Welcome to In the Kitchen with Ms. Kitchen, a three-part blog series from Counting Potential. Each week, we’ll explore how fractions evolve through different grade levels—and how families can support learning at home, right from the kitchen table.
Because fractions aren’t just in textbooks. They’re in pizza, recipes, sports scores, and even the price tags at the grocery store. When kids understand them deeply, confidence rises. When they don’t, math starts to feel like a foreign language.
Week 1: She Melted Down Over a Pizza (And I Get It.)
Fractions, Feelings & Pizza Math (Grades 3–5)
It was a regular Tuesday night in my tutoring “kitchen.” One of my students—we’ll call her Maya—was working through what looked like a simple problem:
“You ate 3/8 of a pizza. How much is left?”
Maya froze. And then—tears.
It wasn’t the math that broke her. It was the shame of not getting it.
She looked up and said, “I know what pizza looks like… but this question doesn’t make sense. Why can’t I figure it out?”
That moment hit me hard. Because it wasn’t just a wrong answer—it was a blow to her confidence.
The Lesson
So many kids can picture pizza, a chocolate bar, or a measuring cup. But once we ask them to subtract fractions, change denominators, or “borrow from the whole,” that real-life connection disappears. Suddenly, it’s not food on the table—it’s symbols on a page.
At Counting Potential, we see this all the time:
- Kids who love pizza night but panic when they see “⅜.”
- Kids who stop believing in themselves—not because they’re behind, but because no one showed them why fractions work the way they do.
Fractions aren’t just test questions. They’re life skills. And when students miss that connection, confidence suffers.
Quick Tip for Families
At dinner, ask a simple question:
“If we’ve eaten 3 slices out of 8, how much is left?”
No worksheet. No pressure. Just a quick math moment.
Then connect it back:
- Whole pizza (8 slices) = denominator
- Slices eaten (3 slices) = numerator
Fractions are simply part-to-whole relationships—not scary symbols.
Week 2: Fractions – The Recipe for Ratios
Fractions: The Recipe for Ratios (Grades 6–8)
By middle school, fractions don’t disappear. They grow up.
Why Fractions Still Matter
Ratios and proportions are the heartbeat of middle school math. They show up in:
- Comparing quantities (cups of flour to cups of sugar)
- Scaling up or down (doubling or halving a recipe)
- Working with percents, rates, and word problems
And behind all of it? Fraction sense.
Without a strong foundation, ratios feel confusing. With it, kids see patterns, solve problems, and feel capable.
3 Ways Families Can Help at Home
- Talk in Ratios: “You’ve read 2 out of 5 chapters. What’s the ratio of chapters read to total?”
- Cook Together: Halve or double a recipe—turn it into fraction multiplication in disguise.
- Draw It Out: Use fraction bars or tape diagrams. Try free tools like Toy Theater Fractions or Mathigon Polypad.
Tip of the Week
If your child can explain how ¾ equals 6/8, they’ll soon see why 3:4 and 6:8 are equivalent ratios. That’s powerful math thinking.
Week 3: Fractions Grow Up (Even More)
From Fractions to Functions: High School Math Connections
Fractions don’t vanish in high school—they transform.
Where Fractions Show Up in Upper Math
- Slope: rise over run = ratio
- Linear functions: built on proportional thinking
- Rational expressions: multiplying, simplifying
- Geometry: scale factor and similarity
- Algebra: equations with fractional coefficients
It’s not just about answers anymore. It’s about reasoning through complex ideas with confidence.
How Families Can Support Without Re-Teaching Algebra
- Revisit Ratios in Life: Compare car speeds, grocery prices per ounce, or recipe adjustments.
- Encourage Visual Thinking: Even teenagers benefit from diagrams and graphs.
- Ask the ‘Why’: “Why is slope a ratio?” “What does this fraction mean in real life?”
Tip of the Week
If your child understands slope as a rate, they’re not learning something brand new. They’re just applying old fraction knowledge in a new way.
Freebie Coming Soon: Function Kitchen Challenge!
- Algebra 1 activity
- Hands-on kitchen theme
- Parent-friendly & fun
Final Thought
Fractions are more than math problems—they’re confidence builders. From pizza night to Algebra 1, they’re the quiet thread that connects real-life reasoning to academic success.
At Counting Potential, we believe in keeping math human, relatable, and confidence-building. Because when kids see the why, they stop fearing math—and start owning it.