All of it or Half of it? Education + Fun = Math Activity for Playtime!

This weekend, grab some candy from your cupboard, gather your kids and have some fun playing this game, while simultaneously teaching/practicing fractions. It’s the best of both worlds when you can play a game and learn some math too!

How to play “All of” or “Half of”:

• Make two piles of the same kind of candy. Hint: Until your child gets the hang of it, make sure both piles have an even number of candies (unless your child is confident with talking ½ of an odd number).
  • Then, ask them if they would rather have “half of” one of the piles, or “all of” the other pile? What about if you flipped which pile you asked for “half of” vs. “all of”? Then, try changing the amounts to make it harder.
• EX 1: M&M’s – 1^st Pile: 20 | 2^nd Pile: 18
  • ASK: Would you rather have “half of” Pile 1, or “all of” Pile 2?
    • Answer for most: “half of” pile 1 would be 10, “all of” pile 2 would be 18 – so “all of” pile 2 would be more
• EX 2: M&M’s – 1^st Pile: 8 | 2^nd Pile: 16
  • ASK: Would you rather have “half of” Pile 1, or “all of” Pile 2?
    • Answer for most: “half of” pile 1 would be 4, “all of” pile 2 would be 16 – so “all of” pile 2 would be more
  • 2^nd ASK: Would you rather have “all of” Pile 1 or “half of” Pile 2?
    • Answer for most: “all of” pile 1 would be 8, “half of” pile 2 would be 8 – so both would be the same.

As you can see you can do an endless number of variations, but these examples give you an idea of how the game is played.

• To make it harder:
  • There are so many variations to make this harder, it’s honestly up to you how hard you want to make it. But here are some ideas:
    • Add in more piles to compare to, so compare 3, 4, or 5 piles – whether you’re still just comparing “half of” to “all of” or adding in even more complexity, the more piles you add in the tougher the problem is.
    • Instead of just asking for “Half of” you can ask for “Quarter of”, “Third of” or “Eighth of” etc.
    • For even more of a challenge, you can compare these to each other as opposed to “All of it”. So for example you would ask: Would you rather have a “quarter of” this pile, or an “eighth of” this pile? Comparing fractions to each other is a lot harder than comparing them to a whole.
    • Still too easy? Have them take a fraction of a fraction – so, pull out your measuring cups, fill them with something fun, and have them figure out which would be more – ¼ cup or “Third of” ½ cup?

We know there is a lot going on in the world right now with a lot of stress – but we hope you and your kids can take some time to enjoy fun activities such as these that are engaging while also being educational. We know there is a lot of uncertainty and worry about education this upcoming school year, so if there is anything we can do to help you and your family with your math concerns, please reach out. We have both online and in-center options to support families whatever way is right for them and are eager to answer any questions you may have.

-Mathnasium of Littleton,

Your Local Math Enthusiasts