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Maths Games

Cooking measurement activities

Use recipes to practise mass, capacity, fractions and scaling.

Quick answer

Cooking measurement activities help children learn about mass, capacity, fractions, and scaling by using real recipes and ingredients.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will understand how to use measurements in cooking and how to adjust recipes for different numbers of people. You will be able to:
  • Measure ingredients using cups, spoons, and scales
  • Work out how much of each ingredient you need for a different number of people
  • Use fractions when following recipes
  • Understand how doubling or halving recipes changes the amounts

Why this matters

Cooking with measurements helps you learn maths that you use every day. When you bake cookies, cook dinner, or help make a meal, you're using maths to measure ingredients. This helps you understand:
  • How much of something you need
  • How to share food fairly
  • How to change recipes for more or fewer people
  • How to work with fractions and decimals
Whether you're helping in the kitchen or playing a cooking game, you're using the same maths skills that grown-ups use in real life.

How it works

When you cook, you need to measure ingredients. There are different ways to measure things:
  • Mass – how heavy something is, measured in grams or kilograms
  • Capacity – how much liquid or space something takes up, measured in millilitres or litres
  • Fractions – parts of a whole, like half a cup or a quarter of a teaspoon
  • Scaling – changing a recipe for more or fewer people
To measure ingredients:
  1. Look at the recipe to see how much of each ingredient you need
  2. Find the right measuring tools – cups, spoons, scales
  3. Fill the measuring tools carefully
  4. Use fractions when a recipe says "half a cup" or "a quarter teaspoon"
  5. When you want to make more or fewer servings, multiply or divide the amounts

Examples you can see

Let’s look at some real cooking examples to see how measurements work. Example 1: Making pancakes A recipe for 4 people needs:
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
If you want to make pancakes for 8 people, you need to double everything:
  • 4 cups of flour
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
Example 2: Baking cookies A recipe for 12 cookies needs:
  • 1 cup of butter
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 egg
If you want to make 6 cookies, you need to halve everything:
  • ½ cup of butter
  • ½ cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of flour
  • ½ egg
Example 3: Mixing juice To make 1 litre of juice, you need:
  • 500ml of orange juice
  • 500ml of apple juice
If you want to make 2 litres, you need:
  • 1 litre of orange juice
  • 1 litre of apple juice

Try it as a mini adventure

Adventure: The Great Cookie Swap! You and your friends are planning a cookie party. You need to make enough cookies for 10 people, but you only have a recipe for 4 people. You must figure out how to change the recipe to make the right amount. Step 1: You have a recipe for 4 people that needs:
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 100g of butter
Step 2: You need to make 10 cookies, so you need to multiply by 2.5 (10 divided by 4). Step 3: Multiply each ingredient by 2.5:
  • 2 cups × 2.5 = 5 cups of flour
  • 1 cup × 2.5 = 2.5 cups of sugar
  • 1 egg × 2.5 = 2.5 eggs
  • 100g × 2.5 = 250g of butter
Step 4: You can’t use half an egg, so you need to think of a way to make 2.5 eggs. Maybe you can use 2 eggs and a little extra sugar. Step 5: Now you have all the measurements for 10 people. You can start cooking!

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Using the wrong measuring tools
    Why it happens: Mixing up teaspoons and tablespoons or cups and millilitres
    Fix: Always check what the recipe says and use the right tool
  • Mistake: Not doubling or halving correctly
    Why it happens: Guessing instead of calculating
    Fix: Use simple division or multiplication to change the recipe
  • Mistake: Forgetting to adjust fractions
    Why it happens: Not understanding how halves and quarters work
    Fix: Practice with real ingredients to see how halves and quarters look
  • Mistake: Not reading the recipe carefully
    Why it happens: Rushing through the steps
    Fix: Read the recipe slowly and double-check the amounts

Parent and carer guide

As a parent or carer, you can help your child with cooking measurements in these ways:
  • Choose simple recipes with easy measurements like cups and teaspoons
  • Let your child measure ingredients with you and ask questions
  • Encourage your child to double or halve recipes
  • Use real-life examples like sharing a pizza or making a cake for a party
  • Ask your child to explain how they figured out the measurements
  • Don’t worry if they make a mistake – it’s a learning chance!
  • Use kitchen scales for weight and measuring cups for volume
  • Make it fun by turning cooking into a game or challenge

Practice questions

  1. You have a recipe for 6 people that needs 3 cups of flour. How much flour do you need for 12 people?
  2. A recipe for 8 people needs 2 eggs. How many eggs do you need for 4 people?
  3. You want to make 15 cookies. If a recipe for 5 cookies needs 1 cup of sugar, how much sugar do you need?
  4. You have a recipe for 4 people that needs 150g of butter. How much butter do you need for 8 people?
  5. A recipe for 10 people needs 2.5 cups of milk. How much milk do you need for 5 people?
Answers:
  1. 6 cups of flour
  2. 1 egg
  3. 3 cups of sugar
  4. 300g of butter
  5. 1.25 cups of milk

FAQ

Why are cooking measurements important?

Cooking measurements help you make the right amount of food and make sure your recipes turn out well. They also help you learn maths that you use every day.

Can I use my hands to measure ingredients?

Yes, you can use your hands to estimate amounts, but for better results, use proper measuring tools like cups, spoons, or scales.

What if I don’t have the right measuring tools?

You can use household items like a bowl or a mug to estimate. You can also ask a grown-up to help you find the right tools or suggest alternatives.

How can I help my child learn about fractions in cooking?

Ask your child to help you halve or double a recipe. You can use visual examples like cutting a pizza or a cake into equal parts to show how fractions work.

What are some fun cooking games I can play with my child?

Try "Recipe Detective" where your child finds ingredients in a recipe, or "Measurement Challenge" where you race to measure ingredients correctly. You can also play "Scaling Game" where you change recipes for different numbers of people.