Without real world relevance, fractions can simply seem like hard work to your child. Help him want to understand fractions by first modeling their use in real life. Avoid common examples, such as "1/2," or he may not pay attention. Make it more interesting. For example, try: "It's a big enough pie that you can have 1/6 of it" then cut the pie into six equal pieces and give him one. Find more opportunities to use fractions throughout the day. "Your laundry needs to be put away. I'll help. You can do 3/5, and I'll do 2/5."
Help your child understand the concept of fractions by making them visual. Draw a circle and explain to her that it represents one whole number and that fractions are pieces of a whole number. Using a straight vertical line and a straight horizontal line, divide the circle into four equal pieces. Shade in all four quarters and label this 4/4. Draw another quartered circle beside it but this time shade only one of the four pieces and label it 1/4. Explain that the bottom number (denominator) is the total number of equal pieces required to make the whole circle and the top number (numerator) is the number of pieces that are actually there represented by shading. Once she understands the difference between the numerator and denominator, you can then teach the concept of equivalence -- fractions with equal value. Add two more lines to each circle to change the fourths to eighths so she can see that 1/4 is the same as 2/8.
Money is another good tool for teaching fractions. Use pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and a dollar to teach your child about 1/100, 1/20, 1/10, 1/4 and 1/1, respectively. Have a piece of paper and pencil available to write the fractions so your child can see them in print. For example, try showing him that 10 dimes equal 10/10 of one dollar. Ask him how many dimes would represent 7/10 and have him count the coins. Repeat with other coin types and fractions: write out different fractions of a dollar and have your child calculate the correct number of coins for each one.
Help your child remember fraction terminology with simple tricks. The denominator is the bottom number, and denominator starts with "D" like the word "down." Equivalent fractions are those that represent the same amount of the pie, such as 1/4 and 2/8, so they are of "equal" value. A "whole" number is the whole pie, whereas a fraction is just a piece. An "improper" fraction -- one with a larger numerator than denominator -- could be described as having "improper" balance: it's top heavy and could tip over. A "mixed" number is a mixture of two different things -- a whole number and a fraction.