Fraction Games with Cards

Written by Donna Boucher

Donna has been a teacher, math instructional coach, interventionist, and curriculum coordinator. A frequent speaker at state and national conferences, she shares her love for math with a worldwide audience through her website, Math Coach’s Corner. Donna is also the co-author of Guided Math Workshop.

Fractions are an incredibly abstract concept and are often a real stumbling block for students. We have to be super careful to help students develop “fraction sense,” which is a specific type of number sense. We do that by using a variety of manipulatives to help students visualize the meaning of fractions.

This post contains affiliate links, which simply means that when you use my link and purchase a product, I receive a small commission. There is no additional cost to you, and I only link to books and products that I personally use and recommend.

I’ve got a cute little set of fraction cards for you today.  Here are some ideas for their use:

  1. FRACTION WAR Divide the cards between the players. Each player turns over a card. Players use the fraction strip chart or manipulatives to determine the largest fraction. The player with the largest fraction takes all the cards. If the fractions are equivalent, the cards stay on the table until the next round. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
  2. EQUIVALENT FRACTIONS MEMORY Pull out 6 pair of equivalent fractions (12 cards total). Players arrange the cards in a 3 x 4 array. On a turn, a player turns over two cards. If the fractions are equivalent, the player keeps the cards. If they are not equivalent, the player turns them back face down. The player with the most pairs at the end of the game wins. Use the fraction strips chart or manipulatives for support.
  3. 0, 1/2, 1 SORT Having benchmarks of 0, 1/2, and 1 is an important understanding for fractions. For example, is 4/5 closer to 0, 1/2, or 1? For this activity, students will choose a card and use manipulatives, number lines, or the fraction strip chart to determine if the fraction is closer to 0, 1/2, or 1.
  4. SIMPLIFY IT Students choose a card and reduce the fraction to simplest form. This can be done pictorially using the fraction strips chart.

Click here to grab your FREE cards and fraction strip chart! After you download it, be sure to leave a comment about how you’ll use this in your classroom.  🙂

If you’re looking for workstation activities for teaching fractions, be sure to take a peek at my fraction resources.

81 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    I will use these in a station during math workshop when we begin the unit on fractions (5th grade). Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Sounds perfect! Thanks for leaving a comment. 🙂

      Reply
  2. carriescott759

    Donna
    I have been following your post for a few months and I have to say I am very impressed with the ideas you share with educators. I look forward to reading and learning more from you in the future.
    Carrie

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Thanks so much, Carrie! Glad you find my ramblings useful. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jessica

    I am going to be starting fractions soon with my students. Thank you for the ideas!!
    Jessica

    Apples and Papers

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      You’re welcome, Jessica! Your blog is super cute, and I’m a new follower. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Althea

    Donna, you continue to amaze me! I am going to use it in small group with my teacher assistant for students that are in need of remediation. The best thing is they won’t know they are being remediated. I think this is going to be a wonderful game. Thanks for always helping us out!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      My pleasure, Althea! I think the visual of the fractions strip chart will really help your strugglers. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Fontenot's Firebreathers

    I will use it for both remediation and in stations after we do our fraction unit! This will definitely help in 5th grade (I teach 4th!) I am sharing this site with my team and my campus! I have some closet math nerds on my cmapus….we are the minority, but we are there! 🙂 Thanks for the great information and the manipulatives!!!!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Come out of the closet! NOW! Ha ha.

      Reply
  6. room2

    I plan to use these cards with 2 children who have been exploring fractions and decimals. To begin with we will take a selection of cards and order them, using the fraction strip for reference. Later we’ll try the fraction war game. This should be easy to introduce as we have already played money war. These children are Grade 2 and this is an extension activity for them.

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Right, War is a great game for so many concepts. It would be interesting to see if they notice the connection between the fraction strip of tenths and decimals.

      Reply
  7. Anonymous

    Thank you for sharing! Can’t wait to let my kids try these games!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      You’re welcome! I hope the kiddos love them. 🙂

      Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      You’re welcome, Shibahn! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Mrs. Altman-Lewis

    Thank you so much for these. Fraction tiles are so expensive and these will work just as nicely!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Right! And fraction tiles don’t have the number line for a reference.

      Reply
  9. Anonymous

    These are just what I was looking for! Thanks for sharing! We are going to do a fraction line up with the class to put the fractions in order. We also will use them in small groups to round to benchmarks and play games.

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Glad to hear that they’ll be useful for you! I love the fraction line up idea. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Keweza

    We plan to start fractions when we come back from Winter Break! These will be great in my math centers!

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Glad the timing worked out so well for you! 🙂

      Reply
  11. 4321Teach

    Looking forward to fraction war!

    EmilyK

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Gotta love a good game of war! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Dondee

    Love your ideas….thanks for sharing! I’ll probably use first to have them compare fractions, along with using your strips, and then some type of game, like memory or war! Happy New Year!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Happy NY to you, too!! Sounds like a great plan! The strips are such a good visual for them to really deeply understand the meaning of the fractions.

      Reply
  13. Family Account

    This was a fantastic resource for my students. I can’t wait to put them as stations in my classroom. It prepares students in such a fun way that many concepts can be taught through games. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Thanks for the sweet comment! Glad your kiddos liked it. 🙂

      Reply
  14. Mrs. S

    I have been using these as centers for the past week to review and keep it fresh with my 6th grade and will use them again for my fifth grade when they get there. Thanks for the freebie! I really appreciate the work that went into this. With a combined classroom, I don’t have any extra time to make anything!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      I’m so glad it’s been helpful! Thanks so much for letting me know. 🙂

      Reply
  15. LAF

    This will be a great review game for my third graders during our rotations time! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      My pleasure! 🙂

      Reply
  16. Anonymous

    Thanks for making these, can I say TIMESAVER!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Yes, you can!! Ha ha. Glad they saved you some time. 🙂

      Reply
  17. mrs. p

    Great addition to our math centers!!!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Hope the kiddos love them!

      Reply
  18. Lesley Taylor

    Downloaded these fraction cards/strips. We are working on fractions right now, and I have been looking for some additional learning games to play in our stations…can’t wait to use them in class!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Great! I’m glad they came at a good time for you, Lesley! 🙂

      Reply
  19. Hazel Lochhaas

    We have just started working with fractions. These will be a great addition for the students to practice what they have learned.

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      I’m so glad you think they will be useful to you and your kiddos, Hazel! 🙂

      Reply
  20. Mary

    Thank you so much…these make lovely cards that I’m excited to use for review of our fraction unit. You’re blog looks amazing and I will be visiting often!!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Thanks, Mary!! I appreciate your kind words. 🙂

      Reply
  21. Anonymous

    I am working on fractions now in my fourth grade class. Can’t wait to use this center activity.

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Oh good!! Glad it was right on time. 🙂

      Reply
  22. Christine Waverla

    Thanks for sharing!
    Christine
    Math Central

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      My pleasure, Christine! 🙂

      Reply
  23. Unknown

    I love all your resources! I’m trying so hard to make math fun for my students and your products help. I LOVE the fraction visual! Another idea I have seen is to make that by layering pieces of construction paper on top of each other, stapling them together, and cutting the pieces into halfs, fourths, etc. The papers are all different sizes so you can see all the fractions at once. I don’t know if that made any sense! This is much easier, though. 🙂

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      It made total sense! It’s a flip book, of sorts. Great idea!

      Reply
  24. Anonymous

    I am in the middle of a education practicum right now and I am starting a grade 5 unit in fractions on Wednesday. I really want to be able to use fun educational games like this in the unit.

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Sounds perfect!

      Reply
  25. Free Spirit

    I am currently student teaching and am teaching in 4th grade. I used this source for many different things in association with 4.NF.3a-d (math). I used the cards to create addition and subtraction problems for the students to use and they modeled their fractions on a number line with boxes. I used the fraction strips in many lessons to show either mixed numbers where I attached 4 width wise and laminated them allowing the students to color the fraction parts in a mixed number and improper fraction and go between the two. I also used them to model decomposing fractions into unit fractions. Great resources!!!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Thanks so much! I’m delighted to hear you were able to use them in so many different ways. 🙂

      Reply
  26. Cindy in Wisconsin

    Perfect, as our 3rd graders are working on a fraction unit right now; this will be a big help, I think. Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Woo hoo! Glad the time worked out so well for you! 🙂

      Reply
  27. Clark's Corner

    I just started our fraction unit on Friday. Perfect timing for me!! Thankyou so much for sharing your resource!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Yea! I love perfect timing. 🙂

      Reply
  28. Leigh Newton

    Thanks Donna – a bright, inviting resource! I will be using these cards with Grades 4 and 5 as they grow in confidence with working with fractions. Our fractions unit is coming up soon.

    Reply
  29. kbenedick

    So versatile! With the large emphasis on fractions in fifth grade common core, these will be a wonderful addition to extension activities!

    Reply
  30. ivett Castillo-Levy

    ooohh… thank you i love the background, and I’m constantly in search of great fractions material ( cuz, I’m not the best math student or teacher)
    so again thx for the freebie
    be well,
    ivett

    Reply
  31. Anonymous

    Your fraction cards are a life saver!! Thank you for sharing this =D

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      My pleasure! 🙂

      Reply
  32. Frida Shroyer

    Thank you for sharing these. I’ll be teaching RtI classes next year and these will be great.

    Reply
  33. Rhonda Griswold

    I will use these during summer math class with 4th going into 5th and 5th going into 6th at the least.

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Thanks so much, Angela! 🙂

      Reply
  34. Sandra

    These will be great for my third grade resource room kids! We can use them to find missing numbers in a number line and also to find equivalencies. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  35. Amy (Littlest Superheroes)

    Thank you for sharing! I’m moving up to fourth grade, so I’m not sure how I’ll use them, but I know that they will be VERY handy!

    Reply
    • Amy (Littlest Superheroes)

      I meant to day that I wasn’t sure how I’ll use them YET. Since fourth grade is new territory for me. 🙂

      Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      They have lots of great uses!

      Reply
  36. Amy Shook

    Thanks for sharing! I will be using these in a Math center and as Quiz Quiz Trade cards. I teach third grade and we have five weeks to teach fractions this year!

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Amy, what are Quiz Quiz Trade cards? Sounds interesting!

      Reply
  37. Whitney Welcome

    Awesome! I plan to use the cards in a math center to multiply fractions with a whole.

    Reply
  38. Tricia

    I will definitely be using these in my station kits…aka centers. Thank you for this fun resource!

    Reply
  39. Kathy Hotz

    Lots of ways to use them. Card games, placing on a number line, ordering, fraction war.

    Reply
  40. Jill

    This looks like a great resource to use next year as a task card type station!

    Reply
  41. Kathy Daniello

    Thank you so much for this! I am a special needs para, working 1:1, and am always looking for ways to make school and learning fun.

    Reply
  42. marlene

    Thanks so much for sharing and also for the commenters who posted ideas:) Much appreciated! I’ll start with a partner memory game or war, then maybe sorting and eventually try the Fraction Game from Math Ninja

    Reply
  43. Jenn

    Thank you for sharing this resource!! This will be great for my Math with Someone center!!

    Reply
  44. Deana L Lafferty

    downloaded free fraction flash cards, no seven’s in the file, goes from 1/6 to1/ 8, need 1/7 flash cards. thank you, love the cards.

    Reply
  45. Ann M Schlemper

    I am going to have my preservice elementary teachers play benchmark bingo. I will flip over a card and then they will mark off a bingo board that has 0, 1/2 and 1 in its squares. The first person to get 5 in a row will win.

    Reply
    • Donna Boucher

      Love that idea!

      Reply

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