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Fraction Tiles: Free Virtual Fraction Strips and Fraction Bars
Updated · By Edulist · 4 sources
Keyboard and touch help
- Drag a piece from the tray onto the board, or press a tray button (Enter) to add it in the next spot.
- Tab to a piece. Arrow keys move it (Shift for bigger steps). Space adds it to the selection.
- D duplicates, R rotates, G trades up a group, B breaks a piece apart, Delete removes it.
- Ctrl+Z undoes and Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes (Cmd on a Mac).
- Drag across empty space to select several pieces. Drop pieces on the trash or back on the tray to delete them.
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How to use it
- Drag tiles into rows
Drag a tile from the tray into any row. Tiles snap to the left edge and end to end. Tap a tile in the tray (or press Enter) to add it to the first row with room.
- Read the row lengths
Each row's total shows to its left, and the readout lists every row, such as 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1. Rows that match in length are pointed out.
- Change the labels
Show tiles as fractions, decimals, percents or no labels. Press Fraction wall to build every row from 1 to 1/12 at once.
- Work the task cards
Ten cards cover halves, 3/4, equivalent fractions, comparing, adding unlike denominators and ordering unit fractions.
Printables to go with it
What fraction tiles teach
Fractions are hard because the same number can look different: 1/2, 2/4 and 4/8 are equal, while 1/8 is smaller than 1/4 even though 8 is bigger than 4. Fraction tiles make those facts visible. Every tile is cut from the same whole, so you can line them up and see.
The tiles on this board are cut to exact widths. The whole is 840 units wide, so a 1/2 tile is exactly 420, a 1/3 tile 280 and a 1/12 tile 70. Even 1/7, 1/9 and 1/11 are exact, and the readout adds row lengths as fractions, not decimals, so 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 always reads 1.
How to use fraction tiles
- Start with the whole. Put the 1 tile in the top row. Everything else is compared to it.
- Build a fraction. Line up tiles of one size from the left edge: three 1/4 tiles make 3/4. The numerator counts the tiles, and the denominator names their size.
- Compare. Put two fractions in rows one above the other. The longer row is the bigger fraction.
- Find equivalents. Build one fraction, then fill the next row with a different tile size until the lengths match.
- Add. Put both fractions end to end in one row. The row's length is the sum.
Fraction tiles by grade
| Grade | What the standards ask | Try on the board |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Understand 1/b as one of b equal parts (3.NF.A.1); recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions and compare fractions with the same numerator or denominator (3.NF.A.3). Denominators 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8. | Halves make a whole; 2/4 = 1/2; order 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6. |
| 4th | Explain why a/b = (n × a)/(n × b) with visual fraction models (4.NF.A.1); compare fractions with different numerators and denominators (4.NF.A.2); add and subtract fractions with like denominators (4.NF.B.3). Denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 100. | Three ways to make 1/2; compare 2/3 and 3/4; 2/5 = 4/10. |
| 5th | Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators by replacing them with equivalent fractions (5.NF.A.1). | 1/2 + 1/3 = 5/6; 1 − 1/3 = 2/3. |
Fraction tile activities
- Build the fraction wall. Press Fraction wall to see every row from 1 to 1/12, or build it yourself row by row. Then look for patterns: which rows have a tile edge exactly under the 1/2 mark?
- Halves hunt. Which tile sizes can make exactly 1/2? Try them all. (Fourths, sixths, eighths, tenths and twelfths can. Thirds, fifths, sevenths, ninths and elevenths can't. Why?)
- Biggest to smallest. Put one each of 1/2 to 1/6 in rows. The bigger the denominator, the smaller the tile.
- Same numerator. Compare 2/3, 2/4 and 2/5. All use two tiles, but the pieces get smaller.
- Close to one. Build 7/8 and 9/10. Which is closer to a whole? Look at the gap.
- Add unlike fractions. Put 1/2 and 1/4 end to end. What one tile size fills the same length? Then try 1/2 + 1/3, and 1/3 + 1/4.
- Labels change, length doesn't. Switch labels to decimals and percents. 1/4 is 0.25 and 25%, and the tile is the same tile.
Tips for teachers and parents
- Always compare to the same whole. A fraction only means something relative to its whole. That's why every row starts at the same left edge on this board.
- Say the unit. "Three fourths" means three tiles, each one fourth. Saying "three one-fourths" now and then helps children see the numerator as a count.
- Hide the labels. Switch labels to None and ask children to name tiles by comparing them to the whole.
- Watch for "bigger denominator, bigger fraction". It's the most common fraction misconception. Have the child put 1/3 above 1/8 and decide.
- Move to number lines. A fraction tile is a length, which is exactly what a number line shows. After tiles, place the same fractions on an interactive number line marked in fourths or eighths.
Fraction tiles, fraction bars or fraction circles?
All three show parts of a whole. Tiles and bars are lengths, so they line up and connect directly to number lines and measurement. Fraction circles (pie pieces) are good for the idea of a part of a whole but harder to compare, because angles are harder to judge than lengths. Choose a model that makes the chosen whole clear. Common Core includes fractions on a number line in grade 3.
Why exact widths matter
Paper fraction strips cut by hand are rarely exact, and small errors cause big confusion: if two 1/4 strips come out slightly longer than a 1/2 strip, a child may decide that 2/4 is bigger than 1/2. On this board each tile is computed from the whole, and the readout adds lengths as fractions, not rounded decimals. When a row of six 1/6 tiles lines up with the whole, it lines up exactly, and the readout says 1.
That precision also makes the board good for questions that are hard with plastic sets. Is 5/12 more or less than 2/5? Build both and look, then switch the labels to percents to check. How many twelfths make 3/4? Fill a row and count.
Using fraction tiles with a class
Project the board and build one fraction at a time while students predict. Then give each student or pair a task card. Because every card checks itself, a group can work through cards 1 to 5 while you teach another group. Students can press Share to post a link to their wall, and Print makes a one-page copy of the board for a math journal.
Common mistakes tiles reveal
| What you see | What it means | Try |
|---|---|---|
| Says 1/8 is bigger than 1/4 | Compares denominators like whole numbers | Put them in rows above each other. |
| Adds 1/2 + 1/3 = 2/5 | Adds tops and bottoms | Build it: the row is longer than 1/2, but 2/5 is shorter. |
| Leaves gaps between tiles | Doesn't see the row as one length | The readout notes rows with gaps; slide tiles until they touch. |
Print a fraction chart to keep on the desk, or practice with equivalent fractions worksheets and comparing fractions worksheets.
Choosing an activity
Grade bands describe possible curriculum connections, not an assessment of an individual learner. Start with an example the learner can explain, then change one feature at a time. The activity suggestions here are editorial teaching ideas, not results from a classroom trial of this software. Use the model alongside written work and physical materials when useful. The linked standards describe learning objectives; they do not endorse Edulist or require this particular tool.
Sources
Questions
Are fraction tiles, fraction strips and fraction bars the same thing?
Yes, for most teachers. Tiles are usually plastic pieces, strips are often paper, and bars is a common name in curriculum materials. All are rectangles cut from the same whole. Fraction bar can also mean the line between the numerator and denominator, which is a different thing.
How do you find equivalent fractions with fraction tiles?
Put one tile, such as 1/2, in a row. In the next row, line up smaller tiles of one size until the rows are the same length. Two 1/4 tiles match, so 1/2 = 2/4. Three 1/6 tiles and four 1/8 tiles match too.
Why are there 1/7, 1/9 and 1/11 tiles?
Most plastic sets skip them, but they are useful for comparing: 1/7 sits between 1/6 and 1/8, which helps children see that the bigger the denominator, the smaller the piece. Every tile on this board is exactly 1/d of the whole.
What grade learns fractions with tiles?
Children meet halves and fourths in 1st and 2nd grade geometry. Fraction tiles are used most in 3rd grade, when fractions become numbers, and in 4th and 5th grade for equivalence, comparing, and adding and subtracting.
How do you add fractions with unlike denominators using tiles?
Put both fractions end to end in one row, such as 1/2 and 1/3. Then find one tile size that fills the same length exactly. Five 1/6 tiles fit, so 1/2 + 1/3 = 5/6. That tile size is the common denominator.
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