Comparing Fractions Teaching Resources

Work on comparing fractions with your math class this school year with printable worksheets, activities, games, and more designed by teachers for elementary students.

This collection of curriculum-aligned teaching resources will help students learn how to find the common denominator of two different fractions and then compare the numerators — a fundamental mathematical concept that will help them better understand fraction representation and build up to more complex math concepts down the line.

You'll find editable worksheets and activities in this collection, designed to differentiate instruction for your individual learners and to meet better your state standards, plus a full array of options to keep students engaged!

New to this portion of the math curriculum? Read on for a primer from our teacher team with tips on teaching kids how to compare fractions.

Why Is Comparing Fractions Important?

This is a question we often get from students. After all, they always want to know why — and we love that they question!

Learning to compare fractions is crucial in helping our students recognize and represent fractions in different forms. In turn, that helps to reinforce the concept of fractions and their relationship to whole numbers. There's also proportional reasoning at play here. Comparing fractions helps students understand how fractions can represent quantities that are proportional to each other.

One final thing worth noting? By comparing fractions, students are learning to order and rank quantities in a meaningful way. This is an opportunity to bring real-world learning into the mix as you might have students compare ingredient amounts in a recipe as one of your comparing fractions activities.

How to Compare Fractions With Different Denominators

Of course, before you can dive into the activities themselves, your students need to know how to compare fractions!

To start off, students need to look at the denominator (the bottom part of a fraction).

Comparing Fractions When the Denominators Are the Same

In this case, the process is fairly simple — simply compare the numerators (the top part). If the numerators and denominators are equal, the fractions are equal. If one numerator is larger, then that fraction is larger.

Comparing Fractions When the Denominators Are Different

Here's when it gets a bit more complicated. If the denominators are different, students will need to convert each of the fractions to have a common denominator.

Next, they will compare the numerators. Once again, if the numerators are equal, the fractions are equal. If one numerator is larger, then that fraction is larger.

For example, to compare 1/2 and 2/3, you could convert both fractions to have a common denominator of 6:

• 1/2 becomes 3/6
• 2/3 becomes 4/6

Now that both fractions have the same denominator, you can compare the numerators:

• 3 is less than 4, so 1/2 is less than 2/3.