When working on adding fractions in Year 6 it may well be necessary to revise adding fractions with the same denominator before moving on to adding fractions with different denominators.

The method for adding fractions requires several steps and a good deal of knowledge. A key to this is to make sure children understand that the fractions need to have the same denominator to be able to add them. This means finding common denominators.

Success with adding fractions is a classic case of relying on past knowledge. Converting fractions so that they have the same denominators relies on being able to find multiples of numbers, which in turn relies on a good knowledge of ‘times tables’. Children should also know how to simplify answers and convert improper fractions to mixed numbers. Without good foundations children will find adding fractions very tricky.

Our latest set of pages shows the steps necessary to add fractions and is a great addition to the wide range of worksheets we have available.

Also, look out for our step-by-step tutorials on fractions which will be coming in the next couple of months.