“Eggs-Act” Fractions

A carton that holds a dozen eggs suggests a group of 12, which makes 12 the “denominator” in this game! (If you have egg cartons that hold only 6 or 8 eggs each, play the game with fractions that have denominators of 6 or 8.)

What You Need:

• 2 empty egg cartons
• Lima beans (or other dried beans)
• Paper and pencil for each player
• Number of players: 2

What You and Your Child Will Do:

1. Each player drops one bean into each section of his or her egg carton and then closes the carton.
2. Now, holding the carton closed tightly, each player shakes the carton several times, then puts the carton down and opens it carefully to examine the contents.
3. Each player counts the number of sections that now contain beans and writes that number as a fraction. The number of sections now containing beans is the numerator, and the total number of sections is the denominator.
4. Players compare fractions. The player who gets the greater fraction (the fraction with the greater numerator) scores 1 point.
5. Players refill their cartons with one bean in each section. Play continues until one player gets a total of 5 points. For example:
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