The challenge

Step 1

Make a sandwich. Ask your child about the different ways they could divide their sandwich into two equal pieces.

Step 2

Now, cut the sandwich into halves. Discuss with your child how the smaller parts make up the whole sandwich. Get them to identify using words like "half" and "whole". You could also draw their attention to how one cut made two equal pieces, and ask them if there is another way you could have done it.

The conversation

You can do this activity with just about anything: apples, oranges, bananas, fairy bread and even when sharing chocolate.

Ask your child to help you halve a bottle of juice to share between two people.

Cut a slice into two parts, but make one piece much smaller than the other. Discuss with your child why these two parts aren't called halves, even though you have cut the bread into two pieces.

Hint:

We make halves when we cut something into two equal pieces.