Fractions, toddlers and movement. With my toddler group we approached fractions using our bodies and here are some ideas you may follow with your team, as well. I am also attaching a free pdf bellow with the tips and all the steps -use it!
STEP ONE: Introduce shapes to the children. With my team we talked about the circle, the square, the triangles and the rectangular.
STEP TWO: Explore which of these shapes you can represent with your body. Sure, you can make a circle with your mouth or a triangle with your fingers. How about a triangle with your legs? Or your hands? Can you create a rectangular with your team? What’s the biggest circle you can do? Just try and explore the possibilities. You don’t have to be successful from the beginning. Just give it a go and have fun. Try to lay down, stand up, work in teams or individually.
STEP THREE: How about cutting that circle in half? The triangle? Use free printables and shapes you can cut in half. Try to cut in half some objects in your room -the table, maybe the door. Don’t forget, we see shapes everywhere!
STEP FOUR: Next step, add some movement. What if you do a spin with your body and then…cut this movement in half? Or, what if you do a leap and then try to repeat that leap but in half of the distance…? Every person has a different style, and its own unique movement. Try to incorporate this singular movement of each one of your students to this activity. How about cutting a smile in half?
Apply the concept “half”. We danced on a piece of newspaper that we kept folding in half. Final step? Unfold the newspaper. How many parts you have?
