What is a fraction?
A fraction is a way to name part of a whole. The bottom number says how many equal parts the whole is split into, and the top number says how many of those parts you have, so three quarters means three of four equal parts. This game shows that as a shaded bar first and asks for the fraction second, so a child sees what a fraction is before they name it, and then goes on to compare fractions, find equal ones and take a fraction of a number.
How do you play the Fractions game?
A picture shows a bar split into equal parts with some of them shaded, and you tap the fraction that matches it from the choices below. The answer checks itself the moment you tap, so there is nothing else to press, and whether you are right or wrong the game shows the working before the next question, so every turn teaches something. Easy asks you to name simple fractions like a half or three quarters, Medium adds comparing two fractions and finding equivalent ones, and Hard asks for a fraction of a number.
Why a picture makes fractions click
A fraction is hard to feel as symbols alone, but a shaded bar makes it plain: three of four equal parts simply looks like three quarters. Seeing the picture first and then matching it to the numbers is how fractions move from a rule a child recites to an idea they understand, which is why every question here draws the bar before it asks for the fraction. Comparing two bars side by side does the same for the trickier question of which fraction is bigger.
Fractions from grade 3 to grade 6
Fractions begin in second and third grade with naming halves, thirds and quarters, which is exactly what Easy practices. Fourth grade compares fractions and finds equivalents, the heart of Medium, and fifth and sixth grade take a fraction of an amount, which Hard covers. Because the difficulty is a button rather than a different page, one child can start gently and move up as the same idea gets harder. To drill the times tables that fractions of a number lean on, the times tables practice page helps.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the Fractions game?
A picture shows a bar split into equal parts with some shaded, and you tap the fraction it matches. The answer checks itself, and whether you are right or wrong the game shows the working, so every question teaches. Easy asks you to name simple fractions like halves and quarters, Medium adds comparing fractions and finding equivalents, and Hard asks for a fraction of a number.
What age or grade is it for?
Fractions start in second and third grade and run through to sixth. Start on Easy for naming halves, thirds and quarters, move to Medium for comparing and equivalent fractions around fourth grade, and use Hard for a fraction of a number in fifth and sixth grade. The same page grows with the child.
Why teach fractions with a picture?
A fraction is hard to feel as symbols alone, but a shaded bar makes it obvious: three of four equal parts simply looks like three quarters. Seeing the picture first, then matching it to the numbers, is how fractions click, which is why every question here shows the bar before it asks for the fraction.