Are you struggling to help your students develop a better understanding of fractions? Math doesn’t need to be boring – there are plenty of creative and fun ways to study fractions. Here are three creative and hands-on ways to practice fractions to help your students develop a deeper understanding of the concept.
Start with Concrete Examples
One of the most effective ways to practice fractions is to start with concrete examples that students can see and touch. Use objects that can be measured, cut, or divided into parts. Your students will love getting to practice math with hands-on activities.
Here are some ideas for practicing fractions with concrete examples.
- Use food items – Divide an apple into halves or quarters and count the number of slices.
- Use coins – Explain to students how coins are worth a fraction of a dollar. For example, a quarter is worth 1/25th of a dollar.
- Measure liquid volumes – Demonstrate with measuring cups and show students how to measure out different volumes. Explain how they’re measured in fractions.
Utilizing manipulatives or strips of paper can be a huge help for students who are having a hard time grasping the concept. Demonstrating with concrete examples at school gives students a great way to practice hands-on fraction activities at home since they will likely have objects at home they can use.
Project Based Learning
Another great way to practice fractions is through meaningful critical thinking activities, such as project based learning. This allows them to practice the concept of fractions by actually working with them and seeing how they apply to everyday life.
In 5th grade, my students practiced multiplying a fraction by a whole number with Mission: Design a Park, a mini PBL activity. Students had a lot of fun being able to creatively design their own park while using fractions to plan everything out.
Multiplying Fractions by Whole Numbers Project Based Learning
Mission: Design a Park is a performance task that allows students to creatively practice multiplying a fraction by a whole number. Students follow the given criteria to determine the amount of space each park amenity requires.
Whole Class Games
There are so many ways for students to individually practice fractions. But what about whole class practice? Using whole group games like Jeopardy or bingo can be a fun break from the normal math block flow. This will help keep your students engaged while allowing them to practice fractions together.
You can also use a whole group practice game as a time to model how math problems are solved and show common mistakes. You’d be amazed at how well your students will pay attention during games like this!
Convert & Simplify Fractions Bingo Game
This bingo activity is perfect for whole-class game play, math centers, or small groups. The math problems in this resource cover converting improper fractions to mixed numbers, converting mixed numbers to improper fractions, and simplifying fractions.
Using these three fun ways to practice fractions, you can help your students feel confident and competent in understanding this important math concept. Whether you’re teaching fractions for the first time or reviewing them with your students, these strategies will help them learn and retain the skills they need to succeed in math.
For additional ideas, activities, videos, and fun ways to teach fractions, visit my other post, 70+ Resources for Teaching Fractions.
