Help your students visualize fractions by drawing them. After discussing the parts of a fraction, the numerator and denominator, have students draw images to represent different fractions. Provide children with paper and crayons. Instruct them to draw a particular shape and to divide the shape into pieces. For example, have students draw a circle and ask them to divide it into thirds. Write a fraction on the board that relates to the shape and ask them to color in the portion of the shape that the fraction represents. For instance, if you've written 1/3 on the board, they should color in 1/3 of the circle.
Students match fractions in this activity. On one set of index cards, write different fractions and on another set, draw pictorial representations of each of the fractions. Lay the fraction cards on the ground, face up. Show one student at a time a picture card; that student then has to find the fraction that represents the picture. Upon finding the match, the student picks up the card; if he is unable to find the match, the next student tries to find it. The game ends when all cards have been picked up, and the student with the most cards wins the game.
Students must name fractions in this activity. Divide the class into two teams and ask one member from each team to stand up. On the board, draw a shape, divide the shape into pieces and color in an amount of the pieces. For example, draw a rectangle, divide it into four pieces and shade in two of the pieces. The first student to name the fraction correctly -- 2/4 in this case -- earns a point for her team. Ask the two players to sit down and have two new players stand up. Then draw a new picture for the two new players. The team that earns the most points wins.
Use this activity to explain equivalent fractions to your students. Cut out rectangles from construction paper, divide each of the rectangles and label each section of the shapes. For instance, label one rectangle "whole," divide another in half and label each piece "1/2," divide another into fourths and label each piece "1/4" and so forth. On a piece of paper, write a fraction and ask students to determine how many of another fraction is equal to the given fraction. For instance, write "1/2 = ?/4." The student matches the halves and fourths rectangles to determine how many fourths are equal to 1/2.