Episode 86 is a fraction of the length of my typical podcast length because we are talking about how you can teach your 7 or 8 year-old children the foundational information about fractions. So let’s just jump in and divide the subject up. Here are just 3 ideas that will help your children
Visualize the principles of fractions.
 

For many children the idea behind helping them grasp a new concept (especially in Math) is to help them visualize it. The process of seeing principles is a much more powerful learning tool than just hearing something explained. Here are my 3 simple ideas.

 
First, use Legos…
I don’t know about you, but we have a ton of Legos just laying around our house. Grab 4 pieces of the same color and snap them together to create one larger block. Explain that this represents one whole block. Now take the pieces apart and have your child count them. The number of pieces that make the whole is the denominator (the number on the bottom of the fraction). The number of pieces that your child has is the numerator (the number on the top of the fraction).

 
Next, try a cake or a pie…
If you can’t get your child’s attention with pie, then you need to check their pulse. They will be so excited to learn this lesson (especially if you tell them that as soon as they are finished they get to eat the object lesson)!

Cut the pie into equal pieces (perhaps 8) and then give your child one piece. Explain the same principle as before. Because there are 8 pieces of the pie and your child has 1 piece, they have 1/8 of the pie.