Did you know fractions are a tricky part of math? Any number of equal parts is represented by a fraction, which also represents a portion of a whole. They are divided into three categories: proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed fractions depending on the numerator and the denominator. The numerator is the number at the top, and the denominator is the number at the bottom. While it is easy to make anyone understand the meaning of fractions, it gets tougher with various operations of fractions.
Students often get confused with fractions because they learn to understand tables first to simplify fractions. When they are introduced to the concept of multiplying fractions, they are more likely to make mistakes due to confusion. While addition requires different steps, multiplication is directly done with both numerator and denominator together, respectively. In such situations, online games come to your rescue! Online games for multiplying fractions are easy to play, available easily on the web, and filled with colorful illustrations.
Multiplying fractions: What challenges might students face?
According to research, most students face difficulties with fractions. Fractions can be derived from a different concept and students need to conceptually reorganize the problem with natural numbers. This research resulted in students understanding the part-whole concept but failing at the numbers and operations-based problems. Such mistakes or lack of knowledge leads to a major difficulty in solving problems.
Many times, students face difficulty with fractions due to concepts not being clear in their minds. By this, they may forget the step to Multiply the numerator with the numerator and denominator with the denominator. Students sometimes cross multiply fractions and then try to simplify them. When they are not aware of the correctness, they are bound to make silly mistakes.
Sometimes, students learn the steps but do not understand the meaning behind it. This makes it difficult for them to solve problems without the exact meaning of why a certain step is followed. Teachers and instructors should involve students in a teaching method that helps them comprehend the reason behind following any particular step. Various manipulatives or worksheets can be utilized for this purpose.
Online games to practice fractions multiplication
Online games can be helpful to teachers and parents willing to teach the concept of multiplying fractions. These games are equipped with high-quality images and sound to create an engaging learning environment.
1. Snow Sprint Fractions
This is an interesting game for students to understand the concept of multiplying fractions. This easy online game is accommodated with good illustrations and sounds.
- Enter your name and click on the next button and again click on the play button.
- To play this game, players need to click on the start button.
- You will now be competing with several other snowboards in the snow sprint race.
- Below the racing area, various multiplying fractions will be displayed.
- You need to select the right answer to move ahead in the race.
- The quicker you are, the quicker your snowboard moves towards the completion of the race.
- At the end, you will be shown the accuracy of answers, missed questions, and rate of playing per minute.
Such an engaging online game increases the interest level of students in understanding the concept. This game is also useful to create a challenging environment and enable critical thinking abilities.
2. Hundredaire
Hundredaire is an exciting yet challenging game with its interface. The plot revolves around a scenario where students need to answer the question and win in dollars. This is an interesting plot as it creates a feeling of winning or losing.
- To play this game, you need to click on the play button on the home screen.
- As the hundredaire round starts, one question will be displayed on the screen.
- Each right answer makes you win $10, $20, $30, and more as you proceed towards the end of the game.
- Once you have read the question, select a potential answer and click on the submit tab.
- If you select the wrong answer, you need to restart the game.
This online game offers a paycheck at the end along with the results displayed on it. Such a game induces students to make more dollars by paying attention and being active with calculations.
3. Multiply Fractions
Presenting a simple yet intriguing online game for students. This is an easy game that enables the students to simplify fractions by using the multiplication method.
- To play this game, click on the start button.
- You will be displayed various questions and 4 options below them.
- All you need to do is simply the fractions and select the right answers from the options given below.
- For every wrong question, you will be prompted with a tab that shows the correct answer to it.
- Every correct answer gets you a compliment from the game.
This game has an easy user interface allowing parents and teachers to make students play this game as an activity or a test. As the colors are subtle with large fonts, students are more likely to engage in mental math calculations than go for writing the entire fractions.
4. Jumpy: Multiply Fractions
This online game for multiplying fractions is sure to grasp the attention and engage students in critical thinking. As the name suggests, jumpy games are all about jumping on the right fractions and crossing the river.
- To play this game, click on the start button
- You can control an animal named Roly and help the animal cross the river by jumping on the right fractions.
- The game starts in a grassland area where Roly will be given a question on the top of the screen.
- Crocodiles, turtles, and tree stems would be passing through the river. These elements have an answer to the question.
- Now, you need to make Roly jump on the right answer and further jump on stems, Crocodiles, or turtles to cross the river.
- In this way, you will be presented with various questions before crossing a road or a river.
This interesting game is a good way to engage students in gameplay while they also calculate the answers through critical thinking. As they jump and cross the obstacles, they gain concentration and develop focus-building skills.
5. Wheel Spin
Here is an engaging online game where students get to select their scores even before the question is presented. Such a user interface creates interest by presenting a challenging environment to students.
- To play this game, click on the start button.
- You will now be presented with a wheel that needs to be spinned.
- To spin the wheel, click on the start button.
- There are different points displayed on the wheel. To score higher, you need to stop the wheel at the highest possible number.
- Once you have stopped the rotating arm of the wheel, a question will be presented to you.
- This question can either be purely multiplying or multiplying and then simplifying the fraction to get an answer.
- Every right answer gets you points displayed at the top right of the screen.
- After every question, the wheel is presented to select the number of points you are aiming at.
While the game is interesting because of spinning the wheel, students eventually get to different questions of multiplying fractions. As they keep scoring, the game creates an effective way to inspire students to score higher through the wheel.
6. Multiplying Fractions
This online game is a combination of different colors and solving fractions, simultaneously. The game has two tables where questions and options are divided in an accurate manner.
- To play this game, click on the start button.
- The home screen displayed two different areas for choosing the right answer to the questions.
- The top part of the screen displays various options in different colored tabs.
- The below part of the screen has different questions with each tab beside it.
- You now have to drag the correct colored answer tab that matches the question.
- Once you have completed matching the pairs, click on submit to submit your answers.
- Once submitted, the game displays the number of correct answers along with the time taken.
This game is ideal for students to focus on multiplying fractions through colored tabs. This creates student engagement while they also learn to correctly match the questions with their right answers.
7. Simplify the Product of Fractions
While multiplying fractions can be tricky, this game helps students simplify the product of fractions with an interactive user interface.
- To play this game, click on the start button.
- On the home screen, a fraction question will be displayed on the top.
- The answer to this question will be displayed on the duck’s body parts.
- There will be 4 ducks out of which, 1 will be carrying the simplified version of the product of fractions.
- You need to select the right answer to get one point.
- After every incorrect answer, you will be shown the correct answer and the game moves ahead.
This interesting game helps students simplify the products and involve them in critical thinking abilities. It increases their focus and they learn to be quick to get high scores.
8. Multiply Fractions
This is a good game to understand the concept of multiplying fractions in a deeper sense. Here, students need to do calculations to find the right answers to it.
- To play this game, click on the start button on the home screen.
- Once you start, you will be presented with different questions.
- The below part of the game shows different options out of which, you need to select the right one.
- The tricky part is that the fraction multiplication is given in a manner where you need to add the whole number that leads to the answer displayed in the question.
- Each correct answer gets cheers while an incorrect answer gives you an opportunity to rethink and choose the correct answer from the options given below the question.
Such a game encourages students to analyze fractions and involves them in calculating the correct whole number. It is also an interesting part because students might need to solve the fractions in a book leading to the higher recall of information.
9. Multiply Fractions by a Whole Number
The challenging game is set in an interactive space theme where the student needs to find the right answer by crossing obstacles. It is a maze format where different answers are placed in several areas of the maze. While crossing the maze, students need to overcome the obstacles while analyzing the correct answer.
- To play this game, click on the start button.
- A door opens and you are taken to the world of fractions.
- Here, each question will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.
- You shall have 3 lives to survive in the game and each correct answer gets you a point.
- Once you’ve seen the question, use arrow keys through your system to move through the maze and reach the destination of the correct answer.
- A variety of questions are presented wherein you might need to select a whole number or a fraction, whichever suits the question.
Such an interesting game creates a competitive learning experience. Obstacles in the game create a sense of urgency in solving the fraction as quickly as possible.
10. Mine Detector
This interesting game is set across the plot of transforming an empty desert into a garden. You need to do some mathematical calculations to help the city council to remove the mines.
- To play this game, click on the start button.
- A question will be displayed on the top of the screen.
- You need to follow the grid system to solve the fraction and remove the mines.
- Now, once you’ve studied the fraction, click on the fraction and shift them to the equation box.
- As you solve them, the overlapping sections will combine and you will find the location of landmines.
- Each correct answer defuses the mine while each incorrect answer denotes the mine.
Such a game plot engages students in a completely different scenario where they are authoritative to save the desert from mines. It creates a competitive environment and they also become quick at mental math abilities.
Summing up..
Online fraction games are a good way to engage students in critical thinking and develop their mental math capabilities. As these games are available on the web for free, they can be presented as classroom activities or tests for students. Parents can also use these games to enhance the children’s understanding of the concept of multiplying fractions.
Apart from easy-to-play online games, teachers can use a variety of fraction books to impart knowledge through different teaching methodologies. Classroom fraction games and quotes also help create a fun learning environment inspiring the students to actively take part in it. Teachers and parents can also use various real-life applications of fractions to present a practical learning experience. As you use these online games, make sure students comprehend their understanding after each session.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,