Year 6 Multiplication and division of fractions worksheet

“Multiplying unit fractions” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 6 maths unit “Multiplication and division of fractions”, for children aged 10 to 11, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Week 24 of the year, 5 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Multiplying unit fractions

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 6 · Maths · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can multiply two unit fractions by multiplying their denominators.

A Look back3 min

1.
1/2 is the same as 2/
2.
6/8 simplified is 3/
3.
Circle the bigger fraction: 1/3 or 1/5.
1/31/5

B Watch me, then you4 min

Ravi has one-quarter of a rectangle. He takes half of that piece. What fraction of the whole is his piece?

Watch me

Take a quarter and cut that strip in half.

Each quarter now has 2 pieces, so the whole has 8.

2 × 4 = 8, so 1/2 × 1/4 = 1/8.

Now you

1.
Circle the answer to 1/2 × 1/3.
1/51/62/61/3

C Your turn6 min

1.
1/2 × 1/8 = 1/
2.
1/2 × 1/4 = 1/
3.
1/2 × 1/5 = 1/
4.
1/2 × 1/6 = 1/

Say it out loud: What stays the same in every row, and what changes? Why does the top number stay 1?

D Spot the mistake2 min

Ola says: “1/2 × 1/4 is bigger than 1/4, because multiplying always makes a number bigger.”

1.
Circle the bigger amount: 1/2 × 1/4 or 1/4.
1/2 × 1/41/4

E Think deeper4 min

1.
Mia says 1/2 × 1/4 and 1/4 × 1/2 give the same answer. Explain why, using a picture or words.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Multiplying unit fractions · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. 4

2. 4

3. 1/3

B

1. 1/6 If your child circles 1/5, they may have added the 2 and 3 on the bottom. Halve the third instead: the whole now has 6 pieces.

C

1. 1/16, so the box is 16 If your child writes 10, they added the bottom numbers (2 + 8). Multiply them instead: 2 × 8 = 16.

2. 1/8, so the box is 8 If your child writes 6, they added 2 + 4. Multiply the bottoms: 2 × 4 = 8.

3. 1/10, so the box is 10

4. 1/12, so the box is 12 If your child writes 8, they added 2 + 6. Multiply: 2 × 6 = 12. The top stays 1, so the answer is 1/12.

D

1. 1/4 If your child circles 1/2 × 1/4, they have carried over the whole-number idea that multiplying makes bigger. Halving a quarter gives a smaller piece, 1/8.

E

1. Look for: Both products are 1/8 because the denominators multiply to 8 whichever order is used, and the numerator stays 1.

Words to use

Say“Which two bottom numbers multiply together? The top number stays 1.”

Instead of“Just multiply the top numbers and the bottom numbers, then simplify.”

After the sheet

Fold a strip of paper in half, then in half again to make quarters. Shade one quarter. Fold the strip in half once more and count the equal parts to find the new bottom number.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

4 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Multiplying two fractions(with a plan)
Sharing unit fractions(with a plan)
Sharing a fraction fairly(with a plan)
Dividing fractions the quick way(with a plan)

Every Year 6 maths worksheet

The worksheets plan opens a printable sheet for every lesson in Years 1 to 6, each with its answers on a separate page for you. It costs £6.99 a month or £59 a year for the whole family, with no free trial.

The full StudyDen plan adds the lessons themselves, marked as your child works, with the worksheets included. It is 7 days free, then £29.99 a month.

Get the worksheets Try the full plan free

Both start with a free account; you choose the plan when you sign up.