How Sharing Teaches Division
We all want to raise kind children who know how to share with others. But did you know that teaching your child how to share also teaches them basic division?
Any time your child creates equal groups, he or she is building the foundational understanding of dividing.
Here are some ways to incorporate sharing division at every age:
Age 1: Use the language of sharing when you’re giving your child a snack. “We have two apple slices to share. That means one for me and one for you.” They won’t be able to repeat this back to you, but the more times they hear you think aloud this way, the more their own brains will start to process information in this way.
Ages 2 - 3: Create equal groups of 1. For example, you put out two apple slices and ask your child to share the apple with you. When your child picks up the apple slices and hands one to you and keeps one for themselves, they also just built a basic understanding that two pieces split by two people gives one for each of us. If this seems too easy for your child, you can increase the number of people you’re sharing with (three apple slices need to be shared with three people) or move to the step below.
Ages 3 - 4: Create equal groups of more than 1. Give your older child a plate with 4 apple slices and ask them to share the apple slices equally with your younger child or you. Your child may immediately be able to see that each person should get two (if so, increase the number of apple slices) or they may need to share one at a time until all the apple slices are gone (one for you, one for me, one for you, one for me). Be sure to have them say what they did at the end by asking, “How many apple slices do we each get? (2) So 4 apple slices split between 2 people means we each get….? (2)”
Ages 4 - 5: When your child is comfortable sharing to create equal groups of more than 1 (see ages 3 - 4 above), it’s time to start getting them to think about basic fractions. Give your child 3 apple slices to share between 2 people. They will start with “one for you, one for me…” and then get stuck. Uh oh, there’s only one more apple slice! Your child may kindly offer to let you have it or insist that they should eat it. This is when you say, “But then I have 2 and you would only have 1. Is there a way we could share that apple slice?” Your child may realize you can split the apple slice in half to share it (fractions!).
If your child isn’t comfortable with the sharing I describe at their age level, you can support their understanding by doing think-alouds throughout the day about ways that you share to make equal groups.
