant need if he eats 10 portions?
This is a different question from the ones on the sheet. It shows two ways to work.
Method 1: multiply, then divide by 1000- Multiply by 10. Each digit moves one place to the left, so 270 g becomes 2700 g.
- There are 1000 g in 1 kg, so divide by 1000. Each digit moves three places to the right.
- 2700 g becomes 2.7 kg.
- Multiply by 10 to get 2700 g.
- Take out the whole thousands. 2000 g is 2 kg.
- The 700 g left over is 0.7 kg. Put the parts together: 2 + 0.7 = 2.7 kg.
Ways to build on this sheet
Label hunt
Look at food packets and bottles at home. Find amounts written in grams, kilograms, millilitres or litres. Ask your child to say which unit suits a small amount and which suits a large one.
Weigh and pour
Use kitchen scales and a measuring jug with dry foods or water. Let your child read the scale and say the amount in two ways, such as grams and then kilograms.
Scale a family recipe
Choose a simple recipe and ask your child to double it or multiply it by 10 on paper. An adult does any cooking. The child only works out the new amounts and converts them.
Make a giant's menu
Write a menu for a giant with each dish and its amount. Swap menus with another child and convert every amount into a different unit.
Why scale recipes and convert units?
Cooks scale recipes all the time. To feed more people, they multiply every ingredient by the same number. Multiplying by 10 is a good place to start because each digit moves one place to the left. Children can see the pattern in the table, and they can check that the new amounts still make sense compared with one portion.
Metric units are built on thousands. Grams and kilograms are linked by 1000, and so are millilitres and litres. Large amounts are easier to read in kilograms or litres, while small amounts are easier in grams or millilitres. Converting units is a measurement skill in the Year 5 National Curriculum for England, and it is used in cooking, shopping and science.
Fun facts about metric units
- The word kilo comes from a Greek word meaning a thousand.
- The prefix milli means a thousandth, so a millilitre is a very small part of a litre.
- One litre of water weighs about one kilogram.
- Most food packets in the UK show their weight or volume in metric units.
- Cooks multiply every ingredient by the same number to make a recipe bigger.
Skills and curriculum link
- Multiplying by 10
- Converting units
- Adding measures
- Grams and kilograms
- Millilitres and litres
- Checking answers
Facts to remember
- The thousand rule1000 g = 1 kg and 1000 ml = 1 litre. These two facts are all the sheet needs for converting.
- Multiplying by 10Each digit moves one place to the left. The number gets ten times bigger.
- Dividing by 1000Each digit moves three places to the right. Grams become kilograms and millilitres become litres.
- Same unit firstBefore adding or comparing two amounts, write them in the same unit.
Key words
- MultiplyMake a number a number of times bigger. Multiplying by 10 makes it ten times bigger.
- ConvertChange an amount into a different unit without changing how much there is.
- Gram (g)A small unit for weight. Think of a paper clip.
- Kilogram (kg)A larger unit for weight. There are 1000 grams in one kilogram.
- Millilitre (ml)A small unit for liquid. There are 1000 of them in one litre.
- Litre (l)A larger unit for liquid. It is used for drinks and for filling containers.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Look at the table together. Ask your child to say what each column is for before they write anything.
- Children fill in the table first, then use their answers for the problems. A calculator is not needed.
- Check the answers with page 2. Ask, "How did you change the units?" The reasoning matters as much as the answer.
- Come back another day and redo the parts that felt tricky. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Write 1000 g = 1 kg and 1000 ml = 1 litre beside the table. When multiplying by 10, move each digit one place left. Say each step aloud and fill in the table one row at a time.
To stretch confident children
Design a feast for a giant who eats 100 times a portion. Choose four foods, work out each amount and convert every one into kilograms or litres. Then check that the amounts make sense compared with one portion.
Make it a game
Act as the giant's cook. Measure real water in a jug to see what 500 ml looks like. Then guess how many of those fill a litre and test it. Swap roles and quiz each other on amounts.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child multiplies by 10 but forgets to change the units, so the answer has the wrong unit.
Try thisAsk them to write the unit after every number. Check the table headings together to see which column needs kilograms or litres.
Watch forA child adds amounts in different units, such as litres and millilitres, without converting first.
Try thisChange both amounts into the same unit before adding. Write the unit beside each number so mixed units are easy to spot.
Watch forA child moves the digits the wrong way when changing grams to kilograms.
Try thisAsk whether kilograms should give a bigger or smaller number than grams. A kilogram is a bigger unit, so there will be fewer of them.
Talk about it
- Why does a kilogram need fewer numbers than grams to describe the same weight?
- How can you tell when an answer is too big or too small to be right?
- What happens to each digit when you multiply by 10?
- Why is it useful to have both millilitres and litres?
- Which things at home would you measure in grams and which in kilograms?
- How did you decide which unit to write in the answer?
Take it off the page
Kitchen measuring
Use a jug and a spoon with water. Work out how many spoonfuls fill a small cup. Then say the amount in millilitres and in litres.
Shop price and weight hunt
Look at packets in the cupboard. Sort them by whether their weight is given in grams or kilograms, and list the biggest and smallest.
Giant stories
Write a short story about a giant who has a very large breakfast. Include three amounts in different units and ask someone to convert them.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first row of the table, then let them lead. Praise careful thinking. If they get stuck, ask them to write the unit fact beside the table and say each step aloud.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary or an early finisher task after teaching metric conversion. The table sets up the later problems, so it works well for mixed ability groups. Page 2 has support, stretch and answers.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider maths plan on measures. It pairs well with real cooking and measuring, and you can reuse it for brothers and sisters or for revision a few weeks later.
Where this fits in maths
Before this sheet, children meet multiplying by 10 and 100 and learn that digits move place by place. They also start to change between simple units of measure, and they read scales and jugs.
After this sheet, Year 6 children solve problems that involve converting between units, including with decimals. The same skills are used in science, cooking and everyday shopping.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Giant's Feast Converter for?
It is written for Year 5, which is ages 9 to 10, in Key Stage 2. Some Year 4 children may manage it with help, and Year 6 children can use it for revision or to practise explaining their method.
- What will children practise?
Children practise multiplying by 10, converting between grams and kilograms, and converting between millilitres and litres. They also add measures and use their answers to solve problems about the giant's feast.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages and give page 1 to your child. They fill in the table first, then use it for the problems. A calculator is not needed. Check the answers on page 2 and talk about the methods used.
- What if it feels too hard?
Let your child write 1000 g = 1 kg beside the table and count the zeros when multiplying by 10. Do one row together, then let them try the next row alone. Come back to the problems later.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision, and black and white printing works well on plain A4 paper.
- Is it suitable for teachers to use in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 gives support, stretch ideas and answers for mixed ability groups.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it works for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Children read, think and write by hand, and there is no need for a calculator.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.