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There are so many fun ways to explore fractions with young learners. And we all know that kids make a deeper connection to learning by doing hands-on activities. So it’s important to have a wide array of activities on hand to help kids learn this tricky concept. We’ve pulled together a list of favorite fraction games and activities to try in the classroom or at home.
1. Build fractions with play dough
Using a plastic cup or cookie cutter, have students cut out circles from different-colored dough. Then, using a plastic knife, have each student cut their circles into different fractions (halves, quarters, thirds, etc.) Finally, use fraction pieces to have students find equivalent fractions and create greater-than and less-than math sentences.
Learn more: Frugal Fun 4 Boys and Girls
2. Make a fraction sundae
Students follow the recipe to create a yummy fraction sundae with ice cream, sprinkles, and cherries on top!
Learn more: Ashleigh’s Education Journey
3. Sort sticky notes
Divide sticky notes into sections, then have kids sort them onto anchor charts. We especially love using fun shapes like hearts or stars!
Learn more: Smitten With First
4. Connect fractions to learn and win
Repurpose a Connect Four set to play fraction games! The goal is to match not only your colors but the fractions themselves. For instance, you need four one-fourths in a row, but only three one-thirds, so there’s strategy involved too.
Learn more: No Time for Flash Cards
5. Shoot hoops
Using the world’s smallest official Nerf basketball set, students shoot a specified number of baskets, keeping track of their success and turning each round into a fraction.
Learn more: Teaching With Jennifer Findley
6. Solve the Fraction of the Day
Fractions are one of those math concepts we actually use quite a bit in everyday life. Make them part of routine practice by posing a new Fraction of the Day question each morning, like “What fraction of the class is wearing shorts today?”
Learn more: Runde’s Room
7. Grab fraction Spoons
If you’ve played Spoons before, you know the drill. Match four of a kind (this time using free printable fraction cards found at the link below), and you get to grab for a spoon—and so does everyone else! The loser takes one letter of the word SPOON, and play continues.
Learn more: Games 4 Gains
8. Get Them in Order
Comparing fractions is definitely a bit of a challenge. This simple free printable game tasks kids with putting a series of four fractions in order from smallest to largest. They can race to see who finishes first or just challenge themselves to get the right answer.
Learn more: Math Geek Mama
9. Whip up some s’mores
Can you think of a better way to get your students’ attention than with the mention of a yummy treat? Your students will love this hands-on equivalent fractions activity.
Learn more: The Curriculum Corner
10. Fight it out in a fraction war
Your kids probably already know how to play War with cards. This version just adds a fraction aspect. Students deal two cards—a numerator and a denominator—and then determine whose fraction is the largest. The winner keeps all four cards, and play continues until the cards are gone. You can also play using these free printable fraction cards.
11. Noodle around with fractions
It’s so easy to make these pool noodle math manipulatives, which you can then use for all kinds of fraction games and activities. Learn how to make them and get ideas for using them here.
12. Build excitement with LEGO fraction games and activities
Visualizing what fractions represent is easier (and a lot more fun) when you use LEGO bricks! Lay them out side by side or build towers. No matter how you play, this is a surefire hit.
Learn more: JDaniel4’s Mom
13. Try butterfly fractions
Teach your older students the butterfly method for adding and subtracting fractions. The step-by-step directions will lead them through the process.
Learn more: Move It Math
14. Make paper-plate fractions
Such a fun, colorful way to play with fractions and equivalencies! Get the full instructions here.
15. Boogie down with newspaper fractions
Turn the music up! Start out with a full newspaper as each student’s dance floor, then fold down to one-half. Continue folding the paper into smaller and smaller dance floors and watch kids get creative as they try to stay on the paper.
Learn more: Mrs. King’s Music Class
16. Move to Fraction Avenue
This is such a fun activity! Grab the free printable street scene at the link. Then, have kids follow the directions to add details. For instance, 2/8 of the homes have dogs outside. Ask kids to reduce the fraction, then draw the correct number of pups.
Learn more: Ashleigh’s Education Journey
17. Divvy up buttons
This is a great hands-on activity, especially if you’re trying to avoid using food as a math manipulative. Ask for donations of buttons from your community and keep a large supply on hand. For this activity, let each student take a large handful of multicolored buttons and add up how many they have all together. Then, have them divide the buttons into groups by color. Finally, have them write a fraction equivalent for each color.
Learn more: The Teacher Next Door
18. Jump into fraction hopscotch
It’s hopscotch—with a fraction game twist! Draw a hopscotch board on the playground (or outline one with tape on your classroom or hallway floor). Label the squares with fractions instead of whole numbers. Kids throw a marker and jump to where it lands, then name the equivalent fractions for that square.
Learn more: Capturing Classroom Ideas
19. Turn your name into fractions
Who knew there were so many fractions hiding inside your own name? Pose these questions to students, and ask them to find their own fractions too.
Learn more: Tunstall’s Teaching Tidbits
20. Have a fraction picnic
Provide a variety of food images cut from magazines or printed out from the Internet. Students plan a picnic and choose the food they want to bring along. Using a ruler and scissors, cut portions of their food choices and glue them to a paper plate. Finally, label each item with the fraction name. Bon appétit!
Learn more: Fraction Picnic/E Is for Explore
21. Put a spin on the fraction fun
Kids get a kick out of stuff that spins, so they’ll love these free printable fraction games and activities. Since the spinners are just pencils and paper clips, every kid can have their own as they practice their fraction skills. Get the whole free set of games here.
22. Color your way to fraction bingo
There’s learning and strategy involved when you play fraction bingo. Kids color in portions of the circles in an effort to get five in a row, based on the fractions the teacher calls out. Of course, the best part is getting to shout “Bingo!”
Learn more: School Time Snippets
23. Reduce fractions and race to the finish
Kids draw a card (the free printable cards and board are at the link below) and reduce the fraction shown. They then move along the board to the next square that matches. First to the end wins!
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
24. Build relationships as you build math skills
Divide students into small groups. Give each group a list of questions they can use to find out more about one another. Have them record their results on a poster in the form of fractions.
Learn more: The Teacher Next Door
25. Draw on their creativity with fraction Pictionary
Can you draw a fraction—without using any numbers? That’s the challenge of this fractions game. Kids can draw single objects divided to represent fractions or be more creative. For example, they might draw three apples and two oranges to represent three-fifths.
Learn more: Fraction Pictionary/E Is for Explore
26. Get into a fraction fiasco
Once they get the rules down, kids will be adding fractions and checking one another’s work in this free printable game. You’ll find all the instructions and the game board at the link below.
Learn more: Learn With Math Games
27. Do the math with domino fractions
Dominoes are like ready-made fractions! Multiply (or add, subtract, or divide) them and reduce the results. Turn it into a race to see who can finish—correctly—first.
Learn more: Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational
28. Use M&Ms to teach fractions
Start this activity with instructions that your students can eat their math manipulatives after the lesson! Then, let them dive into creating different fractions.
Learn more: Frugal Fun 4 Boys and Girls
29. Play with pattern blocks
If you’ve already got pattern blocks on hand, put them to good use in some fractions games. In this one, kids spin to find out how many blocks they get to add to their board in an effort to be the first to build six complete shapes.
Learn more: Pattern Block Fractions/Math Geek Mama
30. Shake it up with number bonds
All you need is a plastic cup and two-sided counters. Kids shake the cup and pour the counters on the table, then count how many of each color landed face up. For example, if 13 counters were rolled, six red and seven blue landed face up. Six and seven are both parts of 13 (the whole). Have students write the number bond and fractions for each color.
Learn more: Number Bond Fractions/E Is for Explore
What are your favorite fraction games and activities for kids? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.
Looking for more math games? Try this roundup of online math games for every grade level.
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