Introduction to Fraction: How to Explain Fractions to a Child?

While teaching your kids you must have come across a variety of subjects that led you to sit down with a book beforehand in a hurried attempt to revise and absorb the very thing your child will be learning under your tutelage.

You must be adept at this practice by now too considering that almost every topic needs the same treatment.

And it should come as no surprise that introduction to fraction for kids is one such subject.

How to Handle It?

But when you have taken upon the daunting endeavour of teaching your kids fractions but do not understand what it is or how to explain it at a level that is comprehensive to children their age then as sad as it is to say, it still must be said.

You are destined for failure.

And your failure results in the inability of students towards performing the necessary steps for a problem they neither like nor understand.

And here lies the main flaw with most teaching styles for this leads to misconceptions and without addressing them, a kid cannot clearly comprehend fractions.

This can be a frustrating concept to understand for both children and adults alike.

So, together we will explore how to handle this area of difficulty with relative ease and make sure that kids see the real world applications of the same.

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Introduction to Fraction for Kids

While we have never encountered the need to calculate a number’s square root in our day to day life, the same can not be said for fractions.

From telling the time to dividing a pizza into equal cuts, it is factually true that the above concept plays a significant role in the daily happenings of our existence.

And herein lies the error of our ways.

We agree without question about the relevance of numerators and denominators in the everyday practices of our lives as adults but we easily forget that children use it too, albeit unconsciously, when they decide to share their toys or food with others.

So, it can be said without a shade of doubt that kids are already aware of what fractions are.

We just put a name on the process of it for them and explain how to solve more complicated queries.

What is a Fraction for Kids?

Fraction for kids is explaining to them how to do basic math with its help. It is also one of the foundational skills to advanced mathematics.

Therefore, it is imperative that children be able to understand the concept of it clearly and implement the same when the time arrives.

It is also the duty of both teachers and parents to make sure that kids are able to move along with the syllabus of fractions. Below you will find how one can contribute positively towards the same.

How to Explain Fractions for Kids?

One must explain everything with a patient and encouraging nature while trying to be open-minded about the problems that kids face.

Fractions, even as a practical concept, are not to be excluded from this unspoken rule.

Here are some of the ways you can keep a child’s attention and make sure that it stays on the matter at hand, which is fraction for kids-

• Usage of visuals to help explain how fractions work.
• Utilizing games to ensure that kids understand what is being taught.
• Have them practice digitally to hold their attention.
• And ensuring that all doubts are addressed properly and efficiently.

Fractions Explained

Now that we have the basics out of the way let’s move on to get to tackle the impending question:

“What is Fraction?” Children’s edition.

Fractions are nothing but parts of a whole, used to represent the smaller pieces of a bigger picture.

The parts may even be making up their own numbers, but together they form an entire puzzle.

There are three parts to a fraction. They are-

• The numerator: referring to the number that falls above the line.
• The denominator: referring to the number that falls below the line.
• And the vinculum: that is the line separating the numerator and the denominator.

Example

Say, for instance, there are a total of 10 slices making an entire pizza with your favourite topping.

Now because it is your favourite pizza and you had forgotten to have your breakfast you decide to take five of the ten slices from the cheesy goodness.

In layman’s terms, this would be expressed as five out of ten.

Mathematically, it will be represented as 5/10 with 5 as the numerator as it is above the vinculum and 10 as the denominator as it is below the vinculum.

Proper and Improper Fractions

Now let’s get into the two main types of fractions: Proper and Improper Fractions.

Simply put, a proper fraction is when the number below the vinculum, that is the denominator, is greater than the numerator. Let’s look at the above example for clearance. 10 is greater than 5 by a total of 5 and sits below the vinculum.

Hence the above pizza-related fraction is a Proper Fraction.

On the other hand, an Improper Fraction is when the numerator is greater than the denominator. Let’s take 13/10 as an example. 13 is greater than 10 by a total of 3 and sits above the vinculum. Hence, it is an Improper Fraction.

Unit and Non-unit Fractions

Then there are unit and non-unit fractions.

Unit fractions refer to the numerator being one while the denominator is a whole number.

Whereas in a non-unit fraction, the numerator is bigger than one and a denominator is once again a whole number.

There is more to fractions, like addition, decimals and reciprocals, but that will be delving into other topics.

So, here we discussed some of the basics of fractions and how to teach it to kids.

Conclusion

We were able to explore together an introduction to fraction for kids where we dived into how fractions are part of our everyday lives.

Then there was what is a fraction for kids, that is explaining to them basic math regarding fractions and how to use it.

We further went into how to explain fraction for kids and discovered that patience along with encouragement is the way to go.

Lastly, we explained what fractions are and the nuances of them; their components and their types.

It was quite the ride as we went through it all, among other more in-depth analysis of the same.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment them down below and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

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