Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Pizza Night Fraction Sums: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 5
- ForYear 5
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Pizza Night Fraction Sums is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10). Each question is a short pizza story. Children add the fractions of a pizza that two people eat, then write the total as a simple fraction or a mixed number. 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
Every question on the sheet is a short pizza night story. Two people each eat a fraction of a pizza, and children work out how much was eaten altogether. The bottom numbers are different, so children cannot just add straight across. They change one or both fractions so the slices match, add, and then tidy the answer. There is space under each question to show working.
- Mum eats 1/2 of a pizza and Dad eats 1/4. How much altogether?
- Sam eats 1/3 and Mia eats 1/6. How much altogether?
- Ben eats 2/5 and Ava eats 1/10. How much altogether?
- Grandpa eats 3/8 and Nan eats 1/4. How much altogether?
- Leo eats 3/4 and Zoe eats 1/2. How much altogether?
- Jay eats 1/3 and Kit eats 1/2. How much altogether?
Worked example
Rosa eats 4/7 of a pizza and Tom eats 9/14 of an identical pizza. How much did they eat altogether?
This is a different question from the ones on the sheet. It shows two ways to think about it.
Method 1: change one fraction- Look at the bottom numbers, 7 and 14. 14 is a multiple of 7.
- Change 4/7 into fourteenths. Multiply the top and bottom by 2 to get 8/14.
- Now both fractions are fourteenths. Add the tops: 8 + 9 = 17, so the total is 17/14.
- 17/14 is more than one whole. Take out 14/14 as 1 whole. The rest is 3/14.
- Draw a bar cut into 14 equal parts for each pizza.
- Shade 8 parts on the first bar. This matches 4/7, because each seventh is two fourteenths.
- Shade 9 parts on the second bar.
- Count all the shaded parts together. One bar is full with 3 parts shaded on the next.
Why add fractions with pizza?
Pizza is a fraction model that children already know. A pizza is one whole, and it is cut into equal slices. The bottom number of a fraction tells you how many equal slices make the whole. The top number tells you how many of those slices you have. When children picture real slices, the rules for fractions feel less like tricks and more like common sense.
Fractions can only be added when the parts are the same size. You cannot count halves and quarters together as one kind of slice. A common denominator solves this by cutting every fraction into the same size pieces. In Year 5 the denominators are multiples of the same number, so one fraction usually needs changing, which keeps the work manageable.
Skills and curriculum link
- Adding fractions
- Common denominators
- Equivalent fractions
- Simplifying answers
- Mixed numbers
- Explaining your thinking
Fraction ideas that help
- Parts must matchOnly add slices that are the same size. Change the bottom numbers first, then add the tops.
- Change top and bottom togetherWhen you multiply the bottom number by something, multiply the top by the same number. The fraction keeps its value.
- Look for multiplesAsk whether one bottom number is a multiple of the other. If it is, you may only need to change one fraction.
- Check the sizeThe total should be bigger than either fraction you started with. If it is not, check the working.
Key words
- FractionA part of a whole, written as one number over another.
- NumeratorThe top number. It tells you how many parts you have.
- DenominatorThe bottom number. It tells you how many equal parts make the whole.
- Common denominatorA bottom number that fractions share, so their parts are the same size.
- Equivalent fractionA different looking fraction with exactly the same value.
- Mixed numberA whole number and a fraction together, such as 2 and 1/3.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the first question aloud. Ask your child to picture the pizza and guess whether the total will be more or less than one whole.
- Check that they change the bottom numbers to match before adding the tops. Let them draw or shade circles if it helps.
- Look at page 2 together. Ask, "How did you work that out?" Explaining the steps matters as much as the answer.
- Come back another day and redo any questions that felt tricky. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Draw a circle for each pizza and cut it into equal slices to match the bottom number. Shade the slices eaten. Then redraw both fractions with slices of the same size, so the children can count the shaded slices together.
To stretch confident children
Make up your own pizza night question with two fractions where one bottom number is a multiple of the other. Swap with a friend and solve each other's. Then ask: who ate the most pizza, and how much more than the least?
Make it a game
Cut paper circles into equal slices and test the answers for real. Or write fractions on small cards, turn over two and add them. Your partner checks the total using the paper slices. Score a point for each correct answer.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child adds the tops and the bottoms, so 1/7 + 1/14 becomes 2/21.
Try thisAsk them to draw it. Two shaded slices from different sized cuts cannot just be counted. Change the bottom numbers to match first.
Watch forA child changes the bottom number but forgets to change the top.
Try thisRemind them that the fraction must keep its value. Whatever you multiply the bottom by, multiply the top by the same number.
Watch forA child leaves an answer such as 9/8 as it is, or stops before simplifying.
Try thisAsk if there is more than one whole pizza here. Then ask if the top and bottom can both be divided by the same number.
Talk about it
- What does the bottom number of a fraction tell you?
- Why can we not add halves and quarters straight away?
- How did you decide which fraction to change?
- Will the total be more or less than one pizza? How can you tell before you work it out?
- What is a mixed number, and when does an answer become one?
- How could you check your answer with a drawing?
Take it off the page
Paper plate pizzas
Draw or fold paper plates into equal slices. Label each slice with its fraction and use them to show different fractions of a pizza.
Fraction strips
Cut strips of paper the same length. Fold one in halves, one in quarters and one in eighths. Line them up to see which fractions match.
Family pizza menu
Invent a family pizza night. Write who eats what fraction of each pizza and add the amounts. Swap menus and check each other's totals.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first question, then let them lead. Short sessions work well. If they get stuck, ask them to draw the pizza and shade the slices. Praise the thinking, not just the answer.
Teachers
Use it as a starter or plenary after teaching adding fractions with related denominators. It works well as an early finisher task or homework. Page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider maths plan. It pairs well with fraction strips and paper folding. The sheet is free to print again for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later.
Where this fits in maths
Before this sheet, children meet fractions as parts of a whole. They add and subtract fractions with the same denominator and learn about equivalent fractions. Being able to say that two fractions have the same value is the key idea behind finding a common denominator.
After this, children move on to subtracting fractions with related denominators and adding and subtracting mixed numbers. In Year 6 they work with fractions whose denominators are not multiples of each other, so the habit of matching the parts is worth building now.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Pizza Night Fraction Sums for?
It is written for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Confident Year 4 children may enjoy it, and children in Year 6 can use it for revision.
- What will children practise?
Children add fractions whose denominators are multiples of the same number. They write answers as simple fractions or mixed numbers, which fits the fractions strand of the Year 5 National Curriculum for England.
- What if it feels too hard?
Let your child draw and shade pizza circles to match each fraction. Seeing the slices makes it easier to understand why the bottom numbers must match. Do a few questions today and come back to the rest 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.
- Can teachers use it 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 and stretch ideas.
- How long does it take?
It depends on the child. Let them work at their own pace and stop when focus fades. You can do some questions now and return to the rest on another day.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. The sheet prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children may like to use coloured pencils to shade their pizza drawings, but this is not needed.
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.