KS2 times table cake challenge

Get children thinking about combinations and KS2 times tables with this visual and hands-on activity for primary aged children.

With a row of 24 cupcakes, what happens when every second cake has white icing and every third cake has a red smartie?

Our lesson plan is mapped to the UK curricula and has all the notes to hand to guide you through the 45 minute resource as a classroom activity or at home.

This activity in partnership with MEI could be used in Key Stage 2 as a stand-alone activity, as a focused task to develop problem solving skills, or as a consolidation task related to 3x,4x,8x multiplication facts.

Pupils develop both their problem-solving and reasoning skills. They will also practice their mental recall of the 3x, 4x and 8x multiplication tables without the standard ‘fill out the multiplication table’.

All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.

The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

You can download our step-by-step instructions below as either a classroom lesson plan or PowerPoint presentation.

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