Teach children about fractions by showing them how to make a fraction fold craft. For this activity, give each child a standard-size piece of plain white paper and colored pencils. Fold the piece of plain paper in half horizontally and then open it up again. Have the child color in one-half of the paper with a colored pencil. They should also write the fraction “1/2” somewhere on the colored part. Have the children fold their papers in half again and then again, making the paper into fourths. Tell the children to color in one of the fourths sections with a different colored pencil and write “1/4” on that section. Continue this again, folding the paper additional times to make different fractions. This craft helps children see how various fractions look compared to others.
A fraction collage is a picture students make that illustrates various fractions. Children can get creative when making this craft and only need construction paper, scissors, glue, markers and a pencil. Have children cut out shapes from construction paper, such as squares, triangles and rectangles. To illustrate fractions, a student should divide each shape into fractions. For example, if a student chooses the fraction “1/3” for a triangle, the student illustrates the fraction by cutting the triangle into thirds. The students glue the cut-out shapes onto their paper and write the fraction in marker next to the shape. The students can add as many shapes as desired on their fraction collage papers, arranging them in whatever ways they choose. The students can also use different colors for a shape. For example, use four different colors to illustrate the fraction "1/4" for a square.
Divide students into groups containing different amounts of students. For example, if there are 20 students, divide the students into four groups. One group could have 3 students, another has 5, another has 4 and the last one has 8. Give each group a pie tin and a piece of construction paper. The groups must trace around the pie tin to form a circle on their piece of construction paper. The groups cut out the circle and divide it into equal pieces depending on the number of students in the group. For example, the group with 5 students must cut out 5 equal pieces of pie. The groups must cut out the pieces and each student receives one piece. On the piece of pie each student receives, he writes something he is thankful for. After all students are finished, the students glue the pieces of pie back into the pan forming whole pies.
Hand out a sheet of green construction paper and one large circle cut out of construction paper to each child. Tell the children to fold their circles in half and then in half again, making four different parts. Ask them to fold it one more time making eight parts. Tell the children to cut out the eight parts and use four parts to form a mouse by gluing the pieces on the green construction paper. The children can use the other four parts to decorate their page as pieces of cheese. When finished gluing, the children can complete the pictures by using markers to draw other details.