5 Fun Ways to Add Fractions

Excel Math Fractions Worksheet - Download online

When students begin learning about fractions, confusion can easily set in. At times it may seem that a thick fog over your classroom has screened out any rational thinking and logic has simply flown out the window.

Here are five activities from Excel Math to bring some clarity back to your students and help them get a solid start on the fraction track.

What is our No. 1 suggestion for teaching students to add fractions? 

1. Use manipulatives and visuals including counters, fraction pieces, drawings, paper and scissors, tile and flooring, a school or community garden, fruit, snacks classroom tables, and even your classroom or storage closet. Give your students hands-on experiences with breaking apart wholes into fractional parts and putting the parts together again. Here's one idea.

Give each pair of students a pack of blank 4 x 6-inch index cards. Let the students work in pairs to discover how many cards it takes to cover a desk when the cards are touching but not overlapping, with no gaps between them. Then ask the class to calculate how many cards would be needed to cover 1/4 of the desk, 1/2 of the desk, 1/3 of the desk, etc. 

Excel Math is designed to combine math worksheets with hands-on activities and active learning. Our unique spiraling process helps students retain the math concepts for the long term.

Here are four more hands-on math activities to help your students practice adding fractions.

Read more and download a free worksheet . . .

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Fibonacci Day Math 

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Letting Students Fail 

Shaping Up with Math 

Counting Coins: Kennedy Half Dollars

Excel Math is fully aligned to the Common Core and to state standards. Download correlations here.

Learn about Excel Math Summer School.

If you have some special activities you use to introduce fractions to your students, we'd love to hear them! Leave a comment in the box below to tell us about them.