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Being able to round and estimate numbers enables people to perform calculations in their head quickly and without using a calculator. Math Games motivates students to practice and hone this important skill by blending learning with play in its appealing online games!

Pupils can use our resources to practice:

• Understanding, identifying and comparing fractions of numbers and shapes
• Making equivalent fractions and reducing fractions
• Performing calculations with fractions and mixed numbers
• Converting between fractions, percents, decimals and mixed numbers

Other resources for teachers and parents include downloadable worksheets and apps, and a digital textbook. We have activities for every grade and ability level, and all of them are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Choose a skill to start playing!

Introducing operations with fractions in mathematics can sometimes be confusing for students and frustrating for teachers.

Providing some context within which students can conceptualise fractions can really help solidify these abstract concepts in students’ minds, especially when adding and subtracting fractions to amounts that are greater than a whole.

In this ‘low threshold, high ceiling’ task, students take the role of the owner of a cake wholesaler, baking and supplying cakes to local café businesses. As café owners order their weekly cakes by the slice, students are required to add unit fractions together to calculate total cake orders. They then solve problems associated with subtracting fractional remainders, using equivalent fractions and converting between improper fractions and mixed numerals.

This downloadable ‘rich task’ lesson resource is designed for teachers and students in Years 5 to 7. It is mapped against Australian Curriculum (Mathematics), with an emphasis on problem solving and reasoning in operating with fractions .

The task comes with a comprehensive grading rubric to assist teachers who wish to use the project for formal assessment purposes.

This task was developed in consultation with Greta Public School (NSW), a CHOOSE MATHS Schools Outreach partner school.

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35 Active Math Games and Activities for Kids Who Love To Move

For all those kids who think math is boring …

hand2mind believes children learn best by doing. Energize your classroom for the year with hands-on materials and resources !

Young children like to be active. Getting their hands on and into things, moving their bodies, and just getting up and out of their seats are all natural and engaging things that kids want to do both at home and in school. So as effective teachers, the more we tap into that inclination, the better for us and for them. Kids learn by doing, whether it is baseball or dinosaurs or math. So let’s do some math!

Here are some fun, engaging, and active math games and activities kids will enjoy while engaging in all kinds of age-appropriate math. They’ll have fun, get moving, and learn a lot.

1. Find My Shape

Prepare a class set of paper geometric shapes that you want students to focus on. You should have multiples of various shapes and use different-color paper. Make them fairly large and then cut each one in half. One half of a shape is given to each student. When you say “begin,” students should get up and move around the room, seeing if they can find a matching half for their shape. Once they do, have them all sit down with their shapes and describe attributes of the shapes such as number of sides, straight or curved, how many corners, and the names.

2. The Money Boat

If you’re looking for active math games to teach money skills, try this one. Ready to practice adding up some mixed coin sets? Use a plastic wash tub or kiddie pool and fill it halfway with water. Put an empty plastic container in the water. Mark off a tape line 3 or 4 feet from the tub or pool. Form your class into groups of three, and give each team a set of real or plastic coins. Students use an underhand toss to get coins in the floating “Money Boat.” Whatever lands in the boat is added up by the team. Whichever team has the most money is the winner.

3. Valentine Math

Make a set of heart-shaped cards, enough for one heart per student desk. Write an addition or subtraction problem on the front and the answer on the back (for self-checking). Label each heart with a letter from A to Z. The heart card stays on the student’s desk.

Make a grid sheet for each student. Label each box of the grid with a letter from A to Z so that as students solve each math problem, they record the answer in the corresponding box.

Students will start with the heart that’s on their desk first. They’ll solve that problem, and write the answer in the corresponding box on the grid. Then they’ll check on the back and correct if necessary. When you say rotate, students rotate to the next desk and solve that problem the same way. Continue the rotation until all the students have solved all the problems.

4. George Washington’s Feet

Bring in a men’s size 13 shoe or boot and share the shoe and this fact with students: President George Washington wore a size 13 shoe like this one! Now give each student a turn tracing the shoe or boot on a piece of paper. Then have them step inside with their own foot heel-to-heel with Washington’s and trace their own foot.

Provide each student with a ruler and ask these questions: “How long do you think George Washington’s foot was?” and “How much bigger was his foot than yours?” Have students write their answers on that same paper and share the results as a class.

5. How Long Is the Room?

Tell students you would like them to find out how long the room is, but that they won’t be using rulers, yardsticks, or measuring tapes. Instead, they will use their feet. Model this yourself by going heel-to-toe across the room and counting aloud with the class. Record your answer. Before they begin, ask if they think your measurement will be the same as theirs. Discuss.

Then have students work with a partner as they measure the distance from one end of the classroom to the other. The partner will count and record the feet. After all students have had a turn to measure using their feet, then have them work again in pairs using a ruler to measure the same distance. Ask: What are the differences? Why are there differences? How does using a standard ruler help us measure?

6. Cotton Ball Olympics

If you’re looking for active math games to play during an Olympics year, try this one. Give each student a cotton ball and divide the class into groups of three or four. The Olympics can be held inside or outside. Have students compete in simple events such as: Cotton Ball Overhand Throw, Cotton Ball Underhand Throw, Cotton Ball Kick, or Cotton Ball Blow (using a straw). Students will stand behind a tape line, move that cotton ball, and then the student or another student (taking turns) measures the distance from the starting line to where the cotton ball landed. Finally, the student records the distance on a prepared sheet. When everyone is finished, you can tally all the results in chart form to see the range of results (and maybe hand out Olympic medals).

7. Heaviest Book in the Room

Have several scales available for this activity, including balance scales, bathroom scales, and kitchen spring scales. Put students in groups of three to find and weigh the heaviest book in their desks. Record the weights. Share the findings with the class, and record the heaviest book.

Next, have students follow the same procedures to find the heaviest book in the classroom. Compare all results and weigh the finalists to determine the heaviest book in the classroom.

8. Inchworm Exploration

Prepare a 1-inch-long inchworm drawing on paper for students to color and cut out. These can then be glued onto a craft stick to keep them sturdy. Have students walk around the classroom with their inchworm measuring stick to find things that are smaller than or just larger than 1 inch. They should write these down on lined paper and share with the class at the end.

9. Becoming the Equation

Students put themselves into the correct positions to create the correct multiplication equation.

On large cards or construction paper, write the following: “factor” (on two of them), “product” (on one of them), a multiplication symbol (on one of them), and an equal sign (on one of them). Also make cards for 0 to 100 (one number per card).

Demonstrate by picking up three number signs that form a correct multiplication equation, for example, 2, 5, and 10. Choose five students, give the first student the 2 card and a “factor” card; give the second student the “multiplication symbol” card; give the third student the 5 card and a “factor” card; give the fourth student the equal sign card and the fifth student the 10 card. Have students stand shoulder to shoulder in the correct sequence holding their cards up. The class will see the correct equation.

Once this has been demonstrated, have the next group of five students select their own numbers and arrange themselves with the vocabulary and signs to create a correct multiplication equation.

10. Egg Carton Adder

Ask students to bring in an empty egg carton. Have them open the carton and with a marker or crayon, write one number 0 through 11 in each of the “egg spaces.” They will also need two small, light objects to toss into the carton such as Ping-Pong balls, buttons, beans, math counters, etc.

Students will work in pairs, putting the egg cartons on the floor side by side. One student tosses their objects into the egg carton spaces and adds the two numbers the objects have landed on. The other student does the same with their objects. Whoever gets the highest number wins that round. Play can be set for a certain number of rounds or a set amount of time. Students can total up their scores at the end of the rounds or when time is up and see who has the highest number.

11. Fill My Square

This is a good partner game to practice multiplication. Students will need two dice or two number cubes and a sheet to record their factors and products. Tape a square on the floor that is 1 foot by 1 foot for each player. Provide a container of at least 100 counting chips or bottle caps.

Each player rolls their two dice and multiplies them to get a product. From a container of circular counters like bottle caps or counting chips, players take that many. They then lay them into the square, touching each other but not covering any. The first player to fill their square wins.

12. Multiplication Relay Race

Kids like to race. Here’s a race that gets them multiplying. Prepare a set of large cards or sheets of construction paper with multiplication problems without products. Prepare another set of large cards or sheets of construction paper with the products matching the first set. 

At the starting line, place the set of problem cards in a stack face down. At the relay “turning point,” have the product cards laid out on the floor or large table area face up. When it is a student’s turn, they pick up the top card, run to the turning point, and find the correct product. A teacher or helper will quickly check to make sure the product is correct. Then the student runs back to the end of their team’s line and sits down.

Whichever team is all seated first is the winning team. All players on both teams will read their equations out loud.

13. Number Toss 

This is a good inside or outside game for young learners to practice number identification. Attach number cards to plastic bins. Tape a line some distance from the bins. Have a good amount of soft items to be tossed (beanbags or pom-poms, for example). Students form teams and take turns at the line trying to toss the correct number of items into the correct bin. This is a non-competitive game—players work together as a team. When they are finished, they sit down together, while the teacher checks to see that the items match the number. Adjust the distance from bins according to age and ability.

14. Sticks and Stones

This is good motivating practice for early-age counters. Take a walk on the playground and look for small sticks and stones. Have students collect these in a bag and bring them into the classroom. Then hand out a set of number cards from 1 to 10 and spread them out on a rug or table. Each student should then reach into their bag and place a set of sticks or stones that match that number just under the card.

15. Fish for a Number

Get a set of number cards from 1 to 10 and laminate them. Make a “fishing pole” with a stick or dowel, string, and a magnet. Cut out paper or foam fish, paper for dry land, and foam for a kiddie pool. Put a paper clip on each fish and a number card as well. Have the students “fish” for numbers in the correct order, pulling them off and placing them in a row until they catch all the numbers from 1 to 10.

16. Long Lines

This is an outside activity that lets kids practice using measuring tapes. Have students use sidewalk chalk to make a few long lines without measuring, just drawing until you say stop. Using measuring tapes, students work together as partners to measure and record the length of their lines. Students can write their results on top of their lines. Practice how to write and record feet and inches when you model this.

17. Number Dash

On the playground, use chalk to write a series of numbers you want students to work on. There should be one number for each student and one bonus number. Have students line up on a line two arm lengths apart. Go down the line and whisper a number that is chalked out there in the ear of each student. When you say go, students dash to the number you whispered to them. Have them call out the number they are standing on and then ask everyone to call out the bonus number. Each round, whisper a different number in each player’s ear. This is simple but really gets kids excited.

18. Place Value Toss

Have four bins or boxes labeled Ones, Tens, Hundreds, and Thousands. Adjust according to grade level and ability. Students will take turns throwing various numbers of beanbags into the bins, then writing the resulting number. Start with seven bags. For example, if I throw two into the hundreds, two into the tens, and three into the ones bin, my number is 223. I would write the number in numeral and word form on my record sheet then my partner takes a turn.

19. Paper Plate Facts

Buy a package of paper plates and on each one, write a number. Pass out one paper plate to each student. Have them all stand up and explain, “When I say go, I want you to find two other people in the room who with their numbers and your number, you can create an addition or subtraction fact. Then sit down together so we know you are done. For example, if you have 5, your friend Jane has 9, and I have 4, we could form 5 + 4 = 9.”

Once all students are sitting, have each group stand up, show their numbers, and state their fact. Do this several times in a row. Players can choose each time to add or subtract. For example, 4, 5, 9 becomes 4 + 5 = 9 and 9 – 5 = 4.

20. Giant Number Lines

Kids like really small things like miniatures and really big things. Here’s a simple activity that’s fun just because it uses something big. Use sidewalk chalk outside or painter’s tape inside to make a large number line (about 12 inches between each number). By calling out numbers on the line to kids, you can practice a variety of skills such as adding on, subtraction, counting backward, or identifying odd and even numbers.

21. Fact Movers

Provide pairs of students with a regular pair of dice and a cube (wood or paper) with actions written on all six sides, such as hop, spin around, touch toes, clap, touch knees, or snap fingers. Students take turns rolling all three cubes at the same time and create an addition or subtraction fact that they solve. Then they must do the action rolled that many times.

22. Water Balloon Number Splash

Looking for active math games for a hot day? Fill water balloons and write a number on each one. Outside on the playground, use chalk to write numbers to correspond to the balloon numbers. Each student chooses a balloon, then finds the chalk number and throws the balloon on the matching number.

23. Hands of Time

On the playground, use chalk to draw a giant clock with hours and minutes marked. Pair up students and assign one to show the hour and another to show the minutes. Call out a time to be practiced. Students move to their positions on the clock. To make it more challenging, have an additional time added or subtracted. For example, begin with 3:18, then say, “Now show 17 minutes later.”

24. How Far Can Your Animal Jump?

Here’s a good activity for inside or outside. To practice measuring distances, tell students they are to jump like certain animals: frogs, kangaroos, grasshoppers, and so on. Tape a starting line. Working in pairs, one student makes the jump while the partner marks it with chalk or tape. Then they work together to measure the distance with a ruler, yardstick, or tape measure, and record it on a piece of lined paper with a pencil.

25. Beanbag Number Toss

On the playground, use chalk to write numbers in a large circle. Students surround the circle. Tell students you will call out a number and they are to take a beanbag and try to toss it on that number. If they get it on the correct number, they score that many points. You can also play this with two beanbags and have students add or subtract the two numbers.

26. Flash Card Dash

Flash cards aren’t boring when you make them into active math games! Tape two rows of flash cards with math equations on them on the floor. This can be done as a competition between two students, or it can be done independently. Students move as quickly as they can to touch the flash card with their foot, give the answer, have someone check it, and then move on to the next card. Whoever finishes first is the winner. A student working independently can try to beat their previous time.

27. Beach Ball Fact Toss

On a beach ball, use a permanent marker to write numbers for skills to be practiced. Have students form a circle with you in the middle. Toss the beach ball to a student and wherever their thumbs land, use those numbers to add, subtract, or multiply. You can change the operation as you make the toss. It keeps players alert and listening.

28. Dance Your Answer

Incorporate dancing into your active math games for fun and exercise. Create a number mat (with digits 0 to 9) large enough for a student to stand on a number. Ask an addition or subtraction fact with a two-digit answer. Call out the fact. Students take turns playing. The student playing will put their left foot on the tens place number and their right foot on the ones place number. They can do a dance move as they are on their answer.

29. Stack Your Answer

Get a package of plastic caps and using a permanent marker, write addition and subtraction facts without answers on them. Stack them in one tower, one on top of the other. This is a good game for three or four students. Students take turns pulling off the top cup. If they answer it correctly, they keep the cup and begin to stack them in any form they choose. Keep playing until all cups are used up.

30. Standing on Angles

Using masking or painter’s tape, make sets of different types of angles on the floor. Make them large enough for students to stand on. Call out two angle types and give students a turn to find and stand on the angles that are called.

31. Counting Walk

To practice using tally marks for counting, as a class decide what you want to count in the school. Give students a piece of lined paper, a pencil, and a clipboard or book to lean on. Take a walk around your school building. Have students count the various items you’ve decided on together. It could be doors, windows, bulletin boards, etc. Students should make a tally mark for each one they see. Add up the tally marks once back in the classroom. If you’re looking for active math games to do outside, students can also count items you might find out there (signs, flowers, buses, etc.).

32. Shape-Hunt Counting Walk

Looking for active math games to teach shapes? Make a sheet with shapes that you want students to work on. Provide each student with a copy, a pencil, and a clipboard or book to lean on. Have students walk in pairs around the school trying to find something that has that shape. For example, a flag or banner might be a rectangle or a triangle. For each shape they find, they should put a tally mark under the shape on their paper. Discuss their findings when they get back to the classroom.

33. Secret Colors

Clear an area and have four laundry baskets or cardboard boxes placed in each corner of the area. In the center, place another basket or box. Place different-colored balls in the middle container. Divide students into four teams and assign them a corner. When you say go, each team sends one member at a time to run to the middle box and grab a ball, bringing it back to their team box in their corner. If it is a student’s turn and the middle box is empty, that player may grab a ball from another team’s box.

Once every student has had a turn, it’s time to add up the values of the balls based on their colors. Now the teacher announces the value of each color, then groups add up their balls. Whichever team has the highest value is the winner.

34. Leap Frog

This is a good game for younger students just learning numbers, or you can scale it up by using decimals, fractions, negative numbers, and exponents for the older crowd. Create a few sets of green lily pads from construction paper, write the numbers you are practicing on the lily pads, and laminate them. Make at least 10 lily pads for each set. Students take turns lining up at a starting tape. Call out a number or a math fact/problem to be leaped to and landed on. Students leap from pad to pad, finally landing on the correct one. This is a good game for outdoors, or you can move desks aside and play it inside too.

35. Bowling for Numbers

Kids love to bowl and here’s an easy, motivating way to combine bowling and addition. Get a set of sticky notes and write numbers on the notes. Adhere these to plastic bowling pins from a kiddie bowling set or use empty plastic liter bottles.

Give players the plastic bowling ball from the set; a tennis ball will do as well. Have players take turns bowling and knocking pins down. Any pins that get knocked down are added together to give them a score for that frame. Play at least three frames and add all frames up to get a final score. You can change the numbers depending on the grade level so you can use this from pre-K to grade 6.

If you like these active math games and are looking for more ways to move in the classroom, try these Kinesthetic Reading Activities for your most active learners.

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Hey, hey, Math Moment Makers! Some of you have been asking tons of questions in not only our Math Moment Maker, K-12 Facebook Group , but also in other math groups on Facebook and out on the web about the best way to teach fractions.

Well, you know us, we love ourselves an awesome problem based math lesson, so I thought I’d highlight some of the lessons and in particular, one unit on makemathmoments.com that you can actually use in your class tomorrow!

Ready to dive in?

Check out the video below and under the video for relevant links.

Problem Based Unit Referenced In the Video 

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Jon, I enjoyed listening to your overview of the worm race. Great idea!

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Fraction Talks

Description

• Author: Dan
• Posted: Mon, December 11, 2017, last modified January 28, 2020
• Topics: Common Core Math Practices , Numbers and Operations in Fraction , Operations and Algebraic Thinking
• Grades: 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9

About Fraction Talks

Topics: Mental math, numerical fluency; argument & critique Materials: White board or projector Common Core: Variable, and especially MP3 and NF

This mental math routine creates powerful positive habits for students to understand and think productively about fractions.

Fraction talks developed as a way to use the Number Talk routine to target fractions. A growing body of fraction talks are available at fractiontalks.com .

I’ve created a writeup below for how to use fraction talks, as well as a collection here which are ideal for introducing fraction talks to students early in their understanding of fractions, and then continuing in slowly increasing levels of difficulty.

Why We Love Fraction Talks

Fraction Talks are a powerful way to extend the Number Talk format to the domain of fractions. They get all students involved, help them strengthen fluency, intuition, and mental math strategies, improve students’ ability to explain and critique solutions, and allow teachers a valuable window into their students’ thinking, as well as giving a framework for students to develop a more visual, conceptual framework

Download the PDF – For more information regarding this lesson, and for a collection of fraction images.

Fraction Talks Gallery

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Trending Post : Teaching Fractions with Food

10 Fun and Exciting Ways to Teach Equivalent Fractions | Activities and PDFs | Answer Key

Table of Contents

Teaching Equivalent Fractions

Fractions! For some of our kiddos, the term ‘equivalent fractions’ makes them quiver in their sneakers and want to barf all over the desk. It doesn’t have to be that way though. There are many interactive, fun ways to learn and then practice fractions. I just had to put a list together just for equivalent fractions, including a hands on equivalent fractions activity.

There are many fun ways to teach equivalent fractions. This is a nice assortment of multisensory learning–including visual, verbal, tactile…and most of all, fun!

For each of the activities listed, I have started the description with a hyperlink so you can go learn more about that specific equivalent fraction activity. You can download all of the printables that are mine (the ones that have pictures) in one place with my Equivalent Fraction Activities Bundle.

This activity comes with an answer key. I kept them as separate PDFs.

And here is that answer key for the How to Teach Equivalent Fractions activity set.

Equivalent Fractions Activities

We all know that hands-on instruction is the way to go for teaching math concepts. Teaching the way to solve the problem has its place, but understanding why those steps works are just important. And these equivalent fraction activities will help you teach this concept.

Teaching Fractions with Food -Kids love food, and they understand food. When beginning your fraction unit why not pull out a Hershey bar or an orange? It is a great way to not only teach what a fraction is, but also to introduce an equivalent fraction by having them share the food. Start your equivalent fractions lesson with some fun and colorful food, and you’ll have their attention!

Interactive notebook for teaching equivalent fractions with models   -A simple way to have students use fractional models to figure out equivalent fractions. Students take a model given and divide it up into equal parts. By the time they have worked through the first model they have found four equivalent fractions.

Interactive notebook for teaching equivalent fractions with number lines. -This is very similar to the first interactive notebook, but this time instead of fractional models you get number lines. I love giving children as many ways to see a concept as I can. You never know which way will make the lightbulb go on or prompt that “a-ha!” moment that is so fun to witness as a teacher.

Learning Resources Magnetic Rainbow Fraction Tiles -Many students need to see many different representations of fractions and how they are equivalent. I love this activity and it makes a great Amazon Wish List item if you do that and share with parents. Using Fraction Tiles the students work to figure out which fractions are equivalent. This “lesson” does not involve a ton of direct instruction, but the children are learning through exploring with manipulatives and making observations. That is the best type of learning.

• These magnetic fraction strips make learning fractions is easier with visual, hands-on magnetic aids
• This magnetic fraction set will Introduce fraction concepts, parts to whole, equivalents, and comparisons
• Magnetic fraction bars can be used at home or in the classroom and are easy to wipe clean
• 51-piece set includes color-coded, soft foam, magnetic tiles to depict wholes, halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, eighths, tenths, and twelfths
• Ideal for ages 6+

Fractions on a Number Line -Number lines are a great way to build fraction sense, and they are also a fun way to teach equivalent fraction. While they are creating their number lines they are working on what numerators are, what denominators are, finding the LCM, and so much more.

Pattern Blocks Task Cards -Pattern blocks are another great way to explore and learn about equivalent fractions. These task cards are a great place to go after children have a basic understanding of equivalent fractions. They will definitely get your kiddos thinking and problem-solving, and quickly reveal any misconceptions.

Using visual models is a great way to build fraction sense, and helps children understand equivalent fractions better. This is a series that Math Geek Mama and I did together. It walks you through numerous ideas on helping children visualize fractions …not just memorize how to solve a problem.

Practicing Equivalent Fractions

After you have spent some time teaching, now students are ready to play or practice their new found knowledge. To reinforce what they have learned, try out some of these activities.

Fraction Dominoes -These fraction dominoes have fractions, models, and number lines. Children can play a card by matching up two equivalent fractions, a fraction and model, a model and number line, etc. You can even get some fraction adding by having the children add up all the fractions left in their hand when another player goes out. The person with the highest sum loses.

Oh No, Fraction Man -This game is similar to Old Maid, but instead of an Old Maid you have a fraction man. All the children have to do is pull cards from another player’s hand. If they have a match to the card they pulled they may lay it down in front of them. The game ends when all matches have been made and one person is left with the fraction man. The cards have fractions, fractional models, and number lines on them.

Clip Cards – Instead of pulling out a worksheet to assess students knowledge, gather them around you and have them solve the problems by placing clips on the equivalent fraction. Many of the clip cards have two or three correct answers. This forces the children to really analyze the card before saying they have completed it.

Tic-Tac-Toe with Fractions -This game is very similar to Tic-Tac-Toe, just with a twist. The children must find the equivalent fraction to whatever space they want to cover up. If they choose the wrong fraction, they have to cover up the space that equals that fraction. Since the game of Tic-Tac-Toe leaves little room for mistakes, a wrong move can end the game. You can play with models, number lines, or both.

Fishing For Equivalent Fractions -This game is similar to Go Fish – and children will love their quest to find pairs that are equivalent.

Simplifying Fractions – This is a BINGO game that focuses on simplifying fractions, and we know how much our kiddos enjoy doing that. Simplifying Fractions is a wonderful way to practice equivalent fractions, and who doesn’t love a simple BINGO game.

Digital Equivalent Fractions -These digital equivalent fraction activities are a great way to get some practice in, especially if you are virtual.

Ooops! What kind of math teacher am I? I said 10 activities, but this is more than 10. I assure you that I can count. But when it comes to fun activities, sometimes I get carried away.

I hope you enjoy these equivalent fraction activities . There are so many fun ways to teach equivalent fractions and get your children engaged as they dive into this concept.

You’ve Got This!

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Fraction Activities Students Love – Math

Fractions can be tough! While it takes time and repeated exposure with fractions for students to have a real understanding of them, there are lots of experiences and activities we can provide as teachers to move their understanding along!

In this post, I’ll share a few of my favorite fraction activities with you!

1. Fractions You Can Touch…And Some You Can Eat!

The first thing we want to do is to provide lots of no pressure, opportunities to play work with objects to make the concept of fractions more clear. Play-Doh is a great way to make fractions!

Of course, you’ll need to let kids play with the Play-Doh on their own at first, but after a few minutes, you can work together to make fraction cookies or fraction pizzas which are cut into equal parts, like halves, thirds, or fourths.

Depending upon your school’s food regulations, a handful (or a bite-sized package) of M&M’s or Skittles are great to sort into colors and to label each color as a fraction. The total number of candies would be the denominator and the numerator would be the specific color of candies in that group.

Colored marshmallows or cereal with several different shapes (like Lucky Charms) also work well. I do let students eat them at the end of the lesson after their fraction page has been spot-checked by myself.

Trying to stay away from food items?

There are lots of small items that work equally well. Buttons in different colors, mini-erasers (great way to use these), small plastic animals, wooden tangram shapes, and so on make perfect fraction examples!

2. Mentor Texts

There are some really great picture books that either are meant to use to teach fractions, or which have some themes in the books which lend themselves to a discussion about fractions. Check out the picture above for some of my favorite mentor texts if you’d like to add some reading to math time.

3. Fractions in a Cup

To play this game, place your students in pairs. Give each pair a plastic cup with some two-sided counters (your choice of how many counters depending upon your students’ abilities). Students gently shake the cup and pour the contents out carefully, so the pieces don’t fly everywhere. Then students write two fractions to describe what they see.

For example, if there were seven counters total and four landed on the yellow side, that fraction is 4/7. That would mean that there would also be 3/7 red counters facing up for a total of 7/7, which is all of the counters.

If you want to make this into a game, each student could choose one of the colors. After students have written their fractions on whiteboards, have one student flip a More/Less Coin, which is simply a plastic counter with More on one side and Less on the other side on either a sticker or written in sharpie.

The student who has the largest fraction wins if More is flipped and the student who has the smaller fraction wins if Less is shown. This keeps students motivated to play even if the other student has a fraction which is obviously larger.

4. LEGOS or DUPLOS

LEGOS or DUPLOS blocks are great visual tools when teaching fractions. Although these can be expensive, you might be able to borrow some or get some donated from friends with children who have outgrown them.

If you only have a small amount, these work well for a guided math activity. Ask kids to show you certain fractions (like 1/3 or 2/5) and kids get practice making fractions as they build them. If you have lots of LEGOS, this could be done as a whole class lesson.

To use LEGOS or DUPLOS as a center game, you can put kids in groups of two. Each child rolls the dice twice, to determine the numbers in the fraction. The smaller number rolled is the numerator and the larger number is the denominator.

Kids use LEGOS to create that fraction using two different colors. For example, if a child rolled a 2 and a 5, the fraction is 2/5 and a tower could be made with two red LEGOS and three blue LEGOS for a total of five LEGOS.

After both students have built their fraction towers, use the More/Less Coin to determine the winner, who keeps the cards.

5. Playing Cards for Comparing Fractions

This is a game for two players. First, take out all of the face cards but leave the Aces, which will be used as ones. Students shuffle the cards and place them face down.

Each student chooses two cards and places them with the smaller card for the numerator and the larger card for the denominator. Students compare fractions by finding the common denominator.

Once the larger and smaller fractions are determined, I have students use the More/Less Coin described above to determine the winner. The winner keeps the cards and the person with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

6. Fraction Task Cards and Games

One of my favorite ways to reinforce math concepts is to use math task cards and games. Kids really enjoy playing in a game format and I can target the specific types of concepts and standards we need to practice. If you’re looking for pre-made task card sets for fractions, I have quite a few of them you might like.

Click here for the 3rd Grade Fractions Bundle .

Here’s the 4th Grade Fractions Bundle .

This is the 5th Grade Fractions Bundle .

7. Fractions About Us

I like to start this activity by doing a whole class lesson. I ask students different questions and we make fractions on our whiteboards based on the answers.

For example, if there are 28 students and I ask how many kids like popcorn, we might get a fraction like 27/28 kids like popcorn.

Or I’ll ask how many kids have brothers, walk to school, play basketball, like broccoli, etc. We make fractions for each one.

Then to switch it up a bit, I pull a group of four kids to the front and only ask them a question, which changes the denominator. Then I have them sit down and pull a group of six kids to the front to do another question. Again, reinforcing that the total number in the group is the denominator.

Once we’ve done that introduction, I put kids into groups of about five and give them a large piece of construction paper or a piece of anchor chart paper.

First, each child writes his/her name on the poster. Then, each child takes turns asking a question and recording the group’s answers in fraction form. Once everyone has had a chance to survey their group once or twice, it’s fun to let the kids do a Gallery Walk to see everyone else’s posters.

8. Domino Games

A. compare fractions.

For this game, students place all of the dominoes face down. Each child chooses one domino and turns it so the numerator is smaller than the denominator. Using common denominators, students determine which fraction is smaller and larger. A More/Less Coin is used to determine the winner, who keeps the domino.

B. Equivalent Fractions

All of the dominoes are placed face down. Each student chooses a domino and on a whiteboard or scratch piece of paper, tries to write an equivalent fraction for that domino. For example, 2/3 = 4/6, or 8/12, or 16/24. To make it a game, each person who writes at least three equivalent fractions may keep their domino.

C. Improper Fractions

All of the dominoes are placed face down. Each student chooses a domino and places it with the larger number on top as the numerator and the smaller number as the denominator. This will make an improper fraction. Each student changes the improper fraction to a mixed number. Once done, use a More/Less Coin to determine who wins that round.

Lastly, if you’d like a Math Task Card Bundle with 30 Sets of task cards, one for EVERY STANDARD, you might like to take a look at these:

3rd Grade Math Task Cards Bundle

4th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle

5th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle

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Strategies for Solving Word Problems – Math

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Problem Solving Activities: 7 Strategies

• Critical Thinking

Problem solving can be a daunting aspect of effective mathematics teaching, but it does not have to be! In this post, I share seven strategic ways to integrate problem solving into your everyday math program.

In the middle of our problem solving lesson, my district math coordinator stopped by for a surprise walkthrough. 

I was so excited!

We were in the middle of what I thought was the most brilliant math lesson– teaching my students how to solve problem solving tasks using specific problem solving strategies. 

It was a proud moment for me!

Each week, I presented a new problem solving strategy and the students completed problems that emphasized the strategy. 

Genius right? 

After observing my class, my district coordinator pulled me aside to chat. I was excited to talk to her about my brilliant plan, but she told me I should provide the tasks and let my students come up with ways to solve the problems. Then, as students shared their work, I could revoice the student’s strategies and give them an official name. 

What a crushing blow! Just when I thought I did something special, I find out I did it all wrong. 

I took some time to consider her advice. Once I acknowledged she was right, I was able to make BIG changes to the way I taught problem solving in the classroom. 

When I Finally Saw the Light

To give my students an opportunity to engage in more authentic problem solving which would lead them to use a larger variety of problem solving strategies, I decided to vary the activities and the way I approached problem solving with my students. 

Problem Solving Activities

Here are seven ways to strategically reinforce problem solving skills in your classroom. 

Seasonal Problem Solving

Many teachers use word problems as problem solving tasks. Instead, try engaging your students with non-routine tasks that look like word problems but require more than the use of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to complete. Seasonal problem solving tasks and daily challenges are a perfect way to celebrate the season and have a little fun too!

Cooperative Problem Solving Tasks

Go cooperative! If you’ve got a few extra minutes, have students work on problem solving tasks in small groups. After working through the task, students create a poster to help explain their solution process and then post their poster around the classroom. Students then complete a gallery walk of the posters in the classroom and provide feedback via sticky notes or during a math talk session.

Notice and Wonder

Before beginning a problem solving task, such as a seasonal problem solving task, conduct a Notice and Wonder session. To do this, ask students what they notice about the problem. Then, ask them what they wonder about the problem. This will give students an opportunity to highlight the unique characteristics and conditions of the problem as they try to make sense of it. 

Want a better experience? Remove the stimulus, or question, and allow students to wonder about the problem. Try it! You’ll gain some great insight into how your students think about a problem.

Math Starters

Start your math block with a math starter, critical thinking activities designed to get your students thinking about math and provide opportunities to “sneak” in grade-level content and skills in a fun and engaging way. These tasks are quick, designed to take no more than five minutes, and provide a great way to turn-on your students’ brains. Read more about math starters here ! 

Create your own puzzle box! The puzzle box is a set of puzzles and math challenges I use as fast finisher tasks for my students when they finish an assignment or need an extra challenge. The box can be a file box, file crate, or even a wall chart. It includes a variety of activities so all students can find a challenge that suits their interests and ability level.

Calculators

Use calculators! For some reason, this tool is not one many students get to use frequently; however, it’s important students have a chance to practice using it in the classroom. After all, almost everyone has access to a calculator on their cell phones. There are also some standardized tests that allow students to use them, so it’s important for us to practice using calculators in the classroom. Plus, calculators can be fun learning tools all by themselves!

Three-Act Math Tasks

Use a three-act math task to engage students with a content-focused, real-world problem! These math tasks were created with math modeling in mind– students are presented with a scenario and then given clues and hints to help them solve the problem. There are several sites where you can find these awesome math tasks, including Dan Meyer’s Three-Act Math Tasks and Graham Fletcher’s 3-Acts Lessons . 

Getting the Most from Each of the Problem Solving Activities

When students participate in problem solving activities, it is important to ask guiding, not leading, questions. This provides students with the support necessary to move forward in their thinking and it provides teachers with a more in-depth understanding of student thinking. Selecting an initial question and then analyzing a student’s response tells teachers where to go next. 

Ready to jump in? Grab a free set of problem solving challenges like the ones pictured using the form below. 

Which of the problem solving activities will you try first? Respond in the comments below.

Shametria Routt Banks

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This is a very cool site. I hope it takes off and is well received by teachers. I work in mathematical problem solving and help prepare pre-service teachers in mathematics.

Thank you, Scott! Best wishes to you and your pre-service teachers this year!

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Open Middle®

Rich Problems – Part 1

Rich problems – part 1, by marvin cohen and karen rothschild.

One of the underlying beliefs that guides Math for All is that in order to learn mathematics well, students must engage with rich problems. Rich problems allow ALL students, with a variety of neurodevelopmental strengths and challenges, to engage in mathematical reasoning and become flexible and creative thinkers about mathematical ideas. In this Math for All Updates, we review what rich problems are, why they are important, and where to find some ready to use. In a later Math for All Updates we will discuss how to create your own rich problems customized for your curriculum.

What are Rich Problems?

At Math for All, we believe that all rich problems provide:

• opportunities to engage the problem solver in thinking about mathematical ideas in a variety of non-routine ways.
• an appropriate level of productive struggle.
• an opportunity for students to communicate their thinking about mathematical ideas.

Rich problems increase both the problem solver’s reasoning skills and the depth of their mathematical understanding. Rich problems are rich because they are not amenable to the application of a known algorithm, but require non-routine use of the student’s knowledge, skills, and ingenuity. They usually offer multiple entry pathways and methods of representation. This provides students with diverse abilities and challenges the opportunity to create solution strategies that leverage their particular strengths.

Rich problems usually have one or more of the following characteristics:

• Several correct answers. For example, “Find four numbers whose sum is 20.”
• A single answer but with many pathways to a solution. For example, “There are 10 animals in the barnyard, some chickens, some pigs. Altogether there are 24 legs. How many of the animals are chickens and how many are pigs?”
• A level of complexity that may require an entire class period or more to solve.
• An opportunity to look for patterns and make connections to previous problems, other students’ strategies, and other areas of mathematics. For example, see the staircase problem below.
• A “low floor and high ceiling,” meaning both that all your students will be able to engage with the mathematics of the problem in some way, and that the problem has sufficient complexity to challenge all your students. NRICH summarizes this approach as “everyone can get started, and everyone can get stuck” (2013). For example, a problem could have a variety of questions related to the following sequence, such as: How many squares are in the next staircase? How many in the 20th staircase? What is the rule for finding the number of squares in any staircase?

• An expectation that the student be able to communicate their ideas and defend their approach.
• An opportunity for students to choose from a range of tools and strategies to solve the problem based on their own neurodevelopmental strengths.
• An opportunity to learn some new mathematics (a mathematical residue) through working on the problem.
• An opportunity to practice routine skills in the service of engaging with a complex problem.
• An opportunity for a teacher to deepen their understanding of their students as learners and to build new lessons based on what students know, their developmental level, and their neurodevelopmental strengths and challenges.

Why Rich Problems?

All adults need mathematical understanding to solve problems in their daily lives. Most adults use calculators and computers to perform routine computation beyond what they can do mentally. They must, however, understand enough mathematics to know what to enter into the machines and how to evaluate what comes out. Our personal financial situations are deeply affected by our understanding of pricing schemes for the things we buy, the mortgages we hold, and fees we pay. As citizens, understanding mathematics can help us evaluate government policies, understand political polls, and make decisions. Building and designing our homes, and scaling up recipes for crowds also require math. Now especially, mathematical understanding is crucial for making sense of policies related to the pandemic. Decisions about shutdowns, medical treatments, and vaccines are all grounded in mathematics. For all these reasons, it is important students develop their capacities to reason about mathematics. Research has demonstrated that experience with rich problems improves children’s mathematical reasoning (Hattie, Fisher, & Frey, 2017).

Where to Find Rich Problems

Several types of rich problems are available online, ready to use or adapt. The sites below are some of many places where rich problems can be found:

• Which One Doesn’t Belong – These problems consist of squares divided into 4 quadrants with numbers, shapes, or graphs. In every problem there is at least one way that each of the quadrants “doesn’t belong.” Thus, any quadrant can be argued to be different from the others.
• “Open Middle” Problems – These are problems with a single answer but with many ways to reach the answer. They are organized by both topic and grade level.
• NRICH Maths – This is a multifaceted site from the University of Cambridge in Great Britain. It has both articles and ready-made problems. The site includes  problems for grades 1–5 (scroll down to the “Collections” section) and problems for younger children . We encourage you to explore NRICH more fully as well. There are many informative articles and discussions on the site.
• Rich tasks from Virginia – These are tasks published by the Virginia Department of education. They come with complete lesson plans as well as example anticipated student responses.
• Rich tasks from Georgia – This site contains a complete framework of tasks designed to address all standards at all grades. They include 3-Act Tasks , YouCubed Tasks , and many other tasks that are open ended or feature an open middle approach.

The problems can be used “as is” or adapted to the specific neurodevelopmental strengths and challenges of your students. Carefully adapted, they can engage ALL your students in thinking about mathematical ideas in a variety of ways, thereby not only increasing their skills but also their abilities to think flexibly and deeply.

Hattie, J., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2017). Visible learning for mathematics, grades K-12: What works best to optimize student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Mathematics.

NRICH Team. (2013). Low Threshold High Ceiling – an Introduction . Cambridge University, United Kingdom: NRICH Maths.

The contents of this blog post were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Math for All is a professional development program that brings general and special education teachers together to enhance their skills in planning and adapting mathematics lessons to ensure that all students achieve high-quality learning outcomes in mathematics.

Our Newsletter Provides Ideas for Making High-Quality Mathematics Instruction Accessible to All Students

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• Parents and Teachers as Co-Constructors of Children’s Success as Mathematical Learners May 1, 2024
• The Problem with Word Problems March 11, 2024
• Honoring Diversity: What, why, and how? February 22, 2024
• Looking at a Student at Work January 3, 2024

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Teachers: Resources for Middle Grades (6-8)

The North Carolina Collaborative for Mathematics Learning (NC 2 ML) aims to support NC math educators in implementing the revised mathematics content standards in ways that align with what we know from research on students’ mathematical thinking, mathematics teaching, and teacher learning. To do so, we bring together mathematics educators to co-design research-based resources and professional learning opportunities.

6-8 Resources Home

First Week Problem Solving Tasks

The Instructional Frameworks at each grade level recommend spending the first week of school doing general, high cognitive demand tasks with students in order to establish strong communication practices (SMP 3). Students can be enculturated into the discourse, listening and writing practices essential for strong mathematical reasoning while working these problems.

Additional Supporting Articles

Herbel-Eisenmenn, B. & Breyfogle, M. (2005). Questioning our patterns of questioning. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 10(9), 484-489.

Stephan, M. (2014). Establishing standards for mathematical practice. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 19(9), 532-538.

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