Fraction Worksheets

How to use the fraction worksheet maker

1. Type a heading in Title on the sheet, or leave it as Fractions.
2. Choose Kind of problem. Name the shaded fraction and Shade the fraction use pictures. Compare two fractions, Add and subtract (like denominators), and Equivalent fractions (missing number) use number problems.
3. Choose Denominators. Halves and fourths is for grade 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 is the default for grade 3, and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 suits grades 4–5. You can also pick every denominator from 2 to 12.
4. For the picture modes, choose Shapes: a mix of circles, rectangles and bars, or circles only, rectangles only, or fraction bars only.
5. For Compare, choose Fractions to compare: Same denominator, Same numerator, or Any.
6. For Add and subtract, choose Operation: Add, Subtract, or Mix of both.
7. If you want answers above 1, tick Allow answers greater than 1, then pick Mixed numbers or Improper fractions under Write numbers greater than 1 as. Tick Answers in simplest form if you want reduced answers.
8. Pick Problems: 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 or 30. Twelve shapes fit comfortably on one US Letter page.
9. Keep Include answer key ticked to print the key, or untick it to leave the key off.
10. Click Print or save as PDF. You can set the paper size to US Letter or A4 first.

New worksheet gives a fresh set of problems with the same settings, and each sheet has a worksheet code shown under the buttons. The page address stores your settings, so a bookmarked or shared link opens the same sheet again. Reset settings restores the defaults.

Why is a fraction with a bigger denominator not always bigger?

A bigger denominator means the whole is cut into more parts, so each part is smaller. That is why 1/8 is smaller than 1/4, even though 8 is larger than 4.

Many children believe 1/8 is larger because 8 is a bigger number. The denominator is not a count of things you have. It tells you how many equal parts the whole is split into, and the numerator tells you how many of those parts you have. Think of a pizza cut into four slices and then into eight slices. Each eighth slice is smaller than each quarter slice.

The Same numerator setting in Compare mode is built for this mistake. Every problem has the same top number, so the only thing that changes is the size of the parts. Pair it with a Name sheet that uses fraction bars, where eighths are visibly thinner strips than fourths.

How do you compare two fractions?

Look at the denominators first. If they are the same, the fraction with the larger numerator is the larger fraction, so 5/8 is greater than 3/8.

If the numerators are the same, the fraction with the smaller denominator is larger, because its parts are bigger. For example, 3/4 is greater than 3/8. If the denominators and numerators are both different, rewrite one or both fractions so they share a denominator. To compare 3/4 and 5/8, change 3/4 into 6/8. Since 6/8 is greater than 5/8, 3/4 is greater.

When two fractions name the same amount, the answer is an equals sign. For example, 1/2 = 2/4, because both fractions are half of a whole. Compare mode uses <, > and = in its answers, so children practice all three.

How do you find an equivalent fraction?

Multiply (or divide) the top and bottom of a fraction by the same number. 1/2 = 2/4 = 3/6 = 4/8, because each step multiplies the numerator and the denominator by the same amount. The Equivalent fractions problems leave one number blank, such as 2/3 = __/12, and the answer key gives 8.