Fractions Practice for Kids of all Ages- Made Fun!

What do these objects all have in common?  

• Pizza
• A dollar bill
• An apple
• Children’s building blocks

Not quite sure? They are all excellent tools for fractions practice.  

Fractions Practice Doesn’t Have to Be Hard

Parents are constantly asking us when to introduce fractions. There seems to be a lot of confusion and stress over introducing them. It’s an important concept for children to understand. However, parents find it’s difficult to help kids *get* them. Each and every day our children are eating them. They’re playing with them. They’re seeing them at the store. Fortunately, they are all around us- we just have to look in the right place!

We can begin introducing ½, ¼, ⅓, etc. to our children at a young age. When we split a sandwich, we tell each child they may have half. When we cut into that delicious pie, we can explain to our children how we’re dividing it up and why. Involving children in cooking is one of the best ways to introduce this concept. They’re in our recipes, our measuring cups, and in how we serve our food.

As our children get older, they can work with money.  Cash is an excellent tool for fractions practice. They begin to understand four quarters = 1 whole ($1). They can see how much change is needed and convert that appropriately. If we switch over to cash only at the store, our kids can help count it out. It will give them valuable experience and financial wisdom!

Children’s building blocks are also full of fraction games! If you download our FREE activity pack, you’ll learn all about how to find and use them. As you can see, even if we’re not teaching fractions, our kids see them everywhere. From our food to our signs, their toys, at the store- they are everywhere!

How to Teach Fractions in a Way Your Kids Will Get

Even though they’re everywhere, we still need to teach the fundamentals. We need to teach how to use them, and why they matter. It doesn’t have to be dull worksheets and rote memorization though! Here are some teaching tips-

• Make it hands-on! Maria Montessori said, “What the hand does, the mind remembers.” We all learn best through hands-on learning. Use fraction circles in your lessons to make it hands on. They’ll give a visual and tactile concept of what you’re teaching. Even preschoolers can start with these hands-on materials.  

• Show real-life examples. We’ve already discussed this a bit above. Anytime you’re cutting, measuring, or dividing- let the kids in on it.

• Start with a whole. It’s much easier to *get* what one whole is. You can start to break it down after that.

• Have a foundation for division. Before you can advance too much, kids need to have the basics of division.   There’s a lot that can be done before division comes onto the scene. Parents are often frustrated when they try to advance into higher-level concepts and the kids are confused. Usually, this is because they don’t understand division well yet. Around 3rd-4th grade is a good time to move into some of the more advanced skills.

• Teach to all the senses. When we incorporate multi-sensory learning, we stimulate all the areas of the brain. This helps children grasp concepts and cements them for the long term. We’ve created a beautiful activity pack to help you do this. You’ll find fraction games for kids of all ages, that engage the senses.

You Can Teach With Fractions in A Way Kids Will Get With NO Prep work, Stress, or Tears!

Yes, it’s possible! They can be taught in a way kids will love. They’ll jump at the chance to learn. You’ll love not having any prep work, pre-reading, or fights over school work. Older kids can even work independently.

If you’re ready to dive in a bit deeper than this activity pack, keep reading.

We have put together an entire Fraction Kit. It’s almost 200 pages of lessons. It comes with our beautiful, high-quality fraction circles, pre-scripted lessons, and answers. Everything you need to start. All you need to do is open and go, seriously, no prep work required. Do the first diagnostic test to see what lessons you need to cover. Then jump into the lessons. Our lessons use the 3-Period lesson from Montessori’s philosophy and all the senses to help kids learn!  

It’s the perfect companion to this fun FREE activity pack.

Teaching on a Budget?

If you’re on a budget, start with this activity pack.   There are activities for the whole family to work on together. You’ll also find independent Montessori-based works you can add to your home shelves.  

In the pack, kids will cook, play, take a field trip, enjoy fraction games, and fractions practice in the real world. It’s the perfect place to start while you save up money for the kit! All the activities have been kid-approved by the kids of the ShillerLearning team.  

We can’t wait to hear how much your kids love this pack!

Enjoy the Benefits of Yoga For Kids with a Homeschool Yoga Practice

In nearly every Montessori classroom, you’ll find children participating in yoga. The entire class may take part at once. Or, a station may be set up with pose cards for the children to follow along with. Teachers get in on the practice as well.  

If you think about it, these two go excellently together. Both approaches flow with a certain, never forced, order. Both are known for their ability to bring calm, focus, and joy. Yoga for kids (and adults) can bring about remarkable benefits. When combined with Montessori education, you’ve got a winning combination! Beginning a homeschool yoga practice is easy, even if you’re not using a Montessori-based homeschool.

How to Get Started With Homeschool Yoga

How Yoga and Montessori Go Hand-in-Hand

A Montessori education is unlike anything else. Yoga is a form of movement unlike anything else. While Maria Montessori did not teach it, she did encourage purposeful movement. We find movement with care, grace, mindfulness, and awareness incorporated into everything she taught. Children in a Montessori setting move unlike children in any other education approach. This integrates perfectly with yoga!

Personal space and order are valued in both as well. In yoga, we have our mat. In Montessori, we have our work mat. These don’t exist because we’re trying to separate ourselves. They exist for order, visual-spatial balance, space to focus, and more. Sometimes we may do “partner poses” or work on lessons together. This only happens when both individuals are ready and willing.

“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking: it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to times in which they live.”

Maria Montessori

Both are focused on developing the whole person. With our education, we develop the whole person in mind, body, and soul. Yoga for kids does the same. It isn’t about hitting the perfect pose and movement. It’s about moving with ease, with grace, and with awareness. Sounds a lot like Montessori speak, doesn’t it? While these are components of yoga, it’s about so much more. It has been proven to have profound effects on the nervous system, stress levels, brain development, critical thinking, organ health, and more. Montessori education has shown to benefit many of these aspects as well. In both, we find a calming and centering effect for children. When used together, you bring an entirely new dimension to your homeschool.

Regular practice is often described as bringing peace. This was a key desire for Dr. Montessori. To help children find peace. Not only in the world, but in themselves. Peace with who they are. Peace in managing stress. Handling conflict with peace. You’ll even find a “peace object” in most classrooms. (These are excellent to have at home too!)

Getting started

A decade ago, yoga resources for children were few and far between. Today you can find books, videos, cards, and classes. There’s a wealth of resources! It can be hard to decide what to start with. Here are a few things to consider. You may choose to find a class to attend on a regular basis, Mommy and Me classes are common at a lot of libraries and rec centers. Or learn yourself with an at-home practice to teach to your children. Pre-made lesson plans are a great option to learn together. Children can lead themselves with videos, making it easy to ensure they’re moving through the poses properly. Cards or a book can be nice to leave out on the shelf for children to get to whenever they want.

When beginning homeschool yoga, begin with basic poses. If you decide to get a children’s program, they’ll all begin with more basic postures. If you decide to work through poses on your own, begin with the foundation. Throughout the practice, it’s beneficial to make sure kids are working through the poses properly. It can be possible to hurt yourself if hitting a more advanced pose improperly. By starting with a foundation we allow our children the chance to get a feel for the flow and the calm before starting more difficult poses.

Don’t forget about trying some of the breathing exercises as well. Children of all ages love lions breath. Alternative nostril breathing is usually a favorite for teens. While a mat is not 100% necessary, it can be helpful. If you don’t have a mat, try a towel on top of the carpet.  

Great poses to start with include:

• Cobblers pose

• Downward facing dog

• Butterfly

• Shoulder rolls

• Child’s pose

• Bridge

• Runner’s lunge

• Hero pose

• Neck circles

• Forward bend (seated and standing)

• Standing spin

• Mountain

• Leg’s up to the wall

• Cobra

• Warrior I and II

• Sun salutations are a nice beginner sequence

• Shavasana (aka “resting pose”) - this is typically how practice is ended
  
  Whatever you do, remember to do it with ease, joy, and a spirit of learning. It is also a good idea to check with your child’s doctor before beginning practice.