Fraction fruit

Explore cutting fruit with your child to develop an awareness of how many ‘equal pieces’ are created and how big these pieces are (don’t worry if your pieces aren’t exactly even).

For example, if you cut an apple in half, how many parts are there? How big are these parts in relation to the whole apple? (Half as big.)

Now, cut the halves of the apple in half again.

How many parts are there now? (Four.)

What do you notice about their size in relation to the whole apple and half? (They are half as big as one-half of an apple.)

You can continue halving the slices until you get eight equal pieces, and even ask questions like, ‘Can you create half of the apple from the eight pieces we have here? (Four of the eighths is one-half of the apple.)

Visually comparing these parts as you explore halving can also happen when dividing other food items such as slices of toast or sandwiches, pizza and cakes, etc.