Ratios: Practice at Home, Grade 6

A ratio compares two amounts, and Grade 6 is where children first write them formally. You can see ratios in any recipe, playlist or bag of mixed snacks.

What your child is working on

If a bag has 3 red and 5 blue marbles, the ratio of red to blue is 3 to 5 (or 3:5). The order matters: blue to red is 5 to 3. A ratio can compare a part to a part or a part to the whole (3 to 8).

Try it at home

Pour out a bag of mixed snacks, such as raisins and crackers, and sort it. Ask: “What is the ratio of raisins to crackers? Of raisins to all the pieces?” Write each in words and with a colon.

In the kitchen, double a recipe and ask what stays the same. If flour to sugar is 3 to 1, then 6 to 2 is the same ratio.

Where children slip

Mixing up the order. Always read the question for the word “to” or “for every”: “the ratio of red to blue” means red first.

Practice online

Practice on the free Write a ratio from a situation page. The Grade 6 skills list continues with rates and tables.