National Curriculum (England) · Year 3
Year 3 Fractions
What Year 3 children learn about fractions, shown with cakes and cookies, and the free game and sheets to practise each part.
Year 3 (ages 7–8, Key Stage 2) is roughly 2nd grade in the US by age, but Year 3 fractions are closer to US 3rd grade, where fractions as numbers begin. Fraction Bakery is in English and reads every fraction aloud, saying quarters, as British teachers do.
What the curriculum says
For fractions, the National Curriculum says Year 3 pupils should be taught to:
- count up and down in tenths, and know that tenths come from dividing something into 10 equal parts
- recognise, find and write fractions of a set of objects, unit and non-unit, with small denominators
- recognise and use fractions as numbers
- recognise and show, using diagrams, equivalent fractions with small denominators
- add and subtract fractions with the same denominator within one whole, for example 5/7 + 1/7 = 6/7
- compare and order unit fractions, and fractions with the same denominator
Where Year 3 starts
Children arrive knowing halves and quarters from Year 1, and thirds, 2/4 and 3/4 from Year 2, where they also learn that 2/4 is the same as 1/2 and find simple fractions of numbers, like 1/2 of 6 = 3.
Year 3 is the big step from a fraction of something to a fraction is a number. That's why the number line matters so much this year: 3/4 is a point between 0 and 1, just as 7 is a point between 6 and 8.
Fractions of a set
3 of the 4 cookies have chocolate chips: that's 3/4 of the tray. With 8 cookies and 6 chocolate ones, it's 6/8, which is the same amount.
Equivalent fractions with diagrams
Cut every slice in half and the amount stays the same: 1/3 becomes 2/6.
Adding with the same denominator
2/8 and 3/8 make 5/8. The denominator says what size the pieces are; you only add the numerators, the number of pieces.
Fractions as numbers
Quarters on a number line from 0 to 1. The dot is at 3/4.
The two comparisons Year 3 asks for
3/5 is more than 2/5. The pieces are the same size, so more pieces means more cake.
1/3 is more than 1/4. Sharing a cake between more people gives everyone less. This feels backwards to most children, so show it with a real cake or paper.
Play: compare the fractions
In Bigger Slice, children race the bakery cat to pick who got more cake. Every fraction is read aloud.
Comparing fractions
Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers
Fractions of a set: cookie trays
Add fractions with the same denominator
Mark the fraction on a number line
Play: equivalent fractions
The Magic Knife cuts every slice in two, so children watch 1/3 turn into 2/6.
Equivalent fractions
Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers
Questions
Does the game cover tenths?
Yes. Tenths appear later in the game, after halves, thirds, quarters, sixths and eighths. The worksheets can also be set to Only tenths.
What US grade is Year 3?
Roughly 2nd grade by age: UK children start school a year younger. The fraction work, though, is closer to US 3rd grade.
What comes in Year 4?
Families of equivalent fractions, adding and subtracting with the same denominator beyond one whole, fractions of amounts, and the link between tenths, hundredths and decimals.
My daughter is in Year 4 and struggling with equivalent fractions. Will this help?
Yes, for the core of it. The game's equivalent fractions practice and the fraction wall show why 1/2, 2/4 and 4/8 are the same amount, which is what Year 4's families of equivalent fractions build on. It doesn't cover fractions beyond one whole or decimals, so pair it with her school work for those. Start with equivalent fractions.
Is there a Year 2 (KS1) version for halves, quarters and thirds?
The game starts with halves, then thirds and quarters, so a Year 2 child can play the early levels, ideally with an adult nearby. Open halves, thirds or quarters to stay on one. It plays on an iPad in the browser.
Does it use British spelling?
This page does. The game itself was made in the US, so a few words are American, like cookies and frosting. The fractions are the same.
Is it free?
Yes. The whole game plays free in the browser, with no sign-up and no adverts, and the worksheets print as often as you like.
Take the bakery with you, soon
A Fraction Bakery app for iPhone is on the way. The plan: offline play for the car, a parent report of which fractions have stuck, and the full bakery shelf of prizes. Until then, the whole game is free right here.
Coming soon on theApp Store