A fun 10-minute activity to do with your child!
Your child is learning to add and subtract fractions with like denominators in math class. This is an important skill for the Florida FAST test. When fractions have the same bottom number (denominator), we add or subtract only the top numbers (numerators). Below are simple activities you can do at home to help your child practice!
Use this simple "recipe" or a real one: You need 2/4 cup of sugar for cookies and 1/4 cup of sugar for frosting. Ask: "How much sugar do we need in all?"
Have your child write the equation: 2/4 + 1/4 = ?
Ask: "What stays the same?" (The denominator - 4) "What do we add?" (The numerators: 2 + 1 = 3)
Answer: 3/4 cup of sugar total. Let your child measure it out to see!
"When the denominators are the same, we only add (or subtract) the numerators. The denominator tells us the SIZE of the pieces - it stays the same!"
Draw a circle (pizza) and divide it into 8 equal slices. Ask: "If we start with 8/8 (a whole pizza) and eat 3/8, how much is left?"
Have your child cross out 3 slices. Count what's left: 5 slices = 5/8
Write the equation together: 8/8 - 3/8 = 5/8
Try more problems: "Now eat 2 more slices. 5/8 - 2/8 = ?" (3/8)
"We use fraction subtraction every time we share food! If there's 7/8 of a cake left and we eat 4/8, we can figure out how much remains: 7/8 - 4/8 = 3/8."
Just 10 minutes of practice at home can make a big impact on your child's confidence and success. Adding and subtracting fractions is a skill they'll use in cooking, building, and everyday math. Thank you for being part of their learning journey!
Su hijo esta aprendiendo a sumar y restar fracciones con el mismo denominador. Cuando las fracciones tienen el mismo numero abajo (denominador), solo sumamos o restamos los numeros de arriba (numeradores). Por ejemplo: 2/5 + 1/5 = 3/5 (sumamos 2+1=3, el denominador 5 se queda igual). Las actividades de arriba usan recetas y pizza para practicar. Gracias por apoyar el aprendizaje de su hijo!