10 – 12

Percentages

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Percentages

What to do with this activity?

At certain times of the year the shops are full of percentage signs - "30% off" or even "70% off" if you are really lucky. Notice the signs with your child - maths is part of everyday life.

% is the symbol for percent, and " per cent" just means "out of one hundred". So 30% simply means 30 out of every 100, and 70% means 70 out of every 100.

Percent can also be expressed as a decimal or as a fraction. For instance 50% can be written as .50 with a decimal point in front of the 50.

Have fun with these ideas by playing this percentage game from Science Kids which uses percent as well as decimals and fractions. 

  • Why am I doing this?

    Maths makes sense to children when they use it in everyday life - like measuring things, working out distances, estimating food for dinner or money for groceries. The more opportunities you give your child to use the maths they learn at school through everyday activities the more they will understand and enjoy working with numbers.

  • How can I do more?

    Discuss maths that you see around you. For example, talk about sales in shops – half price, 25% off, what is good value? Or how much will the item cost after the discount?

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