Fraction wall
An interactive fraction wall: tap pieces to shade them, and slide the red line to find equivalent fractions and compare.
🧒 Kids: tap the pieces to colour them in. Slide the red line and see which fractions are the same size!
Interactive fraction wall
Every row is one whole. The total for each row appears on the right.
What a fraction wall shows
Each row of a fraction wall is the same whole, split into a different number of equal pieces: 1 whole, halves, thirds, quarters, all the way to twelfths. Because the rows are the same length, children can see three big ideas without any rules:
- More pieces means smaller pieces. 1/8 is smaller than 1/4, even though 8 is bigger than 4.
- Different fractions can be the same size. 1/2, 2/4, 3/6 and 6/12 all end in the same place.
- Fractions can be compared by length. 3/4 reaches further than 2/3, so 3/4 is bigger.
Finding equivalent fractions
Slide the red line until it sits at the end of a fraction you know, such as 1/3. Read down the wall: the line also falls at 2/6, 3/9 and 4/12. Those are equivalent fractions, different names for the same amount.
Then look for the pattern in the numbers: 1/3 = 2/6 = 4/12. Multiply the top and bottom by the same number and the fraction stays the same size. The wall shows why the rule in the equivalent fractions lesson works.
Comparing fractions
Shade 2/3 on the thirds row and 3/4 on the quarters row. The quarters reach a little further, so 3/4 > 2/3. Now try 3/5 and 5/8: they are very close, which is why children need a method such as a common denominator for fractions like these. See comparing fractions.
Ready-made fraction wall activities
- Halves hunt: slide the line to 1/2 and list every fraction that equals one half.
- Which is bigger? Call out two fractions; your child shades both and says which is bigger.
- Make one whole: shade 1/2, then find pieces from other rows that fill the rest of the whole.
- Unit fraction ladder: put 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 … 1/12 in order from biggest to smallest.
- Simplest form: shade 6/8 and read the total on the right: it shows 6/8 = 3/4.
Make a paper fraction wall
A paper wall is worth making once. Cut 8 strips of the same length from coloured card. Keep one whole, fold one in half, one in quarters and one in eighths (fold in half again and again). Fold the others into thirds, sixths, fifths and tenths using a ruler. Label every piece and stick the strips in rows.
Folding the strips teaches more than looking at a finished wall: children feel that more folds make smaller pieces.
For teachers
The wall works well on a projector or interactive whiteboard: children come up to shade pieces or move the red line while the class predicts what will line up. Pair it with paper strips so every child has a wall on their desk. Nothing is stored and no login is needed.
Fraction wall skills by grade
| Grade | Use the wall to… | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 2 | See halves, thirds and quarters of a whole | 2.G.A.3 |
| Grade 3 | Understand unit fractions, find equivalent fractions and compare | 3.NF.A.1, 3.NF.A.3 |
| Grade 4 | Explain why multiplying top and bottom gives an equivalent fraction; compare unlike fractions | 4.NF.A.1, 4.NF.A.2 |
| Grade 5 | Check common denominators when adding fractions | 5.NF.A.1 |
More fraction help
- Fraction practice: equivalent fractions, comparing and more, 10 questions at a time.
- Fraction calculator with steps.
- Fractions quiz for grades 3 to 6, and fraction levels to learn step by step.
- Fraction games: Fraction Race, Fraction Match and Fraction Bingo.
- Fractions chart to print, and the equivalent fractions worksheet.
Back to fractions for kids.
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Questions parents ask
What is a fraction wall?
A chart of strips, each one whole, split into halves, thirds, quarters and so on. Because every strip is the same length, it shows at a glance which fractions are bigger and which are equal.
How do you use a fraction wall to find equivalent fractions?
Look down from the end of a fraction to see which other pieces end in the same place. The red line on this wall does it for you: at one half it lines up with 2/4, 3/6, 4/8, 5/10 and 6/12.
How do you compare fractions with a fraction wall?
Shade the two fractions on their rows. The one that reaches further to the right is bigger. Shade 2/3 and 3/4 and you can see 3/4 is a little longer.
Is a fraction wall the same as fraction strips?
Yes. Fraction wall is the usual name in India and the UK; fraction strips or fraction bars are common in the US. Both are a set of equal-length strips split into equal parts.
What grade uses a fraction wall?
Grades 2 to 5 (classes 2 to 5). It is most useful in grades 3 and 4 for unit fractions, equivalent fractions and comparing (3.NF.A.3, 4.NF.A.1, 4.NF.A.2).