For parents
Fractions at the kitchen table
Fractions are the first numbers that break rules your child has trusted for years. Eight is bigger than six, so surely (one eighth) is bigger than (one sixth)? It’s a sensible mistake, and a fixable one. Here’s how to help, even if fractions weren’t your favorite subject either.
Six things that help
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Ask for a guess first
“Which do you think is bigger?” Committing to an answer, then checking it, is how ideas stick. “I’m not sure” is a fine place to start.
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Always name the whole
“Half of what?” A fraction only means something next to its whole. Half of a big pizza and half of a small one are different amounts.
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Reach for real things
Pizza, chocolate bars, paper strips, a measuring cup. Fractions started as fair sharing, and real objects let you see the idea.
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Praise the thinking, not the speed
There’s no rush. “How did you figure that out?” teaches more than “Well done.”
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Treat mistakes as clues
Most fraction mistakes come from a sensible whole-number idea, used where it doesn’t fit. Find the idea and the mistake makes sense.
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Save the shortcuts for later
Rules like “multiply the top and bottom” stick far better once the picture behind them is clear.
Sound familiar?
If your child says something like one of these, there’s a slice about exactly that idea. Each one explains it for you too, with things to say and something to try away from the screen.
“I cut it into four pieces, so each piece is a fourth.”
Equal Means Equal: the slice for this idea“Half is half. My half of the little pizza is the same as your half of the big one.”
What’s the Whole?: the slice for this idea“One piece is shaded and four aren’t, so that’s (one fourth).”
The Bottom Number: the slice for this idea“The top number is how many pieces there are altogether.”
The Top Number: the slice for this idea“(one fourth) of 12 counters is 1 counter. It says 1.”
Fractions of Collections: the slice for this idea“Eight is more than six, so (one eighth) is bigger.”
The Bigger Denominator Trap: the slice for this idea“(three eighths) has a 3 and (two thirds) only has a 2, so (three eighths) is bigger.”
The Bigger Numerator Trap: the slice for this idea“(six fourths) can’t be real. There are only 4 fourths in a pizza.”
More Than One Whole: the slice for this idea“There are 5 marks between 0 and 1, so these must be fifths.”
Counting Spaces, Not Ticks: the slice for this idea“(two fifths) goes between the 2 and the 5 on the number line.”
One Number, Not Two: the slice for this idea“(two fourths) is bigger than (one half). The numbers are bigger.”
Different Numbers, Same Amount: the slice for this idea“If you simplify (six eighths) to (three fourths), you lose some.”
Simplifying Doesn’t Shrink: the slice for this idea“(two sevenths) and (five sevenths) are both sevenths, so they’re the same size.”
Same Bottom, Compare the Top: the slice for this idea“(three fifths) and (three eighths) both have 3 pieces, so they’re equal.”
Same Top, Compare the Pieces: the slice for this idea“The tops and bottoms are all different, so I just guessed.”
Compare Without Guessing: the slice for this idea“(one half) + (one fourth) is (two sixths). You add the tops and add the bottoms.”
Adding Different Pieces: the slice for this idea“(one fifth) + (two fifths) is (three tenths), because five plus five is ten.”
Keep the Unit When Adding: the slice for this idea“(three fourths) take away (one half) is (two halves). Three minus one, four minus two.”
Taking Pieces Away: the slice for this idea“Times always makes it bigger, so (one half) × (one half) has to be more than (one half).”
Multiplication Can Make Smaller: the slice for this idea“Dividing makes things smaller, so (one half) ÷ (one fourth) is less than (one half).”
Division Can Make Bigger: the slice for this idea
Fractions are already in your kitchen
Sharing food
Cut a sandwich into halves, then fourths. Which is more: one half or two fourths?
Cooking
How many (one fourth)-cup scoops fill a (one half) cup? That’s dividing by a fraction, and the answer is bigger than both numbers.
Telling time
A quarter of an hour, half an hour, three quarters of an hour: the whole is 60 minutes.
Money
A quarter is (one fourth) of a dollar, so four quarters make one whole dollar.
Measuring
On a ruler, count the spaces between the marks, not the marks themselves.
Is Slices safe for my child?
Yes. There are no ads, no trackers, no chat and no public profiles. Your child doesn’t need an account or any personal information, and their progress is saved in your browser.
If you’d like it saved everywhere, you can make a free account. It stores an email address and learning progress, nothing else, and it opens the extras: challenge rounds, mixed practice and the Fraction Lab’s comparison tools. Read the privacy notice.
Keeping Slices free
Help keep Slices free for the next kid
There are no ads on Slices and nothing for sale. Donations pay for the servers and the time it takes to make new slices. If we’ve helped at your kitchen table, a few dollars helps us keep going.
Questions parents ask
At what age do children learn fractions?
Most children meet halves and quarters around ages 6 or 7, and start treating fractions as numbers around age 8, in grade 3. Comparing, adding and multiplying fractions follow over the next few years. We made Slices for ages 8 to 12, and for anyone older who wants a clearer picture.
Why does my child think (one eighth) is bigger than (one sixth)?
Because for years, a bigger number has meant more. That rule works for whole numbers, and your child has practiced it a lot. With fractions, the bottom number tells you the size of the pieces: cut the same pizza into more slices and each slice gets smaller. The Bigger Denominator Trap shows it with two identical bars.
Should I teach my child the rules for fractions?
Eventually, yes. Rules are much easier to remember, and to use, once they make sense. Start with a picture or something you can share, let your child predict and check, and bring in shortcuts like “multiply the top and bottom” once the idea behind them is clear.
How often should we practice?
A few minutes at a time is plenty. A slice takes about three minutes, and we bring each idea back after a day or so, then less and less often, which is what helps it stick. There’s nothing to keep up, and nothing lost by taking a week off.
Do we need an account?
Not to start. Every lesson works without one, and progress is saved on your device. A free account, set up by a grown-up, keeps progress safe if browser data is cleared, lets your child carry on at school or at a grandparent’s, and opens the extras: challenge rounds, mixed practice and the Fraction Lab’s comparison tools.