6th grade ratios
6th grade ratios (class 6): a quiz for kids, then every skill in order with lessons, a checklist and a plan.
🧒 Kids: answer 10 grade 6 ratio questions. Tap Check ✓ after each one!
🔢 Ratio practice 🏆 Ratio levels 🧮 Ratio calculator 🎮 Ratio games
What 6th grader learn about ratios
In grade 6 (class 6), children learn what a ratio is and how to write one, both part-to-part and part-to-whole. They find equivalent ratios, simplify them, and use ratio tables, double number lines and tape diagrams. They also compare ratios and work with unit rates, unit prices and speed.
- 6.RP.A.1: understand ratios and use ratio language to describe a relationship between two quantities.
- 6.RP.A.2: understand a unit rate a/b for a ratio a : b, and use rate language.
- 6.RP.A.3: solve ratio and rate problems with tables, tape diagrams, double number lines and equations.
- 6.RP.A.3b: solve unit rate problems, including unit pricing and constant speed.
Other grades: 6th grade · 7th grade
The big idea in grade 6
Grade 6 is the year ratios arrive. Children learn ratio language, such as “for every 2 cups of flour there are 3 cups of milk” (6.RP.A.1). They also learn that a ratio can compare a part with a part or a part with the whole.
Next comes equivalent ratios: scaling both amounts by the same number. Ratio tables, tape diagrams and double number lines are the three pictures that make this easy to see (6.RP.A.3).
Finally, children meet rates and unit rates: miles per hour, price per pound and the best buy (6.RP.A.2). Percents follow straight after, as rates per 100.
6th grade ratio skills, in order
Work down the list. Each lesson explains the idea for parents with pictures and has a tool or quiz for your child.
By the end of grade 6, your child should be able to…
- Write the ratio of girls to boys, and of girls to the whole class.
- Find three ratios equivalent to 3 : 5.
- Simplify 24 : 36 to its simplest form.
- Fill in a missing value in a ratio table.
- Share $40 in the ratio 3 : 5 with a tape diagram.
- Decide which of two packs is the better buy using unit prices.
Unsure where your child is? The ratio levels page has a short test for every step from writing ratios to scale drawings.
A 4-week plan for 6th grade ratios
| When | Focus |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Ratio language: part-to-part and part-to-whole ratios |
| Week 2 | Equivalent ratios, simplest form and ratio tables |
| Week 3 | Double number lines, tape diagrams and comparing ratios |
| Week 4 | Unit rates, unit price and speed; word problems |
Add 5 minutes a day with the ratio practice tool. Check answers with the ratio calculator, and use the unit rate calculator for prices and speeds.
More for grade 6
All 6th grade math · CBSE class 6 maths parent guide · 6th grade percents · Ratio quiz for both grades · Ratios for kids
What to say to your child
A short script for teaching it the first time. Pause after each line and let your child do the next step.
- “There are 2 cats for every 3 dogs. What is the ratio of cats to dogs?” (2 : 3.)
- “What is cats to all the pets?” (2 : 5.)
- “If there are 6 cats, how many dogs?” (9.)
- “12 apples cost $6. What is the price of one?” (50 cents.)
- “So what do 20 apples cost?” (10 dollars.)
More worked examples
Example 1: equivalent ratio: 3 : 5 = 12 : ?
3 × 4 = 12, so 5 × 4 = 20.
Example 2: sharing: $40 in 3 : 5
8 boxes of $5: $15 and $25.
Example 3: unit price: $4.80 for 6
$4.80 ÷ 6 = $0.80 each.
Practice questions (answers below)
Ask these out loud or write them down. Check each answer, and ask “how did you get that?” for one or two.
- Red to blue: 4 red, 7 blue
- Red to all: 4 red, 7 blue
- 2 : 3 = 10 : ?
- Simplify 18 : 24
- 1 pack : 8 pens. 5 packs?
- Share 30 in 1 : 2
- 2 : 5 or 3 : 7, more of the first?
- 150 miles in 3 hours. Speed?
- $12 for 4 pounds. Price per pound?
- Stretch: $3 for 4 or $5 for 6, cheaper each?
Show the answers
- 4 : 7
- 4 : 11
- 15
- 3 : 4
- 40 pens
- 10 and 20
- 3 : 7
- 50 mph
- $3
- $3 for 4
Common mistakes
How to teach it at home
Five minutes a day
Short daily practice beats long weekend sessions.
Cook together
Recipes are the best ratio lesson there is: double them, halve them and talk about the mix.
Shop smart
Compare unit prices on shelf labels and pick the best buy together.
By grade
- Before: multiplication and division facts (ratios scale by multiplying)
- After: 7th grade ratios and proportional relationships
Not sure where to start?
The free 6th grade math check-up tests every grade 6 topic in 18–22 minutes. It shows which topics are solid and which lesson to start with.
Worksheets and practice
Ratios worksheet: printable PDF with an answer key.
Last reviewed
Questions parents ask
What ratio skills should a 6th grader know?
How to write ratios, find equivalent ratios and simplest forms, and use ratio tables, tape diagrams and double number lines. They also find unit rates, unit prices and speeds.
Do 6th graders learn proportions?
They solve proportion problems with ratio tables and unit rates. Writing and solving proportion equations is a grade 7 standard.
Is there a 6th grade ratios quiz?
Yes. The quiz at the top of this page has 10 mixed grade 6 ratio questions. Each one is marked straight away, with a hint for every mistake. Play again for a fresh set, or try the ratio quiz for both grades.
What is class 6 ratio and proportion?
Class 6 in India and grade 6 in the US cover similar ratio skills, though the order differs. This page lists them in order, starting with what is a ratio, part-to-part and part-to-whole ratios, equivalent ratios.
How much ratio practice does a 6th grader need?
About 10 minutes a day: 5 minutes on the current skill with the practice tool and 5 minutes of mixed review. Short daily practice works better than long weekly sessions.