Equal parts first
Children learn fractions as equal shares of one whole. Circles and bars show the same idea two ways, so the fraction is not tied to one shape.In the New Zealand Curriculum
- Year 1Halves and quarters of shapes and small groups, shown with materials, drawings and talk.
- Year 2Showing one half, one third and one quarter in different ways, comparing them, and finding them in a set.
- Year 3Comparing unit fractions with denominators up to 12, and placing fractions on a number line.
New Zealand classrooms say quarters rather than fourths, so read 3/4 aloud as “three quarters”. Halves, thirds and quarters cover Years 1 and 2, and the sixths and eighths sheets fit Year 3.
From Year 2 the curriculum also asks for fractions of a set, such as half of 8 counters, and from Year 3 for fractions on a number line. This maker draws shapes and bars only, so use counters or a drawn line alongside it for those.
Summarised in our own words from the New Zealand Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics, Years 0–8 (in effect from 2025), and the Ministry of Education’s year-by-year guide for parents and whānau.
