Fractions Practice Problems and Exercises

How Do I Create Fraction Practice Problems?

When creating practice problems for your child, consider ways that fractions are used in the everyday world. Think along the lines of baking with the use of measuring tools, purchasing items that are on sale, cutting a pie into pieces or breaking apart a chocolate bar. Your child may be more motivated to complete practice problems if they're relevant to his or her life.

Also, consider the level of difficulty your child is ready for. Fraction problems become increasingly difficult as children advance through elementary school. Third grade students generally learn to identify and compare fractions, but by fourth grade, students are adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators. Fifth graders may solve fraction problems with unlike denominators and learn to multiply fractions. It's important that you provide your child with the correct level of difficulty to avoid making him or her feel stressed, discouraged or, conversely, bored.

Fraction Problems by Grade Level

Third

1. If a pizza has 13 slices and there are seven pieces missing, what fraction of the pizza remains?

This problem requires students to identify a fraction. In this case, six slices of the 13-slice pizza remain, so the fraction would be 6/13.

2. Which is larger: 1/4 or 2/3?

If your child is having difficulty comparing fractions, encourage him or her to draw a picture of each. By viewing this problem visually, he or she should see that 2/3 is larger than 1/4.

Fourth

1. 15/45 + 33/45

To add fractions with like denominators, your child should only look at the numerators. The denominators will remain the same. The answer is (15 + 33)/45 = 48/45.

2. 75/76 - 31/76

As with the previous question, the denominators will remain the same. Your child should subtract (75 - 31)/76 to come up with the answer 44/76. This fraction can be simplified to 11/19.

3. A worm is 6/9 of an inch long. It grows 2/9 of an inch. How long is the worm now?

To solve this problem, your child should add 6/9 + 2/9. The worm is now 8/9 of an inch.

Fifth

1. 3/4 + 1/8

First, your child should make the denominators the same by multiplying: 3/4 x (2/2) = 6/8. Then, he or she should add 6/8 + 1/8 = 7/8.

2. 4/5 - 2/4

This problem is more complicated because your child will have to multiply both fractions in order to make the denominators the same. He or she can do this by multiplying 4/5 x (4/4) to get 16/20 and 2/4 x (5/5) to get 10/20. Then, your child should subtract 16/20 - 10/20, which equals 6/20.

3. A $12 item is on sale for 1/2 off. What is the price of the item?

To solve, your child should multiply 12 x 1/2 = 12/2 = 6. The item is on sale for $6.

4. A recipe requires 1/8 of a cup of nutmeg. If you triple the recipe, how much nutmeg is needed?

Have your child triple the recipe by multiplying by three: 1/8 x 3 = 3/8. In a triple batch of the recipe, there would be 3/8 of a cup of nutmeg.