Hacevedo’s Fraction Parcheesi: Math Game Review

*This post is written in partnership with H.ACE.R Didáctica. I received free product to facilitate my post and was compensated for my time. Opinions are my own.

Anyone who has ever sat down with a child to help them with their math homework knows just how frustrating math can be. Worksheets. Endless problems. Tears. It’s a struggle. But it doesn’t have to be.

H.ACE.R Didáctica set out to create a way for students (and parents/teachers) to see and understand complex math problems while playing games. No paper and pencil. No frustration. A GAME! Sound interesting?

This past year, I had three kids navigating the world of fractions. Any parent who has sat down with their child to help them with their math (which now includes just about every parent in the country) – knows just how frustrating math can be.

Kids learn better when they’re engaged. Essentially, if a child is having fun – they’re more likely to retain information. And what better way to make fractions fun, than with a game? (Especially a game your kiddo may already be familiar with!)

Hacevedo’s Fraction Parcheesi is designed to teach kids how to visualize fractions and their equivalents. The rules essentially mimic that of traditional parcheesi, in that you attempt to move all of your playing pieces out of starting position into “home row.”

However, to enter the game, you must roll a doublet – or equivalent fractions. The dice included in the game have fractions on each side instead of numerals. So for example, if you roll a 2/3 and 4/6, you get to move a piece onto the game board.

As game play continues, kids continue to convert fractions and find their equivalents, as each space on the board represents 1/12. I loved watching my kids stop each round to figure out how many spaces they could move.

For example, a roll of 1/3 and 4/8 would mean that a player could move a total of 10 spaces on the game board, as 1/3 = 4/12 and 4/8 = 6/12.

The game board includes fraction equivalent charts for quick reference.

As a teacher turned homeschooling parent, the entire game aside – this included math tool is worth the price of the entire game. I LOVE it.

This simple tool/manipulative allows kids to actually SEE fraction equivalents. Often in their math coursework, my kids will encounter problems that require them to determine which fraction is greater/lesser. This handy tool provides a fantastic visual that allows them to see and understand why 2/3 > 3/5, etc.

And this tool actually gets BETTER. Those little fraction pieces? They show equivalent fractions. For example, if you pick up a 1/3 block, one side has 4 “1/12”, another has 3 “1/9”, and another has 2 “1/6.” So one fraction block allows your child to see and understand SO many things.

This incredible fraction tool will now sit with our math curriculum and be used on an ongoing basis, and Hacevedo’s Fraction Parcheesi will be a welcome addition to our board games.

*Full disclosure: The Hacevedo’s Fraction Parcheesi game board is in Spanish. However, there ARE English instructions found on the back of the game board, allowing non-Spanish speakers to play and enjoy the game.

Visit http://www.hacerdidactica.com.co/ to learn more about Algebra is a Game and the other exciting math games H.ACE.R Didáctica has to offer.