Fraction Work - Level 6-9
Made by Nienhuis Montessori · shipped by Heutink International (Netherlands) About the maker
Fraction work for six to nine, hands on activities with task cards to go alongside them. This is the level where a fraction still has to be something a child can pick up: halves and quarters that are held, laid over each other and found to match, with the cards asking questions the pieces can answer. The advanced set continues it and assumes this ground is covered. Durable plastic with rounded corners. In English.
“The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”
The Fraction Work apple addresses the young child's need to understand division through concrete manipulation before abstract mathematical thinking emerges. By physically separating and reuniting the foam apple quarters, children experience how one whole divides into four equal parts through their hands rather than through symbols. This tactile apple provides a sensorial bridge between the child's concrete operational thinking and the abstract concept of fractions. The foam material allows repeated exploration without damage, while the apple's familiar form connects mathematical concepts to everyday life.
- Understanding that wholes can be divided into equal parts through hands-on manipulation
- Developing fraction vocabulary (whole, half, quarter) through concrete experience
- Building one-to-one correspondence by matching apple pieces to quantity
- Strengthening spatial reasoning through fitting quarters together
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Each quarter piece fits precisely with others, demonstrating through touch how parts combine to recreate the whole. The Level 6-9 apple introduces fraction vocabulary through physical experience: children hold 'one quarter' in their hands before ever seeing ¼ written. This concrete-to-abstract progression respects how mathematical understanding develops naturally in early childhood, building from sensorial experience toward symbolic representation.
How to present it
Follow the Montessori method of presentation for optimal child development.
Place the assembled apple on a tray with a small cloth beneath. Ensure all four quarters are properly aligned to show the complete apple form.
- 1
Invite the child to examine the whole apple, noting its complete form
Let them hold and feel the weight of the complete apple first - 2
Demonstrate slowly pulling apart one quarter, emphasizing the separation
Use deliberate movements to highlight the division - 3
Name the piece: 'This is one quarter of the apple'
Repeat the fraction language naturally throughout - 4
Continue removing quarters one at a time, counting as you go
Pause between each removal for the child to process - 5
Explore different combinations: two quarters make half, etc.
Let the child discover these relationships through manipulation - 6
Reassemble the apple, noting how four quarters make one whole
Emphasize the satisfying click or fit as pieces join
Every Child Is a Little Creator
Heritage
Since 1929
In classrooms
Around the world
European brands
Nienhuis, GAM, Educo
Fraction Work - Level 6-9
