Easily Teach Fractions to Young Children

Now you have Basic Counting down and you kids are ready for something a little more Challenging! So what about Factions? Sound too Complicated? 

Well, it's not!

As parents, you can do a lot of teaching at home and make it a challenge and a game at the same time!  You can start as early as kindergarten and first grade as well! 

By this age counting skills begin to develop and Fractions can be introduced.  The ability to “see” a whole as being a collection of parts should be learned in the early grades to expand their number sense.   Long before introducing words like “fraction”, “numerator”, and “denominator”, teach children that “half” means “2 parts the same”, have them figure out things like:

·         “How much is half of 6? ... 10? ... 20?... 26? ... 30? ... 50? ... 100? ... 248? ... 4628?”

·         “How much is half of 3? … 11? …15? ... 21?... 49? … 99? ... 175? ... 999? … 2001?”

(Note:  Do this orally and not written and if you need to use a manipulative to help them visualize it, use something that they can relate to such as M&M’s, Cookies, Pizza etc… I like fun food because it helps keep their attention and keeps them engaged!)

As the ability to split numbers in half develops - add questions like:

·         “How do you know when you have half of something?”

·         “Half of what number is 4? …25? …2 ½?”

·         “How many half sandwiches can you make out of three whole sandwiches?

·         “How much is 2 Plus 2 ½?” “How much is 3 ½ plus 4?”

·         “How much is 7 take away 2 ½?” “How much is 7 ½ take away 2?”

·         “How much is 2 ½, four times?  seven time? …two-and-a-half times?”

·         “How much is a half plus a quarter?”

·         “What part of 12 is 6? …is 4? …is 3? …is 1? …is 9? …is 8? …is 12? …is 24? …is 30?”

Don’t be afraid to ask these questions to younger student!  Many of them Love to learn new things and “tricks”! Things that they can then go and tell their friends!  Much of what we have covered here seems simple, and it is! But it can have a tremendous impact on young kids and their math career.

So what areas of math are your kids struggling with? Are tips like this helpful?

James & Jennifer Speer - Mathnasium of Bryan/College Station

For more Information and Tips visit www.Mathnasium.com