Division Games

Division games that will teach your child to:

Understand and use words like: quarters, thirds, halves.

What is the same and what is different?

SUPER IMPORTANT: Activities like this are very important, they help clear up misconceptions children have about fractions. Many kids will compare the size of the shaded areas in all the shapes to each other to determine the fraction. For example, A must be the largest fraction (it is big) and J the smallest (it is small). BUT kids need determine fractions based on the size of the shaded part in relation to the size of the shape it inhabits. This is the key idea for fractions, not other distracting features of the models that we use.

Ask your child what is the same and what is different in the diagram above?

Your child may choose H and I, and comment that the whole shapes are the same size, and the shaded parts are the same size, and the same fractions is shaded (a half), but one has the left half shaded and the other has the top half shaded.

OR they might choose H and G, and note the sizes are different, but both have a half shaded.

OR they might choose C and K and note that they both have 2 parts shaded, but they have different fractions shaded.

** really spend some time hitting the idea home that we compare the shaded area to the shape it inhabits to determine it's fraction**

BUZZ

Say the fractions in order and suddenly say "BUZZ" and have your child tell you what fraction comes next.

For example: 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1 1/4, 1 1/2, 1 3/4, 2, 2 1/4, 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 3, etc.

SEIZE THE MOMENT

Use these words when you can! Here are some possible chances you might have during a day:

We have half, quarter, third of a tank of gas left.

I only have 2 quarters for the game.

And there you go....lesson learned~!

A third of a cup is needed for this recipe.

We have to break _______ up into quarter, thirds, halves.

We could split this dessert by breaking it into __________. (thirds, quarters, halves)

We are a half, a quarter, or a third of the way through the week.

Your birthday is half, quarter, or a third of a year away.

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