Using Shapes to Represent Fractions: Educational Worksheets for Children

Exercises from Super Teacher Worksheets

Many of the printable fraction worksheets available here use images of geometric shapes to describe fractions. Some of the worksheets ask children to cut out pie charts or stars and match them to written fractions. A certain portion of the star or circle will be colored in to form a fraction. Because this is a teacher's site, several of the activities are created for classroom use and, as a result, require more than one player. Your child may enjoy playing some of these games with friends or siblings.

One game comes with several playing cards that can be cut out and distributed among the players. The top of each card shows a picture fraction and, on the bottom, there is a different number fraction. Kids must be able to say the correct fraction aloud from the picture, which makes them faster at recognizing visual fractions.

Online Problems from Visual Fractions

Here's a whole site dedicated to teaching kids to work with visual fractions. Your child can answer fraction math problems online and have his or her results graded instantly. A wide variety of skills can be sharpened on this site, from adding and subtracting fractions to comparing, multiplying or dividing. Large visual displays present a certain shaded portion of a shape, and your child must treat the picture as though it were a numeric fraction.

Since only one problem appears at time, these activities might seem like less work than a whole worksheet. However, even if your child practices just a few problems each day, he or she will become a stronger and more confident math student.

Lessons from Math Goodies

If your child is having trouble learning about fractions for the first time, these written lessons may prove helpful. Geometric shapes are included, along with definitions of terms and explanations of how to approach equations with fractions. Online problem generators re-enforce material from the lessons.