Simplify It!: A Fraction Card Game

Race to simplify fractions in this fast-paced, two-player game! All you need to play is a deck of cards, paper and pencils. Shuffle the cards, and you're ready to get started. You'll work with your partner to create fractions. Find the simplest form first to earn cards and win the game.

Simplifying fractions is an essential skill for every math student in the fifth grade or higher. Students need continued practice with simplification in order to successfully add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions. Play this game again and again and work towards mastering this important concept!

What You Need:

• Deck of playing cards (Download here)
• 1 game board (a piece of paper with a horizontal line drawn across the center, to represent a fraction bar)
• Scratch paper and pencils (optional)

What You Do:

1. Remove all of the face cards from the deck, then shuffle it.
2. Distribute the deck evenly between two players. Players should place their mini-decks face down in front of themselves.
3. Play begins by having the players simultaneously turn over two cards each and place them on the game board. Each player should place one card above the fraction bar, to represent the numerator, and one card below the fraction bar, to represent the denominator. There should be two cards above and two cards below - four cards total.
4. The first player to correctly simplify the fraction shown by the cards wins all four cards. If a tie results, split the cards evenly.
5. Play continues until one player has accumulated all of the cards or time is up. The player with the most cards wins.