Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Heavy or Light Baking: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 1
- ForYear 1
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Heavy or Light Baking is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6). Children think about pairs of things, decide which one is heavier and write it in a table. They also meet short baking problems about a cup, beans, buns and a pancake. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch idea 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
The sheet starts with a table. Each row shows Thing A and Thing B, and children write which one is heavier. Next come numbered baking questions with space for an answer. They are short stories about a cup, spoons of beans, a tray of buns and a pancake. Children read each one, picture it and use measure words and simple number work to answer.
- Thing A
- Thing B
- Heavier is
- A cup is full. You pour out half. Is it full, half full or empty?
- One spoon holds 2 beans. How many beans are in 3 spoons?
- A tray has 10 buns. You eat 2. How many are left?
- You cut a pancake into 2 equal parts. Each part is one what?
Why heavy and light matter in baking
Mass is how much stuff is in something. In Year 1, children use the everyday words heavy and light. Heavier means more mass and lighter means less. Baking is a good setting because children often see ingredients being weighed. Cooks measure flour, sugar and butter so that a recipe turns out the same way each time.
Size can fool us. A large thing is not always heavier than a small one. A big bag of something airy can be lighter than a small pot of something dense. That is why children should hold things and compare them rather than guess by looking. Balance scales help too, because the heavier side goes down. Later, children learn to read kitchen scales in grams and kilograms.
Baking uses ovens, hot trays and sharp knives. Adults do all of that, including opening the oven and taking out anything hot. Children can feel and compare cold, dry, packaged items such as a bag of flour or a tin. Wash hands before and after.
Quick facts about weighing
- Kitchen scales often show weight in grams and kilograms.
- A kilogram is the same as 1000 grams.
- On a balance scale, the heavier side goes down.
- A big thing can be lighter than a small thing.
- Bakers weigh ingredients so a recipe works well each time.
Skills and curriculum link
- Comparing mass
- Using measure words
- Counting in twos
- Reading short problems
- Taking away small amounts
Ideas that help children think
- Hold and feelPut one item in each hand and let children say which hand feels pulled down more. Then they write the answer.
- Do not trust sizeRemind children that big does not always mean heavy. Ask them to check by holding both items.
- Act it outFor the story questions, use real spoons, beans or counters. Moving the items makes the problem easier to see.
- Say the patternFor counting in twos, say the pattern aloud together before writing. Touch one counter for each count.
Key words
- HeavyHard to lift because it has a lot of mass.
- LightEasy to lift because it has little mass.
- HeavierMore heavy than something else.
- LighterLess heavy than something else.
- ScalesA tool that shows how heavy something is, or which of two things is heavier.
- Equal partsParts that are exactly the same size.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Gather a few safe kitchen items, such as a bag of rice, a tin and a spoon, so children can hold things as they think.
- Read each row of the table aloud. Let your child feel the two things, then write which is heavier.
- Move on to the numbered questions. Read each one slowly and let your child use counters or draw to help.
- Check against page 2 together. Ask, "How did you know?" Come back another day to repeat the tricky ones.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Let your child say each answer aloud before writing. Use counters for the beans and buns questions, and move them about as the story goes. For the table, always hold both items first. Do a few rows at a time and take breaks.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to find three things in the kitchen and put them in order from lightest to heaviest. Then ask them to explain how they decided. They can write a short sentence using the word heavier and the word lighter.
Make it a game
Set out four or five safe kitchen items. One player picks two and guesses which is heavier. The other player holds both and checks. A correct guess wins a counter. The player with the most counters after all the pairs have been tried wins.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child picks the bigger item every time and says it is heavier.
Try thisAsk them to hold both items before they answer. Find a small thing that feels heavy and a large thing that feels light.
Watch forA child writes the lighter item when the table asks for the heavier one.
Try thisCircle the word heavier in the table heading. Ask them to point to the item that pulls their hand down more.
Watch forA child copies a number from the question instead of working one out.
Try thisUse counters to act out the story. Ask, "What happens first? What is left, or how many are there now?"
Talk about it
- Which feels heavier in your hand, and how do you know?
- Can something small be heavy? Can something big be light?
- Why do bakers weigh their ingredients?
- What would you use to check which of two things is heavier?
- What is something in our kitchen that is lighter than a cup?
- Can you tell me a baking story with a number in it?
Take it off the page
Kitchen sorting
Choose five safe, cold kitchen items. Sort them from lightest to heaviest by feeling them, then check two of them with balance scales if you have them.
Playdough baking
Make playdough buns. Make some bigger and some smaller. Ask which pair feels heavier, then count them in twos onto a tray.
Bean spoons
Use a spoon and dried beans. Fill spoons with the same number of beans each time and count the beans in twos as you add more spoons.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first row, then let them lead. Let them handle real items if you can. Praise their thinking, not just correct answers, and stop before they get tired.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task or table activity after teaching heavier and lighter. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider maths plan and pair it with real kitchen play. Let children weigh and compare items in the house. The sheet is free, so you can reuse it for brothers, sisters or revision.
Where this fits in maths
Before this sheet, children handle objects and use everyday words such as big, small, heavy and light. They learn that how something looks does not always tell you how heavy it is. Sorting and comparing in play builds this early sense of mass.
After this, children keep comparing and describing mass and meet other measures such as length and capacity. In Year 2 they begin to measure mass using standard units, such as grams and kilograms, and read scales. Comparing in Year 1 is the first step toward that.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Heavy or Light Baking for?
It is written for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. Children who are a little younger or older can also use it with help, or as extra practice, if they are comfortable with simple comparing words.
- What will children practise?
Children practise comparing heavier and lighter things, using simple measuring words and counting in twos. The baking setting gives each question a story that children can picture and talk about.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages and give page 1 to your child. Give them real items to hold if you can. Read each row aloud, let them write the answer, then check with the notes on page 2.
- What if it feels too hard?
Let your child say the answer aloud first. Use counters for the beans and buns questions, and let them hold the real items in the table. Do a few rows at a time and come back 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 this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it suits quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Hands on comparing with real items also gets children talking and thinking.
- How long should my child spend on it?
There is no set time. Let your child go at their own pace and stop when they tire. You can do a few rows now and the rest another day. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
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.