Fraction Paper Games

Start with a blank piece of blank paper. Have student fold it in half, along either direction, and then quickly color one half of it. Then we continue folding and counting the colored sections: 2/4 4/8 8/16 ... but hasn't the amount of the paper we colored stayed the same? Then try thirds, sixths ...

To make sure that children really understand fractions, I get their attention by bringing out Hershey Bars. First we look at it and determine how many sections it is divided into. We talk about how each section is 1/12 of the whole bar. Then I pass out rectangles of brown construction paper. They divide the paper as the candy is divided and mark each section as 1/12.

Then I break the candy bar in half. We talk about all the different ways that we could divide the candy bar in halves. The children cut their paper candy bars in two. Then we talk about what is in each half. We cut one of the halves in half and I write on the board all the statements that the children can make about their "candy bars" i.e.: "There are six twelfths in each half," "there are two halves in a whole," "there are three twelfths in a fourth," etc.

After the children are familiar with the basics of Hershey Bar fractions, I introduce M & M fractions. I get a regular size bag of peanut M & M's. I open them and we try to divide them evenly. (If I am lucky, and there are an odd number of candies in the bag, I correct the problem by eating one.) Then I give the children a sheet of paper with a bag drawn on it. They draw the correct number of M & M's in the bag with colored crayons. We divide the M&M's into two piles. They cut their picture of the M&M's in two. Then we follow the same procedure that we did with the Hershey Bar fractions.

Of course, if you have a small class or are home-schooling, you can use the actual candy bars and M & M bags instead of the paper counterparts. In any case, after the children have learned the concepts, I usually break up the candy bars (I keep a few extras so that everyone will get a piece) and give everyone a taste.